A New Ingredient on the Menu: The Role of NFTs in the Food Industry

A New Ingredient on the Menu: the Role of NFTs in the Food Industry

Ludo's series delves into the influence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) across sectors, spotlighting the food industry. Brands like KFC India and Pizza Hut are utilizing NFTs for enhanced brand engagement and customer experiences. Beyond just digital art, NFTs are revolutionizing brand loyalty, creating novel revenue avenues, and signifying a pivotal transformation in the culinary domain.

In our research paper, we included examples from KFC, Maggi, Starburst, Pedigree, Oreo, Pop Tarts, M&M, Dave & Buster’s, Cadbury, Cheetos, McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Papa John’s, Doritos, Pringles, Frank’s RedHot, Campbell’s, Kraft Foods, Applebees, Quiznos, Chick’n cone, Nestle, Front of House, Freed’s Bakery, GourmetNFT, Flyfish Club, Burger DAO, Pizza DAO, Bored Pizza Club and CHFTY Pizzas.

Let’s Get Started

Welcome to Ludo's series which explores the application of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in diverse industries. Ludo's commitment is to demystify the multifaceted Web 3.0 landscape and equip you with the knowledge you need to navigate it. Through this series, we aim to unravel the burgeoning universe of NFTs and how they are transforming digital ownership and interaction in unprecedented ways.

In this digital age, NFTs are disrupting conventional paradigms, redefining the essence of value in various sectors ranging from art and music to gaming. Now, they are making their way into the culinary world, holding the potential to reshape the food industry as we know it.

The series is compartmentalized into several articles, each spotlighting a different industry. Our first piece takes a deep dive into the food industry, exploring how NFTs are stirring up the sector, impacting everything from food traceability to customer interaction and loyalty programs. As we progress, we'll highlight other sectors, illustrating the extensive reach and diverse applications of NFTs.

Each article will provide an in-depth analysis of the role NFTs play in its specific industry, focusing on the advantages they bring, the challenges they face, and the future opportunities they present. Real-world examples will be dissected, and laid out in easy-to-understand charts, with key insights extracted and emerging trends in the NFT arena illuminated.

Whether you're a professional in the food industry aiming to understand the implications of NFTs, a curious observer keen on staying updated with digital trends, or simply intrigued by the fusion of technology and the culinary arts, this series will offer a comprehensive exploration of the NFT phenomenon.

Let's embark on our journey with our first exploration into the flavorful world of NFTs in the food industry!

What’s Cooking in the Web3 Space?

The Web3 revolution is making waves across various sectors, and the food industry is no exception. Brands that have perfected the art of tantalizing taste buds and creating unforgettable culinary experiences are now leveraging the power of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

These distinctive digital assets, stored securely on a blockchain, offer food brands an innovative avenue to monetize their products and brand recognition while enriching consumer interaction and maintaining creative control. An illustrative example of this is KFC India's launch of the KFC BuckETH NFT collection. This collection, composed of digital artwork that celebrates the brand's famous bucket portions, took the form of a social media contest, creating a buzz that transcended traditional marketing initiatives.

NFTs empower food brands to generate unique digital tokens associated with their brand identity or product line. These can encompass digital artwork, virtual merchandise, and unique culinary experiences. By issuing these tokens directly, brands sidestep intermediaries, retaining control over their intellectual property. Additionally, these digital assets can increase in value over time, potentially benefiting both the brand and the NFT-holding consumer.

Another intriguing application of NFTs in the food industry comes from Pizza Hut, which released its NFT in Canada as a part of the 1 Byte Favorites program. The world's first NFT pizza used tasty digital images of pizza slices as its food tokens. NFT buyers received brand-new NFTs of a pizza slice made using a different recipe throughout the first week. This collection featured a limited quantity of 8-bit style versions of Pizza Hut pizzas, like Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Canadian, and Margherita.

Given the vast reach of social media, brands can harness their follower base using NFTs. They can bolster customer relationships, enhance loyalty, and explore new revenue streams by offering exclusive NFTs. For consumers, an NFT associated with their favorite food brand becomes a form of social currency, elevating their standing within the foodie community.

