Stop trying to “build community” and start building a world
“Community” has become the most overused word in brand strategy and for most brands, it’s really just a euphemism for a loyalty app and a Discord nobody uses. The brands generating real fandom aren’t building communities. They’re building worlds with their own unique language, rituals, inside jokes, and status symbols that people opt into voluntarily. For example, Taco Bell has been building a world for years now by treating their brand like a lifestyle rather than a restaurant. Not only is there a Taco Bell hotel and weddings at the Las Vegas Cantina, but their Baja Blast has its own pie, skincare, and a star-studded gala). Similarly, our own work for Long John Silver’s built a world all its own, using design chops to create a truly unique experience within QSR.

Make your brand’s taste level undeniable, even if your price point is accessible
A lot of brands look cheap in a way that has nothing to do with price and everything to do with creative investment. They use stock photography and the social content looks like it was made from a sad Canva template. Similarly, the in-store experience is beige and forgettable. And then they wonder why nobody’s forming an emotional attachment. People form fandoms around things that feel crafted — things where someone clearly gave a damn about the details. Take Wingstop, who has quietly become one of the most aesthetically intentional fast casual brands in the game. They have a distinct visual identity: bold, graphic, rooted in hip-hop and sneaker culture. Their collabs (like the Rick Ross partnership that felt genuinely organic given his actual Wingstop franchise ownership) and their social presence has a tonal consistency that signals someone with taste is behind the wheel.

Treat your menu like a content engine, not a product catalog
The brands generating the most organic social conversation have figured out that the menu itself is the content strategy. Limited drops, unexpected collaborations, secret items, customization culture, even strategic removals all create narrative tension that gives people something to post about, argue about, and bond over. Again, Taco Bell is a master at this. From its Nacho Fries retirement-and-return cycle to its Luxe Value Menu drops, every menu move is engineered to generate conversation, not just transactions. They’ve figured out that a menu item doesn’t need to be permanent to be valuable. Sometimes it’s even more valuable as a limited run that creates urgency, debate, and FOMO.

Build for the superfan at the edges, not the average customer in the middle
This is often the biggest strategic mistake in food marketing (or really any marketing): brands optimize all their communication for the broadest possible audience and end up resonating with no one. Fandom is not a mass phenomenon. It starts at the fringes; the person who visits three times a week, who has a go-to order they’ve named, who corrects someone in a Reddit thread about the best location. Those people are your growth engine, and most brands ignore them in favor of chasing reach. But one person who genuinely loves you and tells everyone about it is worth more than 10,000 impressions on a forgettable carousel. Dutch Bros understands this, building its entire brand to suit its “Dutch Mafia” – a superfandom that’s reinforced through sticker culture, secret menu knowledge as social currency, and broistas trained to create personal connections.