Smashburger launches ‘flavor-driven rebrand’ | Fast Casual

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Photo: Smashburger

November 25, 2025

Smashburger has unveiled a comprehensive brand campaign and refreshed visual identity, emphasizing a renewed commitment to great taste, variety and value, said Smashburger CEO Jim Sullivan.

The campaign, titled “Let the Flavor Do the Talking,” positions the brand’s culinary experience as its primary message, supported by a dynamic mix of digital, print and audio elements. The initiative was developed in partnership with advertising agency Karsh Hagan.

“Our new bold logo, vibrant color palette, and confidence-filled copy aren’t just cosmetic changes, they’re a declaration of who we are and where we’re headed,” Sullivan said in a company press release. “At Smashburger, we believe it’s our birthright to be the best-tasting brand in the category, and we’re taking that back.”

The campaign uses vibrant food imagery and taglines that promise to take guests from “doubt to devout,” encouraging customers to explore the chain’s flavorful offerings, including its Certified Angus Beef burgers, all-Angus hot dogs and sides like SmashFries.

“People don’t believe what they’re told anymore, they believe what they taste,” Darren Allison, director of strategy at Karsh Hagan, said in the release. “Our strategy doesn’t try to convince them; it invites them to see for themselves.”

The visual identity features a redesigned logo, blending red and black in a sleek, modern palette designed to reflect the brand’s “bold, approachable, and unmistakably flavorful” core essence.

“From culinary technique and ingredient selection to precise griddle temperature, every decision is purposefully engineered to deliver an exceptional flavor experience,” Founder Tom Ryan said in the release. “We don’t rely on gimmicks or shortcuts, just bold, uncompromising flavor that speaks for itself.”

The rebrand follows a year of notable developments for the Denver-based chain:

• Value focus: In July, the company introduced its $4.99 All-The-Time Menu.
• Menu innovation: Smashburger launched the All-Angus Big Dogs and revived the popular Colorado Burger.
• Unit growth: The brand marked a return to growth with new locations at Naval Air Station North Island and Detroit Metro Airport.

Sullivan, who stepped into the CEO role in August, is leading the company’s expansion, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jollibee Foods Corporation. Smashburger operates 197 locations across 29 U.S. states and six countries.