EPR's canonical Wendy's reference — the QSR burger chain that built the most-imitated brand-Twitter operation in modern marketing and ran the fastest single-incident crisis recovery in the EPR Q2 2026 benchmark.
McDonald's 89. Chipotle 84. Wendy's 78. Boar's Head 18. Red Lobster 24. Cracker Barrel 38. Speed of admission predicts speed of recovery. Q2 2026 benchmark.
A 90-second Instagram video posted by McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski — promoting the new Big Arch burger — produced more competitor marketing leverage for Burger King and Wendy's than any McDonald's launch communications had generated in years. The case is now the reference for CEO authenticity crisis communications in 2026.
Burger King runs the most disciplined marketing operation in QSR. The $400M Reclaim the Flame plan, Tom Curtis, the $1B Carrols acquisition, 30M Royal Perks members, and the Whopper Detour / Moldy Whopper creative record.
Heinz in gaming — Tomato Blood, Eternal Ketchup, and the wider CPG in-game activation playbook running across Wendy's, Burger King, Chipotle, and Gucci.
