From Pasta Marathons to Waffle Endurance

How Viral Food Challenges and Celebrity Flavors Are Boosting Casual Dining Brands

 Joanne Heyob

 Sarah Miyagawa

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

In today's digital age, social media isn't just where you scroll to see your friend's latest dog photos—it's practically reshaping entire industries, including the ever-evolving world of casual dining. Viral trends offer restaurants innovative ways to connect with customers, amplify brand presence, and turn fleeting social media moments into tangible business wins. With platforms like TikTok and Instagram serving as the new foodie playgrounds, could social media be the most powerful marketing tool for casual dining? A staggering 50% of diners admit that social media can influence their restaurant choices.¹ Plus, nearly one in two millennials has visited a restaurant based solely on a TikTok recommendation.² Let's dive into some of the most delicious and entertaining (and calorie-laden) viral challenges that are turning casual dining into must-see social media events.

Challenges: Turning Meals Into Fun

Food challenges are creating a buzz in the casual dining space, turning what used to be a calm dinner into a hilarious, community-driven event. From devouring endless rolls to marathon pasta bowls, these challenges test the creativity and endurance of customers, making them a social media sensation.

• Texas Roadhouse Roll Challenge

  • Those unlimited bread rolls are already a Texas Roadhouse favorite, but social media took this to the next level with the Texas Roadhouse Roll Challenge. Participants film themselves scarfing down as many rolls as possible in a limited time, often in friendly competitions with friends.³ While no official sales data is available, the significant social media buzz undoubtedly boosts brand visibility and customer engagement.

    

• Pizza Hut's Slice Challenge

  • Not one to miss out, Pizza Hut found itself at the heart of a Slice Challenge, where users posted videos showcasing just how many slices they could eat in one sitting—because what's pizza if not a sport? While it may not have been a corporate marketing campaign, this trend led to more user-generated content and contributes to the brand's overall digital footprint, driving engagement and potentially increasing customer loyalty and sales as users share their love for Pizza Hut's products

    

• Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Challenge

  • Olive Garden has long lured diners in with its Never Ending Pasta Bowl, but social media transformed this into a marathon event, where patrons documented their marathon pasta-eating sessions across social media. The restaurant's pasta deal gained a second life on TikTok and Instagram, with the hashtag #NeverEndingPastaChallenge helping to generate widespread engagement as users tag Olive Garden and share their results. While exact numbers may not be readily available, Olive Garden's consistent re-launch of the promotion each year indicates that it is considered successful in terms of driving sales and engagement.

    

• Waffle House Challenge

  • The infamous Waffle House Challenge dares participants to stay 24 hours in a Waffle House, with every waffle eaten shaving an hour off their time. Though it started as a fantasy sports bet punishment, the challenge quickly became a viral sensation.⁵ And while no one's officially tracked whether this boosts Waffle House's bottom line, the viral challenge surely keeps the chain snug in its place as a diner cult classic.

    

Impactful Influencers: Celebrity Flavor – Literally

Influencers and celebs are the new tastemakers in the casual dining world, shaking things up and bringing fresh attention to brands. One juicy example?

• Flava Flav & Red Lobster

  • Red Lobster struck gold when it teamed up with rapper Flava Flav for a nostalgia-filled campaign featuring “Flavor Flav's Faves,” a secret off-menu meal that mixed seafood and hip-hop culture in the most delicious way possible.⁶ The campaign not only connected with older millennials and Gen Xers but also revitalized the brand amid financial struggles, showing how a well-placed influencer can boost brand visibility.⁷

    

Foodstaggramming: When Food Meets Fame

With over 250 million posts under the hashtag #Food on Instagram, it's safe to say people don't just eat with their stomachs anymore—they eat with their cameras and their followers.⁸ Instagram sees users checking the platform up to 18 times a day, and brands that capitalize on this with visually appealing dishes can create viral moments.⁹

Embracing the Trend

In today's ultra-connected world, having a killer menu is just the appetizer. The main course? Social media savviness.. Viral food challenges and influencer campaigns can turn casual dining into an interactive and shareable experience, driving engagement and brand loyalty. Whether it's rolling with Texas Roadhouse or tackling the Waffle House endurance test, the power of social media is clear: it can take a meal from ordinary to extraordinary.

National chains, take note: it's time to embrace these trends, get creative, and let your food do the talking (or in this case, the trending).