Beyond financial incentives, NFTs offer a platform for culinary creativity and innovation. Food brands can venture into new realms of digital artistry, immersive experiences, and even virtual gastronomy. Tokenizing and selling these as NFTs presents consumers with unique engagement opportunities.

One such brand pushing the boundaries of innovation is Taco Bell, which launched a collection of taco-themed NFTs. The collection included five different designs, with five editions of each, totaling 25 NFTs. Owners of these NFTs received a $500 digital Taco Bell gift card. The NFTs were sold on the Rarible marketplace, with the funds used to finance the Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship, thus blending brand promotion with philanthropy.

In this piece, we'll delve into how NFTs are transforming the brand-customer relationship in the food industry, uncovering novel ways to monetize brand value, reward customer engagement, and express culinary creativity. Here's a sneak peek at the most standout NFT projects launched by food brands.

NFT Use Case Overview

Analysis

When analyzing the utility that NFTs bring to the food industry, we can notice a few common elements:

• First of all, a cvasi-sine-qua-non application of NFTs has been for brand awareness and positioning in the nascent Web 3/metaverse space. Even if other utilities are not explored, this seems to be the go-to utility, and quite successful too. The reason is the affinity of the younger generation to the space and for brands, staying on top of current trends is a necessity, in order to be perceived in line with the values of the Web3 space and to attract the Web3 natives as brand customers. Creating innovative, appealing collections can also be used to mark an important event/product launch or to celebrate important milestones in the company’s activity. As such, NFTs have been successfully deployed as marketing tools, with many successful campaigns launched by brands into the Web 3 space. However, this is just an entry-level approach, which must be integrated with further actions and utility, such as:

• Creating value for the customer, especially in the premium segment. Through complementary digital experiences, gamified customer journeys, or by aggregating communities of like-minded individuals that gather around a brand, NFTs allow brands to increase customer engagement, reward loyalty, or upsell premium products. We notice this to be the second most common application of the NFTs. Especially in the restaurant industry, this could become a booming trend, with NFT-gated premium communities creating benefits in terms of social status, and networking value and allowing businesses to reward their highest echelon of customers. As such, NFT-based memberships might become commonplace for premium/private clubs in the near future.

• We can observe that while more mature, established companies use the NFTs to position themselves as innovative and in line with the trend, for newer, web 3-native companies in the space, the focus falls on product tokenization. Using NFTs as a means of selling physical products is an emerging trend that aims to capitalize on the decentralized nature of the user base or to cater to specific idiosyncrasies and motifs in the space, such as the subculture formed around BAYC and similar iconic collections. When seeking new niches or competitive advantages to differentiate from the competition, this use case of NFTs (together with the complementary digital experiences) may be one of the most efficient ways to do so. 

• Last but not least, NFTs have empowered the creation of entirely new business models, such as NFTs as a Service in the food industry, kitchenless, DAO-owned chains of restaurants, or platforms dedicated to product tokenization and/or physical good logistics (storing, transfer, retrieval, delivery, etc). Other companies also found in the NFTs a mean to crowdfund their future developments, such as tokenizing the expansion of a franchise or simply fundraising to launch a product or to expand the business.

Conclusion

The explosion of NFTs in the food industry is a testament to the transformative potential of this technology. From renowned fast food chains to innovative startups and gourmet restaurants, businesses are embracing NFTs as a tool to build deeper relationships with their customers, foster brand loyalty, and unlock new revenue streams.

While the use of NFTs in the food industry initially appeared as a passing fad, the deep integration and innovative applications of these digital assets have proved otherwise. They are revolutionizing the way businesses operate, enhancing customer engagement, and reimagining traditional business models. By offering unique opportunities for interaction and engagement, NFTs provide a new layer of value to the customer experience.

