Check out this fun new commercial from Benihana. According to the company, "This spot is the first execution in a campaign that presents Benihana's grill as the stage. In the spot, Benihana's famous tiki mugs take on a giant ramp made of vegetables."
 
At first glance, it's like, what does this have to do with Benihana? But break it down to its elements: tiki drinks, piles of fresh vegetables and shrimp, showbiz. That's what Benihana is all about. And Benihana has been upgrading the food and experience, so it makes sense that it's also trying to attract a younger, hipper audience. 

I like the commercial and think it works. What do you think? Reply in the comment box below.

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Caribou Coffee says, "Get real," to steer Starbucks customers toward Caribou's new chocolate drinks that start with all-natural chocolate pieces.

The new TV commercial shows snooty marionettes in the mall posturing for each other until a real person sits down with a delicious-looking Caribou beverage. "Why don't we ever go to Caribou?" she asks. "Because we're not real."

I like this commercial, as far as it goes. The puppets are clever, from the bluetooth-enabled earpiece to the puzzled-looking chihuahua. Being "real" is trendy and excess is out in these troubled times. And the beverage looks delicious, and I want one for dessert.

This is where I get stuck. It looks like dessert. It doesn't look like "real" c...Read More

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World-famous singer Celine Dion stars in this commercial for St-Hubert, a Canadian restaurant chain that specializes in rotisserie chicken.

I don't know French. I took Spanish in high school. But I think the closing screen is telling us the spot is supporting cystic fibrosis research. I imagine the dialog goes something like this:

Customer: Hey, lady. You kind of look like Celine Dion.

Waitress: Why thank you. I get that all the time at the curling tournaments and hockey games I go to. But actually, Celine Dion is thin and beautiful and working in Las Vegas to support her family. Unless there were some sort of charity involved, she would never eat at this rotisserie-chicken chain.

Celine Dion: That'...Read More

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Wendy's "you know when it's real" commercials are on the air, and I am relieved. Really.

I never liked the "better than fast food" tag. Wendy's is fast food. And those crazy red wigs? Don't get me started.

What I like most about the new spots isn't the fact that they're clever, though they are. It's the focus on fresh, juicy burgers. They remind me of the old commercials where Wendy's customers needed lots of napkins because they were dripping all over themselves. Ah, a point of differentiation! 

Here is the 60-second extended version. What do you think? Reply in the comment box below.

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This is not a restaurant chain commercial. It's kind of a restaurant industry commercial. In a departure from our typical post, enjoy this look at some special restaurant operators, the winners of the National Restaurant Association's 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Awards.


This is one of the reasons I love this industry.

If you have a restaurant-chain commercial or other video you'd like to see in this space, send an e-mail to ...Read More

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Starting tomorrow and through this weekend, Starbucks is offering a taste test of their instant Via product against a regular coffee. 

The commercial is funny, and choosing Nancy Giles, who you might know from CBS News Sunday Morning, was a brilliant choice for a smart but slightly sarcastic narrator. 

But I find it interesting that the brand, which was built on coffee-as-experience, would choose to promote that you don't need the experience after all. What do you think? Comment in the box below.

By the way, while looking for this commercial, I found tha...Read More

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Have you been following T.G.I. Friday's Woody campaign? The story goes that Friday's fan Woody challenges the restaurant chain: If he can get half a million Facebook fans, Friday's has to give all his fans a free Jack Daniel's burger or chicken sandwich. Woody reached that goal earlier this week and upped the ante, and is now trying to recruit a million fans.

Maybe you've seen the commercials, which seem to be running on all the network and basic cable channels in prime time. It's kind of a clever way to get Facebook fans, who Friday's can then entice with other offers, knowing they already have an affinity for the chain--or at least for free stuff. 

But the campaign and the commercials felt a little contrived to me. (No offense to anyone with that nam...Read More

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Outback Steakhouse International exec Steve Nilsen sent us this gem of a commercial. (Thanks, Steve!) 

It's part of a series the restaurant chain has been running in Korea since 2008, and Nilsen says comps rise as much as 25 percent when they're on air.

In this a-dor-a-ble commercial, a boy and girl are set up on a blind date. Nilsen writes: "This is very common in Korea and includes specific 'tells' so the arranger of the date can sit at a different table and watch how the date progresses.  In this case the ‘tell’ is that the boy will order steak if he likes the girl, and bread if he does not."

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I had the mixed-blessing of stumbling upon this commercial for Kelsey's Restaurants, a Canadian chain of 120-some casual-dining eateries. Think T.G.I. Friday's or Applebee's with a "Cheers" theme.

On the negative side is the earworm that is the "Cheers" theme song. It might take all weekend to get that dang tune out of my head. Not only is it in the spot, it plays on Kelsey's Web site, too. Over and over and over. (An aside: All Web sites should set their sound default to off.)

On the positive side, and speaking of the Web, while researching the concept, I find there is a myth that Kelsey's is named after "Cheers" star Kelsey Grammer, and that he is somehow involved in the concept. It is not and he is not. The brand predates the TV show, and Kelsey's is reportedly named for some roadhouse the founders used to frequent. Bu...Read More

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Our core audience is made up of restaurant-chain executives, so when I saw this commercial for Domino's Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes, I knew I had to share.

It pits the research and development department against the accounting department, each team taking credit for the Lava promotion that offers the dessert for free.

Holly Ryan in Domino's communications department tells me that "most of the people in the commercial are employees at our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich. They did a great job."

I agree. Especially the accountant who says, "Stick that in your oven."

What do you think? Reply in the comment box below.

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It feels just like a Monday today, so I need to do something fun and distracting, but still work related. 

Aha! Sonic Drive-In commercials!

Do you love them as much as I do? Or as much as the restaurant chain's fans, who do their own versions and post them on YouTube? 

The spots have a lot going for them: They're funny. We have gotten to know and kind of like--or at least empathize with--the characters. They show and talk about the food and specials. And they change often enough that you want to watch instead of flipping over to see what's on the other channels. 

From where I sit, the only thing they're missing is the iconic carhop. But Sonic seems to be able to get that story out: Did you see the ...Read More

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The new TV commercial from restaurant chain Pizza Inn is meant to look at family disfunction, and this family has it. Grown-up twins are almost perfectly in sync, both staring at Dad, knowing they're getting his goat. Finally Dad says they're just creepy, an argument starts, and one twin says the silliest line: "Oh, I wear pants, my name is Dad!" Then Mom distracts them from the blow-up by putting the focus back on the pizza. 

Is it funny? Yep. Is it a clever satire on family dysfunction? Yep. Does it make me want to buy a Pizza Inn pizza? Not sure--do we have a coupon?

Actually, I like this commercial. Pizza chains need to focus so much on discounting--and customers knowing they have a discount at the moment they make the call--it's refreshing to see something completely different. Pizza Inn does offer deals, but uses other method...Read More

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