TL;DR
Restaurant chains are launching World Cup promotions as the tournament kicks off in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Cava is hiring over 2,500 new team members and adding 75 new restaurants this year.
- Marketing & Branding Trending this week: A look at restaurant chains’ World Cup promotions See which stories readers couldn't get enough of []( NRN staff June 17, 2026 10 Slides Start slideshow LinkedinFacebookTwitterRedditEmail This week on Nation's Restaurant News, the top story was “A look at restaurant chains’ World Cup promotions.” The FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off this week with matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 through July 19. This is the first time the world’s most-watched sporting event will take place on U.S. soil since 1994 and, unsurprisingly, brands are going all out to capture the massive spending potential tied to the tournament. In other news, Cava is hiring. And it’s not alone in that regard. The fast-casual chain on Tuesday announced a goal of hiring more than 2,500 new team members this year, as the brand adds about 75 new restaurants. Last year, Cava added a net of 72 new units. Also, this year’s Hot Concepts, powered by The Coca-Cola Company, recognize emerging chains from around the U.S. that have impressive growth momentum and the potential to become household names. The winners will be recognized during a session at CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs, held at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., this July 20-22. Related: Dunkin’ tees off with John Daly See what else was trending on NRN.com this week. Start slideshow LinkedinFacebookTwitterRedditEmail About the Author []( NRN staff See more from NRN staff Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more. Sign Up Now You May Also Like Marketing & Branding\ \ Restaurants launch promotions aimed at gas price relief \ \ by Alicia Kelso\ \ Mar 31, 2026 Marketing & Branding\ \ Smoothie King targets Starbucks loyalists for promotion \ \ by Alicia Kelso\ \ Sep 25, 2025 Marketing & Branding\ \ These are the top National Coffee Day deals, from Dunkin’ to Scooter’s \ \ by Ron Ruggless\ \ Sep 23, 2025 Marketing & \ Red Lobster and Taco Bell had the most effective TV ads in the first half of 2025 \ \ by Alicia Kelso\ \ Jul 10, 2025 Top 500 Restaurants []( Content Spotlight The Technomic Top 500: Another tough year for chain restaurants Top 500 chain restaurant sales slowed again in 2025 as consumers cut back on dining, but sectors like coffee, beverages and snacks and chicken thrived Read More Featured []( to all podcast Regional Chains Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom transforms business for better efficiency, experience Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom transforms business for better efficiency, experience Jun 10, 2026 []( to all podcast Casual Dining Firebirds CEO details casual chain’s unique approach to value through experience Firebirds CEO details casual chain’s unique approach to value through experience Jun 4, 2026 []( to all podcast Fast Casual How Mendocino Farms is setting the pace for fast casual’s future How Mendocino Farms is setting the pace for fast casual’s future May 28, 2026 []( to all podcast Executives 5 tips from Whataburger CEO on how restaurant chains can create a family-like culture 5 tips from Whataburger CEO on how restaurant chains can create a family-like culture May 21, 2026 Recent News See all []( Service El Pollo Loco brings back a popular side dish El Pollo Loco brings back a popular side dish by Alicia Kelso Jun 17, 2026 2 Min Read []( SevenRooms launches a reservations aggregator for restaurants SevenRooms launches a reservations aggregator for restaurants by Joe Guszkowski Jun 17, 2026 2 Min Read []( Casual Chipotle’s partnership with Riot Games continues with branded lobby Chipotle’s Riot Games partnership continues with branded lobby by Alicia Kelso Jun 17, 2026 2 Min Read []( Pura Vida Miami snags execs from Sweetgreen, Shake Shack and Oakberry Pura Vida Miami snags execs from Sweetgreen, Shake Shack and Oakberry by Lisa Jennings Jun 17, 2026 1 Min Read Casual Dining []( Link to all video Content Spotlight Get to know Rick Cardenas, the Darden CEO who started there as a busser The executive shares his advice, along with his most-binged TV show, favorite sports team, and most-used app Watch Now
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This story was originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on June 17, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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