How The Slogans Of These 15 Chain Restaurants Changed Over The Years

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The word "slogan" dates back to 1513, originating from war cries of Scottish clans. For the past couple of centuries, however, slogans have been utilized as a new kind of war cry: the kind that hawks products. No matter how good your food is, you still need to get the word out there. As such, catchy catchphrases have long worked magic to help sell — and solidify — a brand's identity. If you hear the words "Home of the Whopper," "We Have the Meats," "Eat Fresh," or "Live Más," you probably know which chain they belong to. 

While there are certainly more failed messages out there than successful ones, it hasn't stopped chain restaurants from trying new approaches to change the conversation, and perhaps be the words on everyone's lips. The Takeout is looking back at 15 chains and their slogans, and leaving it up to you to try and not be sold on these phrases that (make you) pay. 

The first Arby's opened in 1964, and – inspired by the western show "Bonanza" – erected a giant ten-gallon hat which proclaimed in neon that its "Roast Beef Sandwich is Delicious." While Arby's classic big hat logo continued to shine into the '70s, the chain tried out catchphrases such as "Beef. Arby's Piles It On" and "You're Eating Right at Arby's." In the '80s, the chain implored customers to "Taste The Difference At Arby's." Then, in the '90s, it conjured up a home on the range where "It's Better Out Here," followed by answering its own question: "Love Food? Think Arby's."

Arby's slogans in the 21st century kicked off with "Satisfy Your Grown-Up Tastes," which quickly turned into "Give Into Your Grown-Up Tastes." The next query was "What Are You Eating Today?", which then suggested one should say, "I'm Thinking Arby's." Next up was "Good Mood Food," but the jingle that pushed the message was rated one of 2011's worst. That was replaced by "Slicing Up Freshness," but Arby's hit its marketing apex when it gave the world "We Have The Meats" in 2014, and its been basking in that slogan's awesomeness ever since.

Burger King opened for business in 1954, then invented its signature Whopper in 1957, and a year later let America know it was "Home of the Whopper." In opposition to McDonald's pre-fabricated burgers, Burger King positioned itself as a place of choice. The slogan "Have It Your Way" was introduced in 1971, then went away for a long time before being reintroduced in 2004. That message was repackaged in 2022 as "You Rule," in an attempt to appeal to younger customers.

Being the Home of the Whopper and having it your way are messages that are pretty hard to top, but Burger King has often given it the old college try. A whirlwind of sayings kicked off with 1979's "Make it Special, Make it Burger King," which was followed up by comers and goers such as 1987's "The Best Food for Fast Times," 1988's "We Do It Like You'd Do It," 1989's "Sometimes You've Gotta Break the Rules," 1994's "Get Your Burger's Worth," and 2001's "In the Land of Burgers, Whopper is King."

Dairy Queen started serving up royal treats in 1940, and within eight years stood out from the pack with "The Cone with the Curl In Top." In the early '50s, Dairy Queen added the note that its product simply "Tastes Better." In the following decade, decadent treats were welcomed to the tune of "Live a Little." Things got really groovy in the '70s when the company asked, "Did You DQ Today?" and then made "Scrumpdillyishus" a mouthful to say. By 1977, Dairy Queen was having a lot of pun with "Funthing Different," and again two years later with "We Treat You Right." That was followed by the simpler "It's the Real Treat," and in 1986, the guidance to "Think Food, Think DQ."

In 1992, "Hot Eats Cool Treats" helped to raise and lower the temperature. By 1998, the plan became to "Meet Me at DQ." For its first-ever national advertising campaign, launched in 2004, Dairy Queen chose to emphasize that it offered "Something Different" from its competitors. This was followed by "So Good It's RiDQulous" in 2011, and its "Fan food, not fast food" two years later. Since 2019, the brand has set the tone with "Happy Tastes Good at DQ."

