NRN editors discuss Taco Bell’s latest stunt, the next merchandise craze and the NRA’s plea for loan reliefNRN editors discuss Taco Bell’s latest stunt, the next merchandise craze and the NRA’s plea for loan relief

This week on Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News award-winning podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister talked about the newest merchandise craze in the restaurant industry: candles.

Last week, Texas Roadhouse introduced new Honey Cinnamon Butter Candles to the market, a first for the casual-dining concept that claims fans have been asking for merchandise for years. The team discussed what this means on a broader scale and how this trend could impact marketing across the industry.

Also, the team discussed Taco Bell’s latest menu stunt: pitting two former menu items against each other to see which fans would vote back onto the menu. The team talked about Taco Bell’s menu strategy and how its impactful marketing gets the job done.

Finally, the team talked about The National Restaurant Association’s attest plea to the Small Business Administration for relief on loan repayments for the economic disaster relief loans that were issued to some independent restaurants at the beginning of the pandemic as an alternative to PPP loans. The team discussed the possibility of the government responding to the NRA’s plea and more.

This week’s interview is George Felix, CMO of Chili’s, who spoke with Ron Ruggless on an episode of his show, DrinkedIn Live, a live show on LinkedIn that happens at the end of every month on NRN’s LinkedIn page. Be sure to check it out next month if you missed the previous episodes.