Sports stars rush to work with restaurants

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor / FilmMagic

Subway made waves this summer with the announcement of its biggest ad campaign featuring five sports stars: Charles Barkley, Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Megan Rapinoe and Serena Williams. This was part of the ‘Eat Fresh’ promotion when the chain revamped its menu. The campaign culminated in a group of commercials featuring the sports stars.

That wasn’t all Subway did this past year with sports stars. The chain signed on to be the official sandwich of the National Football League in July and, in September debuted a television ad with the general manager of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, along with NFL star brothers J.J., T.J. and Derek Watt and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Just last week, former baseball star Nick Swisher announced a partnership with fast-casual chain McAlister’s Deli for the holidays.

McAlister’s Deli asked the former sports star and his wife, actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher, to man the Holiday Hosting Hotline for the brand. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. EST, “stumped hosts” can call into the hotline to ask for holiday hosting advice.

The McAlister’s Deli Holiday Hosting Hotline (1-833-McA-HOST) features other experts in the field along with the Swishers to provide advice for Thanksgiving hosts.

For every call to the Holiday Hosting Hotline, McAlister’s Deli will text or email a coupon code for a free gallon of lemonade and holiday cookie tray bundle on a $100 catering purchase.

Jack in the Box created a lineup of “Jackletes,” which are college athletes who have “Jack” somewhere in their names. This partnership capitalizes on the new NIL rules for college athletes, and Jack in the Box isn’t the first chain to take advantage of these new rules…

Taco John’s has its own lineup of John-bassadors, which follows the same premise as Jack in the Box’s athletes: All college athletes in this promotion must have “John” somewhere in their names.

There are also sports stars partnering with virtual brands for restaurants. Basketball stars Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem launched two ghost kitchen concepts in partnership with Combo Kitchen. The concepts, D. Wade Burgers and UD Wings (one operated by each basketball star) are part of a new joint venture between the former sports stars: Forty-Three.