Domino's Pizza entered the business in 1960. By the end of the decade, it advertised that "The Domino People are Pizza People, Period," and kept that slogan going into the '80s. By the mid-1970s, Domino's was advertising its 30-minute delivery service. In 1981, it created the "30 Minute Challenge," offering money off any pie that failed to arrive in that time frame. Two years later, Domino's raised the stakes when the phrase that pays became "30 Minutes or Less. Guaranteed." This put delivery drivers in a pressured position, which sadly led to car accidents and serious injuries. After losing a large lawsuit in 1993, the guarantee was scrapped.

In 1986, with the assistance of ad agency Group 243, Domino's made "Avoid the Noid" a buzzy slogan. The Noid was a red-costumed baddie who stood in the way of pizza deliveries. The Noid eventually landed the brand in trouble, when a man with the last name Noid took umbrage with the campaign and held Dominos employees hostage. While the chain has tried to keep it fresh with slogans like "Get the Door. It's Domino's," and "You can't say 'Domino's' without saying 'mmm,'" it hasn't shied away from dusting off those '80s gems. It rolled the clock back to "30 Minutes" in 2007, and resurrected the Noid in 2021.

The restaurant Open Kettle opened shop in 1948, and within two years took on a more familiar name — Dunkin' Donuts. Within a decade, it billed itself as "America's Largest and Finest Donut Shop," which was "Often Imitated, Never Duplicated." In the '70s, "Something's Always Cookin' Down at Dunkin' Donuts," and then it reassured customers a visit was "Worth the Trip."

In 1982, the character Fred the Baker was introduced. He rose every morning by saying, "It's Time to Make the Donuts." He starred in hundreds of ads before being forced into retirement in 1997, as the chain shifted its emphasis away from donuts.

In 2006, Dunkin' introduced its signature slogan — "America Runs on Dunkin'." Boston agency Hill Holiday devised the campaign, and Senior Vice President and group account director Jeff Bonasia said in a press release that it "speaks to the role Dunkin' Donuts plays in people's lives, fueling them physically and emotionally, whether they're at work or at play." This slogan helped to solidify the branding of "Dunkin'," and the company dumped "Donuts" altogether from its name in 2018.

International House of Pancakes first welcomed guests in 1958. Its acronym, IHOP, was being used soon after, and was trademarked in 1973 to become the brand's official name. By the '60s, IHOP became "The Home of the Never Empty Coffee Pot," with TV ads pushing to visit "Just for the Fun of It."

In 1983, customers were promised that there were "Good Things Cookin' Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner." By 1991, the chain let it be known that "Nobody Does Breakfast Like IHOP Does Breakfast." In 1995, we were invited to "Come Together Over Breakfast." No matter what time of day you had a hankering for pancakes, ads reminded us in 1996 that "Anytime's a Good Time for Breakfast at IHOP."

By 2002, the invitation was changed to "Come Hungry. Leave Happy." In 2016, we were told to "Eat Up Every Moment," and six years later, IHOP presented this offer: "Let's Put a Smile on Your Face." In 2025, the chain introduced its first everyday value meal, in hopes of serving customers a lot of "Happy Plates."

Jack in the Box sprang into the hamburger business in 1951. The chain was one of the first restaurants to offer a two-way ordering speaker box at the drive-thru, and one of its early slogans — "Jack Will Speak To You" — was emblazoned on the box.

In 1980, the brand was done clowning around. It literally blew up the Jack mascot in ads, and told us that "The Food is Better at The Box." It tried to grow up in 1985 by taking on a whole new brand identity as Monterey Jack's, where the aim was to take "Fast Food to a Whole New Place." That identity didn't last long, and it reverted to Jack in the Box just a year later. The chain then adopted the phrase "Serious Food That's Fun to Eat."

Jack the clown mascot came roaring back in 1994, and ever since has pitched all kinds of messages in irreverently creative ads, which often poke fun at its rivals. One constant message that's been reinforced since 1999 is that "We Won't Make it 'Til You Order It." Fans these days love hitting up "Late Night Jack" to gobble up the branded "Munchie Meals."

