The write stuff Restaurants are going above and beyond food to encourage loyalty and promote their brand. So, Michael Stausholm of SproutWorld has developed a unique pizza pencil project. BIGGER PICTURE Did you know that a bakery in South London recently offered branded condoms as part of its PR? ‘Merch is now big in the bakery world,’ said Oliver Costello of Toad Bakery in The Guardian. It’s certainly a unique approach: condoms are not exactly sustainable but it got people talking. While I haven’t heard of other restaurants going down that exact route, gifts like bags, T-shirts and other products are becoming commonplace in this sector. SWAG (Stuff We All Get) or merch (merchandise) is nothing new. It’s a valuable method of marketing, used across most industries and sectors to great success, if gifts are interesting and useful. In recent years, eateries have gone further, adding merchandise to their
permanent offering, as well as at events. Food outlets are not just about food any more. Thanks to a global pandemic, rising costs and a younger generation that’s moving away from pub culture, they are increasingly about community: a place to belong and be part of something. Social media drives this. People share more than just food photos: they showcase products they buy to signal early adoption. This naturally expands a brand’s visibility to new audiences, so it makes sense to harness the behaviour pattern to your advantage and create a branded range. JUMP ON BOARD At SproutWorld, we’ve witnessed this trend over the past couple of years. We make wooden pencils that can be planted
after use, growing into 17 different herbs, flowers, vegetables and even trees. They are used as merch in restaurants all over the world. Promotional gifts work in hospitality. In the UK, the promotional merchandise industry in general reached a record £1.232 billion in sales in 2024, growing by 4.2% over the previous year despite wider economic challenges (Images Magazine). This shows that businesses are still turning to branded merchandise to create lasting impact. And according to Square, 56.5% of breweries, 22.9% of cafés and 17% of bars are utilising promotional merchandise as of Q3 2025. It’s a sensible approach and the stats speak for themselves: ● 90% of recipients remember a brand after receiving a branded promotional product (365Retail). ● 87% of people keep promotional products for more than a year, and 40% keep them for more than 10 years (SellersCommerce). ● 99% of people are willing to go out of their way to obtain a promotional product (PPAI). But what restaurant brands really need to keep in mind is sustainability. Don’t make stuff for the sake of it – this might not make you friends long-term. People don’t want cheap plastic products that
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www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk 12/02/2026 22:53