coca cola The company on Thursday announced a new marketing campaign to boost sales of its sodas in restaurants, as declining foot traffic and sluggish sales challenge both the industry and the beverage industry’s top suppliers.
This campaign marks the first time Coca-Cola has released an ad featuring multiple restaurant partners. The commercial appears across different consumers ordering meals at different chain restaurants, ending with the same phrase “Coke too” at the end of every order.
Across the three spots released Thursday, 13 different chains share the spotlight. Arby’s, Culver’s, domino pizzaFive Guys, jack in the boxJimmy John’s, Panda Express, Popeye, Sonic, wendy’sWhataburger, White Castle, wingstop.
Drinks, even a simple cola, are high-margin menu items for restaurants, helping boost profits in an industry that is notorious for having extremely low profit margins. The sale has become even more important as consumers cut back on restaurant visits and spend less when eating out.
Foot traffic to U.S. restaurants fell 2% in February, according to data from Black Box Intelligence. Additionally, 38% of consumers said their restaurant spending decreased in the first quarter of 2026, according to a survey conducted by Revenue Management Solutions.
Behind the scenes, Coca-Cola is trying to help restaurants boost sales even as spending slumps. Amid the so-called value war between fast-food chains in 2024, Coke executives said the company worked with restaurant partners to sell combo meals with drinks to drive foot traffic and beverage sales. CNBC previously reported that Coke Co. is investing marketing money to make its $5 meals more appealing to McDonald’s U.S. franchisees.
Dagmar Boggs, Coke’s president of foodservice and on-premises North America, said Coke selected the chain for the new campaign based on its variety of cuisines and occasions such as late-night pickup and drive-thru.
The commercial will air in theaters starting Friday. By mid-April, the campaign will extend to terrestrial television, digital channels, and third-party delivery providers such as UberEats and DoorDash.
The chain did not pay Coca-Cola to participate in the advertising. Boggs called it “a perk of being a Coca-Cola partner.”
Boggs describes Coke as a “business partner” rather than a “beverage supplier” to restaurants, offering insights and marketing suggestions to chains like Burger King and Wendy’s.
Of course, increased cola sales at restaurants will also benefit the beverage giant. Coca-Cola does not disclose how much of its sales come from restaurants. But executives have previously said that about half of its overall sales come from out-of-home channels such as movie theaters, airplanes and amusement parks.
Coca-Cola’s food service business also acts as a bellwether for consumer sentiment.
“If food service catches a cold in North America sales, then all of North America catches a cold,” Boggs said. “That’s why we’re always looking to grow our partners’ businesses, because when they grow, we grow too.”
In 2025, Coke’s organic sales in North America increased by 4%, but domestic unit case volume decreased by 1%, indicating weak demand for the beverage. According to the outlook announced in early February, the company expects sales to increase moderately in 2026.
