--- title: "Restaurants are turning social media hacks into real menu items and it's working" url: https://burnaze.com/article/0475efef-c606-4656-8880-94f84ed21a0a source: "Restaurant Business" original_url: https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/marketing/restaurants-are-turning-social-media-hacks-real-menu-items-its-working category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" published: 2026-09-15T17:46:55.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T14:43:45.226Z image: https://cdn.informaconnect.com/platform/files/public/2026-09/background/USE%20TACO%20BELL%20FAN%20STYLE%20.jpg?VersionId=qsx4Lp2LtgM2JKx2Mmvob41I7.q9SrZH --- # Restaurants are turning social media hacks into real menu items and it's working **TL;DR:** Restaurants are creating menu items inspired by customer ideas on social media, with chains like IHOP, Chipotle, and McDonald's launching items based on customer feedback and hacks. This trend has led to increased customer satisfaction and sales, with companies like Burger King and Starbucks also adopting similar strategies. *originally published in Restaurant Business on 2026-09-15. [Read the original](https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/marketing/restaurants-are-turning-social-media-hacks-real-menu-items-its-working).* ## Story Restaurants have a reputation problem. That's clear to anyone who peruses social media and sees customers complaining about relentlessly high menu prices, alleging shrinkflation, pointing out order inaccuracies, and so forth. Plenty of chains are working to tamp down such ire. The value war has been going on for at least two years now with no signs of slowing, for instance. Brands from McDonald's to Cava to Starbucks are adding more staff to ensure friendlier service and correct orders. And there has been an abundance of product upgrades, as my colleague Jonathan Maze recently wrote about, including Burger King's Whopper and chicken nuggets, Carl's Jr.'s shift to made-to-order burgers, and McDonald's hand-breaded chicken test. But there's another strategy at play that hasn't gotten nearly as many headlines yet has the potential to really excite guests: more restaurant brands are launching items that customers themselves have ideated or created. It doesn't take a rocket science degree to understand that customers who get what they want will likely be more satisfied. Consider IHOP here. The family-dining chain recently moved its social media team in-house to get a firmer pulse on its customers' interests. In response to such content, IHOP just brought back its Stuffed French Toast for the first time in six years, calling it the “number one requested item on social media.” Earlier this year, the company brought its viral Dubai Chocolate Pancakes nationwide, along with a Dubai Chocolate Milkshake, following a sold-out test last year. In the second quarter, IHOP’s same-store sales increased 1.5%, outperforming its category peers for both sales and traffic. Meanwhile, Chipotle just launched two limited-time menu items simultaneously for the first time, including Pollo Asado and Chili Lime Chips. The chips were inspired by the chain’s consumers who were embracing the “walking taco” trend on social media and crushing chips over their burrito bowls. In a statement, Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado said, “We saw guests hacking their Chipotle orders with packaged chips and asked what would this look like done the Chipotle way?” Of course, Chipotle is no stranger to bringing menu hacks to the mainstream. The chain frequently introduces digital-only orders from celebrities and creators and has been bringing such creations to life for years. In 2021, for example, Chipotle launched a “Quesabrisket”— featuring smoked brisket in a quesadilla with queso blanco, tomatillo-red chili salsa, and tomatillo-green chili salsa — after capturing feedback from followers on TikTok. McDonald’s also jumped into the menu hack trend early on, launching the “Land, Air & Sea” combo in 2022, which combined a McChicken sandwich with a Big Mac and Filet-O-Fish. The Golden Arches also introduced a Filet-O-Fish and Double Cheeseburger “Surf Turf,” Chicken McNuggets on a Double Cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, and a Hash Brown McMuffin. In a statement at the time, the company said the campaign “shows it has never been ‘our menu’— the menu belongs to the fans.” This trend has accelerated since then as more brands co-create their menus with their most loyal customers. Burger King’s Whopper by You platform, launched last year and asking customers to submit their custom sandwich ideas online, has been a major catalyst to the brand’s turnaround. Starbucks has long had a secret menu (for at least 10 years) filled with customer creations, but the company mainstreamed it last year by adding it to the mobile app for the first time. Starbucks also began teasing a more official version of the menu with a “Not-so-Secret” broadcast channel on Instagram, which shares recipes of customizations. Chick-fil-A just tested a Protein Scramble Bowl this year, inspired by its customers’ menu hacks, while Taco Bell launched a “Fan Style” menu, allowing loyalty members to build, name, and share their custom orders. Expect such menu and marketing strategies to continue, as the current restaurant environment is separating into clear winners and losers, and those on the winning end are simply doing a better job adhering to the timeless philosophy of giving the people what they want. The challenge is to define what exactly they want and that is no longer just lower prices and convenient meals. As McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said during his company’s second quarter earnings call in early August: “When I began my career a long time ago … you would build a marketing campaign at the beginning of the year and just go execute that marketing campaign. That model doesn’t work anymore. “It’s no longer what we describe as our brand, it’s the customers’ brand.” ## Entities - QSR (sector) - menu pricing (topic) - McDonald's (company) - Starbucks (company) - Burger King (company) - menu innovation (topic) - Restaurant Business (publication) - Chipotle (company) - social media marketing (topic) - IHOP (company) - Chris Kempczinski (person) - restaurant trends (topic) --- Originally reported by Restaurant Business (https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/marketing/restaurants-are-turning-social-media-hacks-real-menu-items-its-working). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/0475efef-c606-4656-8880-94f84ed21a0a).