Fast Food Financing: ‘Cause Your Combo Meal Costs a Car Payment

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Fast food prices are out of control — and Chili’s wasn’t about to let that slide. Together with agency JM&D, and our team at m ss ng p eces (ECD Mike Woods & me producing), we staged a one-of-a-kind stunt in New York’s Union Square: Fast Food Financing.

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Right next door to one of the busiest McDonald’s in the country, we opened a pop-up “financing storefront” where people could apply for “financial relief” in the form of a $25 Visa gift card to help offset the ridiculous price of fast food. 

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After their “application” was “approved,” guests were invited through the vault door to a Chili’s themed speakeasy for an exclusive first taste of Chili’s brand-new menu item, the Big QP.

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Word got out fast. We revealed the activation in stages to build buzz starting with an exclusive preview for paid content partners, followed by a press and influencer night, and finally two full days open to the public, ultimately welcoming 1,200+ guests.

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The activation went viral almost overnight, racking up hundreds of millions of impressions through organic social posts, local TV news, national press such as CNN, Yahoo News and Bloomberg, and trade press like Ad Age, LBBOnline, and Marketing Dive.

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It was such a hit that just two weeks later, Chili’s tapped us again, this time to help launch their Frozen Margarita lineup.

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Pulling off this four-day pop-up meant transforming a long-vacant Union Square storefront from an empty shell into a fully functioning “financing store” and restaurant, complete with a custom buildout and full food service capabilities. This all happened under the added pressure of staging a highly publicized stunt just steps away from a direct competitor.

 

As producer, I navigated the logistics, permitting, and countless moving parts to turn a wild idea into a seamless, high-impact experience that generated massive buzz and measurable results for Chili’s.