Denny’s is the Latest Franchise to Leverage the Power of TikTok

Denny’s is releasing three new meals developed in partnership with TikTok creators known for their food content. 

Nation’s Restaurant News reported that the new menu items, which will be available nationwide for a limited time, are part of the brand’s new Social Stars Influenced Menu. In an effort to connect with a younger audience, this is the fourth drop in the campaign, which first launched in February 2022. Since launching, 2.4 million meals have been sold from the curated menu. 

The new items include the It's Bananas Salted Caramel Pancakes developed along with Cy Nguyen (@cylovesfrogs) and Achieng Agutu (@noordinarynoire), the all-new Straight Up Bourbon Steak with Eric Sedeño (@ricotaquito) and Tway Nguyen (@twaydabae), as well as the “Yes, We Pecan!” Salted Caramel Milkshake by Ahmad Alzahabi (@thegoldenbalance) and Yasmine Sahid (@ladyyasmina1). 

Denny’s isn’t the first brand to leverage the power of the video-sharing platform. In 2020, Dunkin’ was among the first major franchises to do so when it scored a partnership with Charli D’Amelio, one of the most popular creators on the app. 

McDonald’s, which has seen its adult happy meals have been gaining traction over the past few weeks, even began offering TikTok-inspired menu hacks earlier this year. The brand also enlisted influencers from the app to appear in commercials to promote the campaign.

It's for good reason that these brands are paying attention to the app. This year, TikTok passed Netflix as the second most-used app among Americans under 35. Recently released data by MGH also found that a whopping 53% of Millennial TikTok users say they have visited a restaurant after seeing it on the social media platform.

The survey found that the appearance of food on video was the largest driver of visits by a wide margin, with 72% of surveyed users reporting that the visual allure of food prompted them to actually visit eateries.