Make your favorite restaurant Slim by Design
Burger King prides itself on letting you “have it your way” – there are 1024 different ways you can order a Whopper. But what if you wanted them to do even more . . . like sell a low-fat hamburger, sell a low-calorie dessert, give a 5-cent discount if you order a diet soft drink, and put up posters inside encouraging kids to choose the apple slices and the milk? You can mention this to the manager–he has some local flexibility in what he serves, how he prices food, and what he promotes in the store.
Yet here’s a case when you get a chance to act both locally and globally—you can also directly email the King himself. Let him know the changes you think would be healthy, reasonable, and profitable to make. If you’re not sure what to say, you can copy parts or all of the different sample letters we have below. Have it your way. Burger King knows you have dozens of choices where you eat, and they won’t take it lightly if they hear from you or see your #BurgerKing tweet. Nor will #McDonalds, #Taco Bell, #KFC, #Pizza Hut, or whatever fast food restaurant you and your family visit most often. Let them know how they can help you become slim by design. Here are the addresses, Twitter hashtags, and emails for many of our favorite fast food and casual dining chains.
Sample Letter to Send to Your Favorite Dine-in Restaurant
Dear Manager,
For some time, your restaurant has been one of my favorites. I dine there often with my family, friends, and colleagues. I really enjoy the variety of your menu, the energy in the atmosphere, the engaging wait staff, and the consistent quality of the food. Thank you for all that you do to make it a special experience.
Recently, my family and I have been trying to eat both healthier and less than we have in the past. At home, for instance, we’ve moved all the snack food off the counter and rearranged the cupboards. We’re also using smaller-size plates and pre-plating our food off the counter.
The reason I mention this is that there might be some easy ways your restaurant could also profitably help people like us eat a little better and a little less. For instance, we’re often looking to eat smaller portions. There are a couple of ways your restaurant could help. For one, you could offer half-size portions of some of the more popular entrées and charge 50 to 60 percent the price of a full portion. A reasonable fear would be that you would lose sales, but the book, Slim by Design, by Brian Wansink shows that the opposite seems to happen with some restaurants. This theory has been proven after much research testing in other dining establishments. By offering some half-size portions, some restaurants sell more sides and drinks and some have attracted new customers. Having half-size portions would make us even happier with our visits. To help people eat less, you could also train servers to encourage customers to take home “To Go” boxes by specifically having them mention this before people order.
Your customers would also appreciate some little additions to the menu that would make it easier to eat healthier–a couple of healthy new entrées or side dishes, a double vegetable option instead of the starch, a fruit-only dessert, or a dessert tasting menu. When it comes time for a menu redesign, the menu can be designed in a way that can better lead people to buy these healthier foods. There are a lot of other easy changes that you can find at SlimbyDesign.org to help you profitably help your loyal customers and new customers to eat better.
Thanks for taking the time to consider how you can help make us healthier and happier. I look forward to visiting you again soon and finding it easier to eat a little bit healthier and a little bit less. Let me know if you would like to discuss this further, and let me know how I can help you.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Sample Letter to Send to Your Favorite Fast Food Chain
Dear Public Affairs Director,
For some time, your chain has been one of my family’s favorites. Specifically, the location where we eat the most often is at [address] in [your city, state]. Thank you for what your company does to offer convenient and tasty food for reasonable prices.
Recently, my family and I have been trying to eat both healthier and less than we have. At home, for instance, we’ve moved all the snack food off the counter and rearranged the cupboards. We’re also using smaller-size plates and pre-plating our food off the counter. The reason I mention this is there might be some easy ways your chain could also profitably help people like us eat a little better and a little less. For instance, I’d be more likely to eat healthier if there were low-fat options for your meals.
It would be easier for me to help my kids eat better if there were posters encouraging the kids to take the milk instead of soft drinks and the healthy side dishes–such as apple slices, yogurt, and side salads–instead of the fries. It would be great if your company offered a 5-cent discount if you if you buy a diet soft drink (instead of a regular one), or a loyalty club card for people who ordered healthy meal combos.
