The ‘OG smash burger’

Although smash burgers are trendy again, the Denver-based chain Smashburger has let its brand narrative get away from it.

Now it’s jumping into the conversation again to turn around the business, after it saw a 5.1% sales decline and 3.2% unit closures last year, per Technomic data.

Under Prather, who joined Smashburger as CMO in May, the brand has a plan to “get our swag back,” he told ADWEEK.

That transformation journey has begun with a revamped menu, focused heavily on smash burgers (the brand had too much chicken on the previous menu, Prather explained) and a fresh visual identity.

Prather and team hope its claim of being the “burger experts” will help the brand ride the waves of food trends and regain cultural relevance at a tough time for the industry.

But before he joined, Prather asked the Smashburger executive team a somewhat existential question: “Is the burger category still growing?”

The answer is yes: Last year, U.S. chains where burgers are the main attraction generated $110 billion in sales, according to the 2024 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.

For many brands, burgers (smashed or not) are also marketing gold because of the cultural significance they hold, Prather said.

“Burgers are beloved. They’re so Americana, so emotional, and they trigger memories,” he said. “Burgers are not going away. We want to be the one people crave when they’re away from home.” Click to See Full Article.