Coca-Cola has launched a new marketing initiative to increase soda sales through restaurant channels, as the industry faces declining customer traffic and sluggish sales growth.
This campaign marks the first time Coca-Cola has featured multiple restaurant partners together in advertising. The commercials show different customers ordering at various chains, each ending with the same phrase: "And a Coke."
Thirteen chains appear across three ads released on Thursday: 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, beverages—even a standard Coca-Cola—are high-margin items that can help improve profitability in a low-margin industry. With consumers dining out less and spending less per visit, beverage sales have become especially important.
According to market research firm Black Box Intelligence, U.S. restaurant foot traffic fell 2% year-over-year in February. A Revenue Management Solutions survey also found that 38% of consumers reduced spending at restaurants in the first quarter of 2026.
Amid slower consumer spending, Coca-Cola has been working to help restaurants increase sales. When fast-food chains launched value wars in 2024, Coca-Cola executives said they collaborated with partners to promote combo meals that include drinks. The company also invested marketing funds to enhance the appeal of McDonald’s $5 value meal, as previously reported by CNBC.
Dagmar Boggs, President of Coca-Cola North America Foodservice and On-Premise, stated that participating chains were selected to represent diverse cuisines and dining occasions, such as late-night takeout or drive-thru orders.
The ads will begin running in theaters on Friday, with the campaign expanding to traditional TV, digital platforms, and third-party delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash from mid-April.
Participating restaurants are not required to pay Coca-Cola for appearing in the ads. Boggs described this as a "benefit of being a Coca-Cola partner."
Boggs positions Coca-Cola as a "business partner" to restaurants—not just a beverage supplier—offering market insights and marketing support to chains such as Burger King and Wendy’s.
Increased Coca-Cola sales in restaurants also benefit the beverage giant. While Coca-Cola does not disclose the proportion of sales from restaurant channels, executives have previously noted that about half of total volume comes from away-from-home consumption, including venues like theaters, airlines, and amusement parks.
Coca-Cola’s foodservice business also serves as an indicator of consumer spending sentiment.
"If there’s an issue in the foodservice channel in North America, it affects the entire North American business," Boggs said. "That’s why we are committed to helping our partners grow—when they grow, we grow."
In 2025, Coca-Cola’s organic sales in North America grew 4%, but its domestic volume declined 1%, indicating weaker beverage demand. In its early February outlook, the company projected modest sales growth for 2026.
