Data-Driven Dining: How McDonald’s, Chipotle and Chili’s Are Tapping Data to Fill Consumer Needs

In the current landscape of fast-food and casual dining, brands like McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Chili’s are adapting to changing consumer preferences with value, innovation and engagement.

McDonald’s is focused on providing everyday affordability while enhancing the customer experience, particularly through loyalty programs and menu adaptations that cater to budget-conscious consumers. Similarly, Chipotle is leveraging its Chipotlanes and social media presence to elevate accessibility and brand loyalty.

Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s, has seen success through its streamlined menu and marketing strategies, such as the viral “Triple Dipper” appetizer and the “3 for Me” campaign. These initiatives attract a diverse customer base and leverage the power of social media.

It’s All About Value for McDonald’s

As consumers prioritize affordability and dining convenience, McDonald’s officials were disappointed by their third-quarter results. CEO Chris Kempczinski noted industry traffic declines in several major markets and that consumers, especially those in the low-income category, were choosing to eat at home more often.

Kempczinski focused on the importance of providing everyday value, which is central to the brand’s identity and its appeal.

“Value and affordability will remain at the forefront of our conversations with markets around the world as we continue to monitor the environment and listen to our customers,” Kempczinski said.

“We spoke last quarter about our belief that delivering value and affordability in markets will have a positive halo effect on the business. … Recently, we launched the Collector’s Edition campaign, which brought back some of our most loved keepsakes with a twist, giving fans a memory that they can hold in their hands. Running in over 30 markets, the campaign … drove high-check, full-margin traffic into our restaurants.”

For Kempczinski, though, “Our value leadership gap has shrunk. In response, we have moved with urgency in partnership with our franchisees to improve our value offerings in most of our major markets. Some examples that have launched in the quarter are the €4 Happy Meals in France, three for £3 in the U.K. And in Canada, we’re providing value to our customers through price-pointed coffee, starting at just $1.”

A key ingredient in providing everyday value, Kempczinski said, is the Ready on Arrival program.

“We know from the U.S. that ROA helps not only with smoother restaurant execution, as crew can better sequence in the kitchen, but also drives higher customer satisfaction scores by reducing wait times,” Kempczinski said during the earnings call.

A bright spot for McDonald’s is its loyalty program, MyMcDonald’s Rewards. With systemwide sales to loyalty members reaching nearly $8 billion globally, the company aims to expand its active user base to 250 million by the end of 2027. This multichannel strategy enhances customer engagement and drives increased spending and visit frequency.

Chipotle: Sales and Expansion Plans

Interim CEO Scott Boatwright reported positive momentum for Chipotle, highlighting the opening of 86 new restaurants, including 73 with Chipotlanes.

As third-quarter revenue rose 13%, to $2.8 billion, while comparable store sales increased 6%, Boatwright explained the company plans to open as many as 345 new locations in 2025, with at least 80% featuring a Chipotlane.

Boatwright acknowledged challenges in optimizing labor during busy hours but emphasized that improving efficiency could enhance the guest experience. Social media feedback has turned positive, with consumers praising the value and portion sizes.

“One of the challenges we face is getting all the work done in the morning and being deployed correctly,” he said. “So we can deploy all those individuals to the guest experience, which is where we’ll drive the most value.”

Social media is a key element. “We’ve seen strong improvement even through our social channels of people,” Boatwright said. “Now it’s a reverse of what we saw earlier in the year, around people posting big burritos, big bowls and really excited about portioning they’re getting in the Chipotle brand. We also see that show up in our brand tracker and other third-party sources where value for the money, food for the money, and quality for the money exceed most of our peers in the category.”

Chili’s Drives Sales Through Social Media

Chili’s has harnessed the power of social media to drive sales growth, reporting a 14% increase largely fueled by a 6.5% rise in customer traffic. The brand’s marketing campaigns, particularly around the viral “Triple Dipper” appetizer, have generated buzz, with the item now representing 11% of sales and a 70% year-over-year increase.

Brinker International President and CEO Kevin Hochman noted the impact of the company’s social media team.

“They work very effectively with professional agencies that are experts at working with influencers and understanding how to translate those insights into content that’s going to be exciting and craveable for hopefully future guests or current guests,” he said.

“And you can see that they’re constantly thinking about how they’re going to continue to sustain that momentum and that conversation in social media. Typically, when you see something that goes viral or something that really catches fire on social media, that’s a pretty short flame. And the fact that we’ve just continued to be able to maintain these high levels of social impressions tells you something about the quality of that team and the results that they’re delivering.”

By leveraging tokenized data, Chili’s has gained insights into guest behavior and marketing effectiveness, allowing for informed decision-making.

“The tokenized data is telling us that we have two big traffic drivers right now,” Hochman said. “The primary one is our 3 for Me better than fast food campaign, which is bringing in more new guests across all demographics. … In addition to increasing Chili’s penetration, we also see that guests who purchased 3 for Me return to Chili’s more often than those who have not.

“The second primary traffic driver is our social media marketing campaign. Social mentions about our Triple Dipper started accelerating in April and May, and with people talking and experiencing the unique food items that you can only get at Chili’s. This dialogue is attracting new guests to come experience the brand.

“We now know that guests who purchased the Triple Dipper skew younger. Their check average is approximately 20% higher, and we’re driving frequency with that group as well.”