There are a lot more ideas in the book Slim by Design by Brian Wansink, and a lot of compelling best practices that other fast food restaurants have been implementing at SlimbyDesign.com Check it out—it will help you profitably encourage your loyal customers, and draw in newer health-conscious customers as well. Thanks for taking the time to consider how you can help make us healthier and happier. I look forward to visiting you again soon and finding it easier to eat a little bit healthier and a little bit less. Let me know if you would like to discuss this further, and let me know how I can help you.
Sincerely,
[your name]
How to Reach Out to Your Favorite Restaurant Via Twitter
1) Reply to or mention their name with “@”. The @ sign is used to call out usernames in Tweets, like this: Hello @Twitter! When a username is preceded by the @ sign, it becomes a link to a Twitter profile.
2) Mention their name with a hashtag “#”. Hashtags are used as a way to categorize messages and to help them show more easily in Twitter Search. Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword – #cornelluniversity
3) Link your suggestions to the Slim by Design hashtag – #slimbydesign. This will help Slim by Design go viral on twitter! Some Sample Tweets: –@dennysdiner: Did you know that if you cut your meal portions in half, you’ll sell more food? I’d certainly buy more! #slimbydesign –I wish @olivegarden had a “fruit-only” dessert option! That would get me to buy dessert instead of refusing the dessert menu outright. #slimbydesign
Headquarter and Social Media Info for Fast Food Joints and Casual Dining Chains
Arby’s Twitter handle – @arbys Twitter hashtags – #Arbys, #arbysbrisket, #LeagueOfBrisket, #CurlyFryday, #Saucepocalypse Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. 1155 Perimeter Center West, 12th Fl. Atlanta, GA 30338 678-514-4100 Contact Form Burger King Twitter handle – @BurgerKing Twitter hashtags – #BurgerKing, #Whopper, #whopperjr, Burger King Worldwide 5505 Blue Lagoon Drive Miami, FL 33126 (305) 378-3000 (866) 394-2493 Contact Form Chick-fil-A Twitter handle – @ChickfilA Twitter hashtags – #chickfila, #chickenforbreakfast, #DeliciouslyWitty, #EatMorChikin, #GuessThatMoovie, #CowAppreciationDay Chick-fil-A, Inc. 5200 Buffington Road Atlanta, GA 30349-2998 866-232-2040 Contact Form Chipotle Mexican Grill Twitter handle – @ChipotleTweets, @ChipotleMedia Twitter hashtags – #chipotle, #ChipotleGang, #chipotleworld Chipotle Corporate Office Headquarters 1543 Wazee St. Ste. 200 Denver, CO 80202 1-303-595-4000 Contact Form Dairy Queen Twitter handle – @DairyQueen Twitter hashtags – #DQ, #BLIZZARDTreats, #PumpkinPieBlizzard, #DQGRILLBURGER, #TreatTrader American Dairy Queen Corporation 7505 Metro Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55439-0286 (952) 830-0200 Contact Form Domino’s Pizza Twitter handle – @dominos Twitter hashtags – #ThePizzaIsGone, #dominos, #LavaCakes, #PIZZAPICS Domino’s Pizza LLC 30 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 734-930-3030 Contact Form Dunkin’ Donuts Twitter handle – @DunkinDonuts Twitter hashtags – #DunkinDonuts, #dunkin, #weekenDD, #dresseDD, #dunkinreplay, #mydunkin, Dunkin’ Brands 130 Royall Street Canton, Massachusetts 02021 781-737-3000 Contact Form Five Guys Burgers and Fries Twitter handle – @Five_Guys Twitter hashtags – #FiveGuys, #FiveGuysFanatic, #FiveGuysBurgers, Five Guys Enterprises, LLC 10440 Furnace Road, Suite 205 Lorton, VA 22079 866-345-4897 Contact Form In-N-Out Burger Twitter handle – @innoutburger Twitter hashtags – #innoutburger