South by Southwest (SXSW) is world-renowned for the innovation featured at its annual conference and festivals each spring in Austin, Texas. From technology and education to culture and film, it’s the perfect place for fans and artists alike to celebrate the ultimate convergence of creativity. Here at Inspire Brands, we know food deserves to be a part of that conversation.
To put culinary innovation in the spotlight, Inspire brand chefs have created the first ever menu collaboration to be served exclusively at Variety’s Power of Comedy event for one night only on Friday, March 10, at SXSW. Food and beverage favorites from each of our brands have been reimagined exclusively for the event.
Hosted by Mike Lawrence and Nick Thune, Variety’s Power of Comedy will award comedic performers for their outstanding achievements across stand-up, film, TV, and digital platforms. This year’s honorees are:
- Chelsea Handler, comedy icon
- Anna Kendrick, comedy actress
- Patton Oswalt, stand-up comic
- Eric Andre, cult favorite
- Phoebe Robinson, comedy innovator
- Jake Johnson, comedy director
- Tim Robinson & Zach Kanin, sketch comedy
- Rachel Sennott, breakthrough artist
“Only Inspire Brands can do something like this at SXSW,” said Arby’s CMO, Rita Patel. “On behalf of all the marketing leads, we are so excited to showcase our innovative culinary teams with this unique menu of food and beverage collabs across our six iconic brands: Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and SONIC Drive-In.”
Here’s a look at our Menu Collabs:
- Roast Beef Sliders: Arby’s Classic Roast Beef, Roasted Beef Fat Onions, Roast Beef Aioli and Cheddar Cheese.
- Spit-Roasted Gyro Tots: Crispy SONIC Tater Tots loaded with Arby’s Gyro Meat, Cheese, and Tzatziki Sauce.
- Buffalo Ranch Wings: Traditional crispy wings tossed with Buffalo Wild Wings’ new Buffalo Ranch sauce.
- Chicken & Waffle Ice Cream Cup: Baskin-Robbins ice cream served with Buffalo Wild Wings Boneless Wings with Honey Garlic sauce.
- Roasted “Elote” Style Corndog: Buffalo Wild Wings roasted green chili queso, chipotle lime cream, Jimmy John’s peppers, cilantro, corn, Buffalo Wild Wings cotija, and smoked paprika all topped on a SONIC mini corndog bite.
- Warm Sweet Glazed Pretzel Twist: SONIC’s soft pretzel twist bite dipped in Dunkin’ donut glaze.
- Double Roast Beef and Horseradish Club: Jimmy John’s bread, double roast beef, lettuce, tomato, and Arby’s horseradish sauce.
- Hatch Green Chile Margarita: Choice of either Don Julio Silver Tequila or Dos Hombres Mezcal, shaken with lime juice and Hatch Chile simple syrup that’s poured over muddle Hatch Green Chiles and garnished with Jimmy John’s peppers.
- Jamocha Espresso Martini: Tito’s Vodka & Kahlua, shaken with Dunkin’ espresso and drizzled with Arby’s Jamocha Shake syrup with a garnish of Espresso Beans.
- Cold Brew Old Fashioned: Buffalo Wild Wings own Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Bourbon, with Dunkin’ Brown Sugar Syrup, Black Walnut Bitters, and a splash of Dunkin’ Cold Brew that’s stirred and garnished with a Dunkin’ Old Fashioned Munchkin.
- Pickles & Fries: Arby’s Curly Fry Vodka infused with Jimmy John’s Pickle Juice and muddled with simple syrup, cucumber, and mint. Topped off with lemonade with a garnish of Jimmy John’s pickle slices.
- High School Cherry Limeade: SONIC’s classic Cherry Limeade, topped off with Tito’s Vodka.
But food and beverage isn’t the only thing we’re bringing to SXSW.
CMO Panel: The New Playbook for Winning Customer Loyalty
Culinary innovation is just one of the many areas where Inspire is disrupting the Food Industry. By leveraging tech, data, and AI to create personalized experiences for our guests, our brands are breaking the status quo as we continue to enhance the dining experience for the future.
To discuss, three of our brand CMOs will talk customer loyalty across our business, including Arby’s CMO Rita Patel, Dunkin’ CMO Jill McVicar Nelson, and SONIC Drive-In CMO Lori Abou Habib.
The panel will be moderated by Adweek’s Shannon Miller and takes place on March 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. To learn more, visit the SXSW 2023 event schedule.
