• by Barbie Romero , April 22, 2025

At our QSR Brand Insider Summit in Austin, TX, leading QSR and fast casual experts took the stage to address the industry’s toughest challenges. Highlights included Whataburger’s influencer partnership with Lainey Wilson, Blaze Pizza’s innovative use of third-party delivery as a media channel, DRM (Arby’s) strategic use of radio and linear TV in local markets, and Papa Johns’ Meet the Makers campaign featuring influencers, Pokeworks also shared how they revitalized their loyalty program and even created their own holiday promotion to drive sales during the slow season. Valuable insights were shared throughout the event. 

Catch the best moments from on-stage discussions from the summit experience.

Watch the full session recordings here!

From the Insider Stage: 

Donna Tuttle, Vice President, Marketing & Communications at Whataburger discussed the brand's influencer partnership with Lainey Wilson and how they are tapping into nostalgia to enhance their marketing efforts. 

Casey Terrell, VP of Marketing at Blaze Pizza shared how the brand strategically leverages third-party delivery platforms as a media channel to drive growth.

Mitchell Johnson, Owner, Executive Vice President at DRM (Arby's) highlighted how traditional tactics like radio and linear TV remain effective in local markets such as Missouri and South Dakota.

Sarah Weeden, Senior Director of Advertising & Creative at Papa Johns discussed the brand’s Meet the Makers campaign and how they’re leveraging social media and influencers like  the Bartoli brothers’ pizza spinning videos as key brand assets.

Ha Ly, Head of Marketing at Pokeworks shared how the brand revamped its loyalty program and even launched a custom holiday promotion during the slow season to boost sales.

If you’re interested in submitting content for future editions, please reach out to our Managing Editor, Barbie Romero at Barbie@MediaPost.com.