Lion's Choice
Lion’s Choice has been serving up the freshest roast beef sandwiches in St. Louis since the ‘60s. But in a rapidly changing fast casual dining category and declining awareness among younger audiences, the brand had lost its bite. That’s when UPBrand was selected to come in as agency of record and lead a new chapter for this St. Louis icon.
Discovery + Brand Platform
For years, Lion’s Choice relied on anecdotal research—store visits, customer interactions, and personal experiences—to guide decisions. But before making any changes to this beloved brand, we needed hard data on what people really thought. Through AI-enabled group discussions and surveys, we uncovered a crucial insight: while older customers were fiercely loyal, that sentiment wasn’t carrying over to younger generations. Even more concerning, the brand was ranking low in perception for the very things it prides itself on, like quality and service. It was time for Lion’s Choice to find its roar.
We developed a bold new brand platform rooted in quality and delivered with attitude. At its heart was a new tagline: Killer Beef Sandwiches. For years, people saw Lion’s Choice and asked two questions: What does the name mean? and What do they serve? Our tagline answers both with in-your-face confidence.
Digital Campaign
Our work with Lion’s Choice started with a bit of urgency: sales were down across the chain and they needed help — fast. And even though we were still in Discovery, we got scrappy and got to work.
We planned a digital campaign designed to increase store traffic with a limited time offer. And since time was against us, we went digital. In just a few days, we had ads up and running on search and social — ready to capture hungry eyes at key meal times. Our campaign had strong results and offered a much-needed lift in sales across the board.
21.7%
increase in website sessions
26.6%
increase in total visitors
The Remix – New Sandwich Launch
Lion’s Choice had a staple: slow-roasted beef, shaved thin, piled high. A great sandwich, but not for everyone. To make a bold move on customization, they had the perfect twist—it just needed a name. Enter The Remix: killer roast beef, Swiss cheese, and garlic aioli on Texas Toast. A new spin on an old favorite.
As the brand’s first new permanent menu item in years, The Remix deserved hype. We built anticipation with glitchy textures and a cryptic reboot message that grabbed fans’ attention. Post-launch, an omni-channel campaign—spanning CTV, local radio, and social—made it clear: this ain’t your grandpa’s roast beef sandwich.
The results? Negative sales trends reversed. ‘Add an ounce’ sales jumped 15x overnight. In the first 30+ days, The Remix made up nearly 16% of sales. Turns out, people were hungry for something new.
Ready to Make Your QSR Brand Roar?
