Mark Brandau joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 2005 as a desk editor, and since 2008 he has covered marketing and advertising trends for NRN and NRN.com. Following a move to NRN’s Chicago office in 2009, he began covering the largest foodservice chains based in the Midwest, including McDonald’s Corp. and Yum! Brands Inc. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.