Coca-Cola launches ad campaign with Domino’s, Wendy’s, Wingstop
Coca Cola On Thursday, it unveiled a new marketing campaign to boost soda sales at restaurants, as declining traffic and slow sales growth strain both the industry and its largest beverage supplier.
The campaign marks the first time Coca-Cola has run ads featuring more than one restaurant partner. The ads feature different consumers ordering food from mixed chains, all finishing their orders with the same phrase, “And a Coke.”
Thirteen different chains share the spotlight in three ads released Thursday: Arby’s, Culver’s, Domino’s PizzaFive Men, Jack in the BoxJimmy John’s, Panda Express, Popeyes, Sonic, Wendy’sWhataburger, White Castle and wing stopper.
For restaurants, beverages (even a simple Coke) are high-margin menu items and help increase profits in an industry where margins are known to be very low. This sale becomes even more important as consumers reduce restaurant visits and spend less when dining out.
Traffic to U.S. restaurants fell 2% in February, data shows. Black Box Intelligence. 38% of consumers said they spent less at restaurants in the first quarter of 2026, according to a survey conducted by Revenue Management Solutions.
Behind the scenes, Coca-Cola is also trying to help boost restaurant sales amid a slowdown in spending. As so-called value wars begin among fast-food chains in 2024, Coca-Cola executives said the company is partnering with restaurant partners to market combo meals and drinks to increase traffic and beverage sales; CNBC previously reported that Coca-Cola allocated marketing funds to make a $5 meal more attractive to McDonald’s franchisees in the United States.
Coke chose the chains in its new campaign based on the different cuisines and situations they represent, such as late-night pickup or drive-thru, according to Dagmar Boggs, Coke’s head of foodservice and in-house for North America.
The commercials will start airing in cinemas starting Friday. By mid-April, the campaign will expand to linear TV, digital channels and third-party delivery providers like UberEats and DoorDash.
The chains did not pay Coca-Cola to participate in the ads. Boggs called this “the advantage of partnering with Coca-Cola.”
Boggs describes Coke as a “business partner” rather than a “beverage supplier” to restaurants, offering insight and marketing advice to chains like Burger King or Wendy’s.
Of course, increasing cola sales in restaurants will also benefit the beverage giant. Coke does not publicly disclose how much of its sales come from restaurants. But executives have previously said about half of its total sales come from out-of-home channels, which include movie theaters, airplanes and theme parks.
Coca-Cola’s food service business also drives consumer sentiment.
“If food service catches a cold in the North American operating unit, North America catches a cold, too,” Boggs said. “That’s why we always try to grow our partners’ businesses, because as they grow, so do we.”
In 2025, Coca-Cola’s organic sales in North America rose 4%, but domestic unit case volume fell 1%; This is a signal that demand for their drinks is weakening. The company projects modest sales growth in 2026. appearance It was published in early February.