Colonel Harlan Sanders perfected his fried chicken blend of 11 herbs and spices in 1939, and by 1952, Kentucky Fried Chicken launched as a franchise. Within four years, its signature slogan "Finger Lickin' Good" was born. The only thing that halted its use was the COVID pandemic, as Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer, admitted in a 2020 press release to "having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment."

In the early '80s, Kentucky Fried Chicken was looking to appeal to African-Americans in New York. It turned to agency Mingo-Jones, who came up with "We Do Chicken Right." The local campaign was such a hit that it was adopted on a national level, and has stuck around well into the 21st century.

KFC is in the midst of a comeback of sorts. This includes leaning heavily on the iconography of the Colonel, but utilizing him in hip ways to appeal to modern audiences. In 2025, the new slogan "The Colonel Lived So We Could Chicken" rolled out, showing the founder pursuing culinary perfection for mankind's benefit.

Richard and Maurice McDonald's namesake restaurant opened in 1940, and 14 years later, Ray Kroc turned it into a global franchise behemoth. Store signs as early as the late 1950s used to tout how many burgers had been sold to date, which soon gave way to the phrase, "Over X Million Served." The company stopped counting on signs in or around 1993, leaving it as just "Billions and Billions Served." In 1961, ads asked customers to "Look For The Golden Arches," with those latter two words forging the brand's logo and identity.

McDonald's has rolled out plenty of slogans in the ensuing decades. In 1965, the chain wanted you to know "McDonald's is Your Kind of Place." By 1971, "You Deserve A Break" broke in, and was even used as the name of a $15 million McDonald's giveaway. Others followed, like "We Do It All For You," "Nobody Can Do It Like McDonald's Can," and "McDonald's and You." While certainly a mouthful, "It's a Good Time, for the Great Taste of McDonald's" made for a catchy jingle in '80s ads.

The '90s were perhaps the golden era for the Golden Arches' ad campaigns, with "Food, Folks and Fun," "What You Want is What You Get," "Have You Had Your Break Today?," and "Did Somebody Say McDonald's?" asking all the right questions. The 21st century has been all about emotions, where slogans like "We Love to See You Smile," and "I'm Lovin' It" show the brand still has heart.

The Carney brothers opened the first Pizza Hut in 1958, and the chain raised its ubiquitous red roof starting in 1969. Ads in the following decade played on its unique architectural design, with slogans like "There Are A Lot of Good Things Under Our Roof." The '80s kicked off with the reminder that its items were available at "Your Home Town Pizza Hut," and around 1987, the uniform message of "Makin' It Great" was baked into ads.

In 1992, Pizza Hut's ad breaks told us "Sometimes You Gotta Stop and Smell The Pizza," and two years later, "You'll Love the Stuff We're Made of" made do. By 1998, the chain offered "The Best Pizzas Under One Roof," and in 2003, Pizza Hut urged its customers to "Gather 'Round The Good Stuff." These were followed by some more generic sayings such as "America's Favorite Pizza," "Your Favorites. Your Pizza Hut," and "Make It Great."

The brand perhaps hit its creative apex in 2016 when agency Droga5 drummed up the "No One OutPizzas The Hut" campaign. In addition to helping sell pizzas, the term has now become a lovable bragging meme on social media. Perhaps no one can out-slogan the Hut.

Al Copeland opened Chicken on the Run in 1972. It was quickly retooled into the Popeyes brand, known for the "Famous Fried Chicken" proudly printed on its logo. People fell for its Cajun flavors, and in 1974, the phrase "Love That Chicken From Popeyes" became its main slogan. In some cases, "that" was replaced with the more colloquial "dat," and could be heard in ads sung by Louisiana's own Dr. John.

