The build spec is the brief
Every item on a quick-service menu has a build specification: bun, number of patties, sauce quantity, toppings, cup size, the order they are stacked in. Food photography has always been styled, but the finished image still has to show something a crew member can make from that spec. US class actions have accused burger chains of advertising burgers larger than those served, and at least one partly survived an early motion to dismiss. Generation drifts in exactly that direction, towards taller stacks, more fillings and glossier sauce. Brief from the build card, check portion size against the real item photographed on the same plate or wrapper, and keep a reference shot for every core product.
Menu boards, dayparts and delivery apps
Digital menu boards switch between breakfast, lunch and late-night menus, change with local promotions and sometimes with the weather, and every screen layout needs its own version. Delivery apps add another set: each platform has its own photo guidelines on framing, backgrounds and text, and the photo must show the item the customer will receive, not a platter or a styled combination. Prices vary by location and channel, sometimes higher on delivery than in store, so they should never be baked into an image. Keep prices, calorie figures and allergen flags as live data fields that the menu system fills, and let generation produce the imagery that sits around them.
Calories, allergens and the HFSS rules
Menus are regulated documents. In the US, chains with 20 or more locations must show calories on menus and menu boards, a federal rule in force since May 2018. In England, food businesses with 250 or more employees have had to show calories on menus, online menus and delivery listings since April 2022, alongside the statement that adults need around 2,000 kcal a day. Allergen information covers 14 regulated allergens in the UK and EU and nine major allergens in the US. And since 5 January 2026, UK ads for identifiable less healthy food and drink cannot run on TV between 5.30am and 9pm or as paid online ads; smaller businesses are exempt, and brand ads that identify no such product fall outside the rules. Check which products are in scope before briefing.
Local offers across hundreds of restaurants
A national campaign is the easy part. The volume is local: a franchisee's opening, a town's festival, a student deal near a campus, a price that only applies in one region. Each needs to look like the brand and carry the right terms, such as 'at participating restaurants' when not every site runs the deal, and a limited-time offer needs its end date. The studio gives regional teams and franchisees their own roles: the brand hub's rules apply to everything they make, product imagery stays locked to the build spec, and the brand team approves each local version before it goes live. Local teams move quickly, and the brand still looks like one chain.
Updated 25 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text with your legal team before relying on it.