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Tune into Menu Feed, a culinary-centered podcast hosted by Senior Editor Patricia Cobe. Menu Feed is produced in collaboration with FSD’s sister publication, Restaurant Business.

How Sonic integrates culinary and marketing to drive innovation

Menu items are constantly flowing out of the chain's R&D pipeline to tap into diners’ desire for variety.

Patricia Cobe, Senior Editor

December 1, 2022

Mackenzie Gibson traded in her blazer for a chef’s coat when she was promoted to VP of Culinary and Menu Innovation at Sonic Drive-in. Previously in marketing, she now integrates that expertise into developing the menu, prioritizing Sonic as a consumer-driven brand.

She and her team keep the R&D pipeline constantly flowing with new items, balancing indulgence with comfort and innovation.

Mackenzie Gibson
Mackenzie Gibson

Listen as she talks about how even dumb ideas can gain traction and turn into successes, and how Sonic wants to grow up to be a burger QSR. She also hints at some amazing new items coming in 2023. (Breakfast, anyone?)

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About the Author

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Pat plans and executes the menu sections of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She also contributes to the digital content of both RB and FSD and is editor of two weekly e-newsletters, Recipe Report and On the Menu. Pat’s weekly podcast, MenuFeed, covers a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Winsight from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

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