In-N-Out Burgers Corporate Office 4199 Campus Drive, 9th Floor Irvine, CA 92612 1-800-786-1000 Jimmy John’s Twitter handle – @jimmyjohns Twitter hashtags – #jimmyjohns, #freakyfast 2212 Fox Dr. Champaign, IL 61820 Contact Form KFC Twitter handle – @kfc Twitter hashtags – #SecretRecipe, #kfc, #GoCup Community Relations 1900 Colonel Sanders Ln Louisville, KY 40213 Contact Form Krispy Kreme Twitter handle – @krispykreme Twitter hashtags – #KrispyKreme, #Krispy, #Krispyskremes, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation P.O. Box 83 Winston-Salem, NC 27102 1-800-457-4779 Contact Form McDonald’s Twitter handle – @McDonalds, @Reachout_McD Twitter hashtags – #mcdonalds, #bigmac, #MomentsOfWonder McDonald’s Corporation 2111 McDonald’s Dr. Oak Brook, IL 60523 1-800-244-6227 [email protected] Moe’s Southwest Grill Twitter handle – @Moes_HQ Twitter hashtags – #moes, #moeschimi, #WelcomeToMoes, #moescaters Moe’s Southwest Grill 200 Glenridge Point Parkway, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30342 Attn: Moe 1-877-663-7411 Contact Form Panera Bread Twitter handle – @panerabread Twitter hashtags – #Panera, #panerabread, #cinnamoncrunch Panera Bread 3630 S. Geyer Road, Suite 100 St. Louis, MO 63127 855-372-6372 Contact Form Papa Johns Twitter handle – @PapaJohns Twitter hashtags – #betteringredients, #betterpizza, #papajohns, Papa John’s International, Inc. P.O. Box 99900 Louisville, KY 40269-9990 877-547-7272 Contact Form Pizza Hut Twitter handle – @pizzahut Twitter hashtags – #3CheeseStuffed, #pizzaconfessions, #MakeItGreat Pizza Hut, Inc. 7100 Corporate Drive Plano, TX 75024 (800) 948-8488 Contact Form Popeyes Louisiana Chicken Twitter handle – @PopeyesChicken Twitter hashtags – #popeyes, #lovethatchicken, #WaffleTenders, AFC Enterprises, Inc. 400 Perimeter Center Terrace, Suite 1000 Atlanta, GA 30346 1-877-767-3937 Contact Form Sonic Drive-In Twitter handle – @sonicdrivein Twitter hashtag – #ultimatedrinkstop SONIC Corporate Headquarters 300 Johnny Bench Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73104 (405) 225-5000 Contact Form Starbucks Twitter handle – @Starbucks Twitter hashtags – #payitforward, #coffee, #psl, #starbucks, #venti, #trenti Starbucks Customer Relations PO Box 3717 Seattle, WA 98124-3717 800-782-7282 Contact Form Steak ‘n Shake Twitter handle – @SteaknShake Twitter hashtags – #steaknshake, #steakburger 36 S. Pennsylvania St., Ste. 500 Indianapolis IN 46204 (317) 633-4100 Contact Form Subway Twitter handle – @SUBWAY Twitter hashtags – #SUBWAYVictoryChallenge, #eatfresh, #StuffSubsSay, #SUBWAYsays 800-888-4848 Contact Form Taco Bell Twitter handle – @TacoBell, @TacoBellTeam, @TacoBellTruck Twitter hashtags – #tacobell, #tacobelltruck, #DoritosLocosTacos, #FieryDLT, #livemas 1 Glen Bell Way Irvine, CA 92618 800-822-6235 Contact Form Tim Hortons Twitter handle – @TimHortons, @TimHortonsUS Twitter hashtags – #timhortons, #timbits, #TimsCoffeeArt, #TimbitsHockey, #SmileCookie 874 Sinclair Road Oakville, ON L6K 2Y1 1-888-601-1616 Contact Form Wendy’s Twitter handle – @Wendys, @IAmBaconator Twitter hashtags – #PretzelLoveStories, #Wendys, #6secondsflat, #baconator The Wendy’s Company One Dave Thomas Blvd. Dublin, OH 43017 (888)-624-8140 Contact Form Whataburger Twitter handle – @whataburger Twitter hashtags – #Whataburger, #ProudToServeYou, Home Office 300 Concord Plaza Dr. San Antonio, TX 78216 210-476-6000 Contact Form Applebee’s Twitter handle – @Applebees Twitter hashtags – #Applebees, #Fanapple, #BeesFanZone Applebee’s Services, Inc. 8140 