As Gen Z embraces nostalgia for past decades, when life was analogue and connections were personal, restaurants in Georgia are offering chances to embrace the past through food and drink. From throwback pricing to classic menu items, Georgia restaurants are leaning into the nostalgia they generate to not only reconnect with long-time fans, but also to engage with new audiences.
Cowboy Chicken, the Dallas-based fast-casual chain with a location in McDonough, celebrated its 44th anniversary in August with a month of specials that gave a nod to 1981, their founding year.
The restaurant group offered Throwback Thursdays all month long, where guests could order a Meal for Four, which included a whole wood-fire chicken with sides, for the retro price of $19.81. On August 19, the chain’s actual anniversary date, guests could order Cowboy Chicken’s original chicken plate for $3.89.
“Pricing was a big hook,” says Kim Jensen-Pitts, the company’s Atlanta-based Chief Marketing Officer, adding that the company also layered in other marketing during the month, such as a sweepstakes that rewarded guests with free family meals, and a retro tote bag giveaway to the first 100 guests at each location on August 19.
“Pricing drove traffic, but it was the storytelling, exclusives and community feel that made the campaign resonate,” she said.
Though they don’t always offer nostalgic specials on their anniversary, Jensen-Pitts says, “Heritage and tradition are elements we always weave into telling our brand story, but we save these large-scale nostalgic celebrations for special occasions. We celebrated our 40th anniversary with a big campaign, and our 44th gave us another milestone moment.”
“When we celebrated our 40th anniversary, we saw great success, and the 44th proved just as strong,” she added. “Nostalgia, when done authentically, builds an emotional connection — it’s more than a promotion, it’s a celebration of shared history.”
Some Things Are Always in Style
Cowboy Chicken President and CEO Sean Kennedy echoed Jensen-Pitts’ remarks, said in a statement, “As we mark 44 years, we’re reminded that time-honored recipes and genuine hospitality never go out of style.”
Chad Reynolds, director of operations for Mary Mac’s Tea Room, agreed. The 80-year-old Atlanta institution is now offering Back-to-School Grab-and-Go meals that guests can stop in to pick up, such as a Southern Sides Sampler or family dinner for four. Reynolds says the fact that the restaurant’s recipes have remained the same for 80 years feels authentic and heartfelt to guests.
He says you can do comfort without being cliché if you do it from the heart. “None of our team members are here because they are the best server, cook or hostess. They are here because they are the right person, with care and love in their heart.”
His advice for other restaurants that want to appeal to guests’ sense of nostalgia? “Decide what to be and go be it, true from the heart and soul. Do not ever compromise or negotiate with your principles, and build a team of the right people.”
Now that their anniversary celebration has ended, Cowboy Chicken will also offer Back-to-School family meals, along with gallons of iced tea and lemonade to go.
New But Nostalgic
Though they haven’t been around for as many years as the others, Your 3rd Spot, located on Atlanta’s Westside, is also appealing to the current wave of nostalgia by offering a secret, off-menu Happy Meal for $15. Available only by word of mouth, the playful throwback offers guests crispy chicken nuggets, which they call “nuggies,” Parmesan truffle fries with crème fraiche tartar sauce and tobiko roe, an ice-cold dirty gin martini and a surprise toy.
Your 3rd Spot founder Joshua Rossmeisl says the restaurant decided to offer the Happy Meal because, “People light up when they see food from their childhood. Those flavors bring comfort, and right now people crave that sense of normalcy more than ever.”
They decided to do chicken nuggets instead of a burger, he said, because, “Everyone has a memory of nuggets or tenders as a kid. A burger would have been the predictable choice, but chicken gave us more room to elevate.”
Rossmeisl says guests at his establishment connect instantly with nostalgia. “In a world that feels complicated, people lean toward what feels safe and familiar. If you give someone the choice between the latest trend or a plate that reminds them of simpler times, they will choose comfort almost every time,” he adds.
He says Your 3rd Spot has other nostalgia-themed promotions planned, but “always with intention. Nostalgia has to be paired with quality. We never do kitsch for the sake of it. Every item has to deliver comfort while standing on its own as something worth ordering.”
The restaurant offers a cocktail called the Vibe Elixir, which “changes color like the mood rings everyone remembers,” he says. They are also planning a Y2K Nostalgia weekend September 19-21, with Y2K-themed video games, music and a photo booth.
His advice for other restaurateurs considering a nostalgia-based feature or marketing plan? “Nostalgia works because it is personal. The key is to respect the memory and elevate it just enough to surprise people.”
“The other lesson is value,” he says. “Value is not only about price. It is about how people feel when they pay for something. Rising costs in labor and occupancy drive the business side, but the guest does not see that. They see the plate in front of them, the drink in their hand and the way the team made them feel. That is where value is created.”
Lara Creasy is Beverage Director for Rocket Farm Restaurants, overseeing eleven Superica locations in five states. She loves all things beverage from tea to tequila, coffee to cocktails, whiskey to wine, and gets to make a living at it.