That (or perhaps "dat") slogan proved to have staying power, but Popeyes underwent a brand refresh in 2008. It renamed itself Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and pushed the idea that its food was "Bonafide" and served "Louisiana Fast." In 2023, it acknowledged its unconventional fast food preparation practices — such as marinating meat for 12 hours, hand-battering every piece of chicken, and frying its products fresh — and tried to make "We Don't Make Sense, We Make Chicken" a thing.

Red Lobster crawled onto land in 1968 and expanded over the next decade, making seafood more accessible. In 1979, Red Lobster's ad agency D'Arcy‐MacManus & Masius helped romanticize its dining experience with the campaign "Everything We Do is For the Seafood Lover In You." That slogan was shortened over time to read "For The Seafood Lover in You," with the jingles sung by country star Ronnie McDowell. It stuck around until the mid-'90s when it was briefly replaced by "Prepared So Fresh You Can Taste It," before the next slogan, "Life On Land is Dry," took hold.

The 21st century has invited an onslaught of slogans for Red Lobster. "Come See What's Fresh Today" arrived in 2007, then "Sea Food Differently" in 2011, and both "Now This is Seafood" and "Seafood with Standards" in 2017. The Red Lobster brand has seen a share of troubles as of late, but is looking to clean up its image with newer campaigns that pledge "Real Change, Reel Happiness."

Pete's Super Submarines started making dough in 1965, and then went sailing as Subway when it came time to expand. Size has always mattered at the chain, and by the mid-'70s it was promoting "Famous Foot-Long Sandwiches." In 1983, Subway adopted a more formal motto, dubbing itself "America's Favorite Footlong Sandwich." That same year, it also proudly differentiated itself from burger chains by being "The Fresh Alternative."

By 1989, the chain took a page out of Burger King's slogan playbook and encouraged customers to "Have It Your Way, at Subway." In 1996, Subway continued to sell items with simplicity, when "The Way A Sandwich Should Be" became its mantra. Its fortunes increased when it adopted brand-fan Jared Fogle as a spokesman. By 2000, Fogle was the one helping the brand to "Eat Fresh." The company cut ties with Fogle after his criminal convictions 15 years later, but Subway still sticks with that now-classic slogan, even launching an "Eat Fresh Refresh" in 2022.

Taco Bell began popularizing Mexican food in 1962, but didn't roll out a uniform message until claiming it was "Changing America's Eating Habits" by 1973. As its menu expanded through the decade, the chain let it be known that "There's More Than Tacos at Taco Bell." The '80s reaffirmed more of the same, as Taco Bell positioned itself as "The Cure for the Common Meal" in 1986.

Taco Bell's marketing kicked into overdrive and seeped into popular culture when it began the "Make a Run for the Border" campaign in 1988. A decade later, an adorable chihuahua named Fidget popped up in ads and taught customers Spanish by saying "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" in his husky voice. While catchy, many found the Taco Bell chihuahua ads stereotypical and offensive, and the mascot was permanently sent to the dog house.

Taco Bell then changed the conversation in 2001 with "Think Outside the Bun." That "bun" had a nice long run before the phrase "Live Más" sprang up in 2012. There's even an annual showcase of Taco Bell's new products named Live Más Live.

Dave Thomas opened the very first Wendy's in 1969, selling "Old Fashioned Hamburgers." Its first full and longest-lasting slogan, "Quality is Our Recipe," was introduced in 1970. The next signature slogan dropped in 1977: "Hot 'n Juicy," which were the two words a hired ad man came up with after touring the restaurants. In 1984, a grouchy, elderly woman named Clara Peller first asked, "Where's the beef?" in an instantly iconic ad campaign.

Over the years, Wendy's has rolled out all kinds of other slogans to reinforce its "quality" products. The brand's '80s ad touted such sayings as "Choose Fresh, Choose Wendy's," as well as claiming "The Best Burger in the Business. " The brand has continued to push the same message through the 21st century, when "Do What Tastes Right," "You Know When It's Real," and "Deliciously Different" led the charge. These days, Wendy's is simply reassuring its customers that "We Got You."