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 64114 888-592-7753 Contact Form Baja Fresh Twitter handle – @boldbajafresh Twitter hashtag – #BajaFresh Baja Fresh® Home Office 320 Commerce, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92602 (877) 225-2373 Benihana Twitter handle – @Benihana Twitter hashtags – #BenihanaSushi, #SakeTriviaSaturday 8750 NW 36th Street, Suite 300 Doral, FL 33178 Contact Form Boston Market Twitter handle – @bostonmarket Boston Market Corporation Attn: Guest Contact Center 14103 Denver West Parkway Golden, CO 80401 800-365-7000 Contact Form Buffalo Wild Wings Twitter handle – @BWWings Twitter hashtags – #bwwings, #WingWager Contact Form Carrabba’s Italian Grill Twitter handle – @Carrabbas Twitter hashtags – #Carrabbas, #FirstTastes 2202 N. West Shore Blvd, 5th Floor Tampa, FL 33607 Contact Form Chili’s Twitter handle – @Chilis Twitter hashtag – #chilis Contact Form Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Twitter handle – @CrackerBarrel Cracker Barrel Old Country Store P.O. Box 787 Lebanon, Tennessee 37088-0787 (800) 333-9566 Contact Form Denny’s Twitter handle – @DennysDiner Twitter hashtags – #dennys, #MiddleEarthsDiner Denny’s Call Center 203 East Main Street P-8-6 Spartanburg, SC 29319 1-800-733-6697 Contact Form Golden Corral Twitter handle – @goldencorral Twitter hashtag – #GoldenCorral Golden Corral Corporation 5151 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27612 (800) 284-5673 Contact Form IHOP Twitter handle – @IHOP Twitter hashtags – #ihop, #DoItForThePancakes 450 North Brand Boulevard Glendale, CA 91203 (866) 444-5144 Contact Form Olive Garden Twitter handle – @olivegarden Twitter hashtag – #NeverEndingPasta Olive Garden P.O. Box 695017 Orlando, FL 32869 Contact Form Outback Steakhouse Twitter handle – @Outback Twitter hashtag – #BloominMonday Contact Form P. F. Changs Twitter handle – @PFChangs Twitter hashtag – #PFChangs 7676 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (866) 732-4264 Contact Form Perkins Restaurant and Bakery Twitter handle – @EatAtPerkins 6075 Poplar Avenue, Suite 800 Memphis, TN 38119 (901)766-6400 Contact Form Red Lobster Twitter handle – @redlobster Twitter hashtags – #CrabFest, #CheddarBayBiscuit Red Lobster Guest Relations P.O. Box 695017 Orlando, Florida 32869 800-562-7837 Contact Form Red Robin Twitter handle – @redrobinburgers Twitter hashtag – #MillionReasons 6312 S Fiddlers Green Cir, #200N Greenwood Village, CO 80111 (303) 846-6000 Round Table Pizza Twitter handle – @RoundTablePizza Twitter hashtag – #PZAday Round Table Pizza 1320 Willow Pass Road, Suite 600 Concord, CA 94520 (925) 969-3900 Contact Form Ruby Tuesday Twitter handle – @rubytuesday Twitter hashtag – #RubyTuesday Ruby Tuesday Restaurant Support Center 150 West Church Avenue Maryville, TN 37801 Contact Form T.G.I. Friday’s Twitter handle – @TGIFridays Twitter hashtag – #TGIFStackedBurgers Contact Form Texas Roadhouse Twitter handle – @texasroadhouse Twitter hashtag – #texasroadhouse 6040 Dutchmans Ln., Ste. 200 Louisville, KY 40205 (502)426-9984 Contact Form The Cheesecake Factory Twitter handle – @Cheesecake Twitter hashtags – #cheesecake, #CheesecakeFactory 26950 Agoura Rd Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 871-3000 Contact Form Waffle House Twitter handle – @WaffleHouse Twitter hashtag – #wafflehouse Waffle House Inc. 5986 Financial Drive Norcross, GA. 30071 (770) 729-5700 Contact Form Zaxby’s Twitter handle – @Zaxbys Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. 1040 Founders Blvd. Athens, GA 30606 866.892.9297 Contact Form