BRAND ACTIVATIONS

Burger outlet gets smashed and squashed for new product launch

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2026

Innovative launch of new smash burger sees an entire pop-up restaurant ‘smashed’ for the occasion – from glasses to seats.

If you’re a quick-service restaurant chain looking to launch your new smash burger onto the market, what do you do that’s different? How about ‘smashing’ an entire restaurant?

That’s what A&W, Canada’s second-largest hamburger chain, did recently. Along with its marketing communications agency Rethink, it debuted a ‘smashed’ and warped brick-and-mortar pop-up outlet in the city of Toronto.

The smashed and squashed interior of the pop-up restaurant. Photo: A&W

Everything was smashed for the occasion – the trays, the glasses, the chairs, the dining areas. The chain’s mascot, a bear called Rooty, was much flatter and skinnier than usual. Even the temporary storefront had a warped look about it

“When A&W decided to be the first quick-service restaurant [in Canada] to market with a smash burger, we wanted to create a campaign that took the concept of smashed to its literal extreme,” says Skye Deluz, Creative Director at Rethink.

Adds Shannon McCarroll, also a creative executive at Rethink: “We wanted something clear, simple and memorable. In other words, the smashiest smashed campaign ever.”

According to Tom Newitt, head of marketing at A&W Canada, the brand is committed driving conversation in a fun and relevant way.

“We wanted to build on that momentum by giving an entire restaurant the ‘smash’ treatment, delivering the limited-time offer Canadians have been asking for in a completely unexpected way.”

For the uninitiated, a smash burger is a thin beef patty cooked on a very hot griddle. The burger is smashed down, usually with a spatula, to increase browning and add to the flavour.

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