Coca-Cola on Thursday unveiled a new marketing campaign to boost sales of its soda at restaurants as declining traffic and sluggish sales growth challenge both the industry and its top beverage supplier.
The campaign marks the first time Coke has released ads featuring multiple restaurant partners. The commercials flash across different consumers ordering their meals at a medley of chains, all ending their orders with the same phrase, “And a Coke.”
Across the three spots released Thursday, 13 different chains share the spotlight: Arby’s, Culver’s, Domino’s Pizza, Five Guys, Jack in the Box, Jimmy John’s, Panda Express, Popeyes, Sonic, Wendy’s, Whataburger, White Castle and Wingstop.
For restaurants, drinks — even a simple Coke — are high-margin menu items, helping lift profits in an industry known for its razor-thin margins. That sale becomes even more important as consumers cut back on restaurant visits and spend less when they do dine out.
In February, traffic to U.S. restaurants fell 2%, according to data from Black Box Intelligence. And 38% of consumers said they were spending less at restaurants during the first quarter of 2026, based on a survey conducted by Revenue Management Solutions.
Behind the scenes, Coke has also been trying to help boost restaurant sales amid the spending slowdown. As the so-called value wars kicked off among fast-food chains in 2024, Coke executives said that the company had teamed up with restaurant partners to market combo meals with drinks to drive traffic and beverage sales; CNBC previously reported that Coke threw in marketing funds to make a $5 value meal more attractive to McDonald’s U.S. franchisees.
Coke chose the chains in its new campaign based on the different cuisines and the occasions they represent, like late-night pickup or drive-thru, according to Dagmar Boggs, Coke’s North American president of foodservice and on-premise.
The commercials will air in movie theaters starting Friday. By mid April, the campaign will spread to linear TV, digital channels and third-party delivery providers like UberEats and DoorDash.
The chains did not pay Coke to participate in the advertisements. Boggs called it “the perk of being a partner with Coca-Cola.”
Boggs describes Coke as a “business partner” rather than a “beverage supplier” for restaurants, giving insight and marketing suggestions to chains like Burger King or Wendy’s.
Of course, higher Coke sales at restaurants will also benefit the beverage giant. Coke does not publicly disclose how much of its sales come from restaurants. However, executives have previously said that about half of its overall sales come from away-from-home channels, which also include movie theaters, airplanes and amusement parks.
Coke’s food service business also serves a bellwether for consumer sentiment.
“If food service catches a cold in the North America operating unit, North America will catch a cold,” Boggs said. “That’s why we are always looking to grow our partners’ business, because when they grow, we grow.”
In 2025, Coke’s North American organic sales rose 4%, but its domestic unit case volume fell 1%, a signal of weaker demand for its drinks. The company is projecting modest sales growth in 2026, according to the outlook it released in early February.
