Admittedly, I’m all too familiar with “girl dinners.” Sometimes (often) after a long day, the last thing you want to do is cook an elaborate meal — and that’s where girl dinners come in.
The term took off on TikTok this summer after creator Olivia Maher used it in a video. The New York Times describes it as a meal “akin to an aesthetically pleasing Lunchable: an artfully arranged pile of snacks that, when consumed in high enough volume, constitutes a meal.”
The trend, which has racked up 1.4B+ views, is already old news on social media, but its impact continues to reverberate in the restaurant business.
The fast-food chain was quick to hop on board, launching a limited-edition “Girl Dinner” menu in July.
Opportunities like this are a marketer’s field day — and major brands with resources to quickly implement viral trends can take advantage.
Come November, Popeyes’ quarterly sales figures will reveal how its “Girl Dinner” stunt performed, but if history is an indicator, expect to be wowed: social media stunts have been core to the chain’s success.
Popeyes was famously behind the 2019 “tweet [that] changed the restaurant industry,” per Restaurant Business, igniting a chicken sandwich war — and its sales.