Whether it's the creation of unique digital collectibles or the provision of exclusive real-world benefits, NFTs have added a new dimension to the way businesses in the food industry interact with their customers. The ability to offer unique experiences and exclusivity, all the while democratizing access to these benefits, is empowering businesses to build deeper connections with their customers and fostering a sense of community around their brand.

The food industry is only beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible with NFTs. As the technology matures and becomes more accessible, we can expect to see even more innovative applications. Challenges remain, including environmental concerns, regulatory issues, and the need for public education about NFTs. However, the potential benefits — for businesses and consumers alike — make it likely that NFTs will continue to be a major part of the future of the food industry.

In the end, the marriage of NFTs and the food industry is a perfect example of the potential of Web 3.0 to redefine traditional business models and customer experiences. As we move forward, the line between the physical and digital worlds will continue to blur, creating new opportunities for innovation and growth. The future of food may or may not be digital, but it will certainly be delicious.

Industry Examples

1. KFC

KFC has created multiple NFT collections, including the KFC BuckETH collection in India and the Original KFC Moments collection in Malaysia. Both collections feature limited-edition digital artwork and are associated with various promotions and giveaways.

KFC BuckETH NFT Collection

The KFC BuckETH NFT collection was launched by KFC India. This collection consists of digital artwork created by artists across the country, celebrating KFC's iconic bucket portions. The BuckETH NFT is based on the Ethereum blockchain and was developed by KFC in partnership with Mumbai-based digital marketing firm Blink Digital. A social media contest was organized to give away the NFT, and the winner also received a year's worth of KFC. 

Original KFC Moments NFT Collection

The Original KFC Moments NFT collection was launched by KFC Malaysia and is a nod to Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices. This collection consists of four Together Editions artworks by Wilson Ng, four Moving Fried Chicken artworks by Book of Lai, and three Generations artworks by Arif Rafhan. Eight of these NFTs were put up for bidding on OpenSea, with a starting bid of 0.08 ETH each. The remaining three were given away through an Instagram contest.

The use-case for both NFT collections was to strengthen KFC's presence in the digital space and engage with fans and customers (brand positioning).

2. Maggi

In April 2023, Maggi partnered with OneRare to enter the NFT market, offering digital collectibles of its iconic products, recipes, and virtual experiences in the Foodverse. This collaboration aims to redefine customer engagement and explore new avenues of marketing while embracing blockchain technology. OneRare, in collaboration with Maggi, is launching NFTs of MAGGI Noodles, MAGGI Masala-ae-Magic, and MAGGI Hot & Sweet as Digital Collectibles in the Foodverse. Users can use these digital ingredients to create 16 unique MAGGI dishes through brand recipes and engage in virtual activities. Maggi fans can participate in virtual games and win NFTs while exploring new ways to use Maggi products in their kitchen. OneRare customizes the NFT experience for each brand, and for Maggi, it focuses on showcasing how to use Maggi products through dedicated dishes.

This collaboration between Maggi and OneRare is a significant step in the food industry's adoption of blockchain and the Metaverse, providing innovative ways for brands to engage with their audience and market their products globally.

3. Starburst

Starburst, a fruit-flavored candy brand, launched a virtual shopping experience in The Mall, a metaverse built on the MetaVRse engine. This immersive virtual world, known as the "Starburst Juicyverse," lets users explore and interact with the brand in 3D. Visitors can create 3D sculptures and even participate in an NFT contest. Starburst aims to engage consumers directly in the metaverse, following the trend set by other consumer product brands. The launch was set to coincide with the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas in March-April 2023. The "Starburst Juicyverse" allows users to explore the flavors and colors of Starburst candies in a fully immersive 3D environment. Visitors to the Juicyverse can create their own 3D sculptures and participate in a contest to have them minted as NFTs on the Hedera network. Limited-edition 3D T-shirt NFTs will also be available for customers to wear on their Metaverse avatars.

4. Pedigree

In January 2023, Pedigree, the renowned pet brand, ventured into the realm of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) through a pioneering initiative called "FOSTERVERSE." This program is designed with dual objectives: to raise funds for animal shelters and to inspire people to adopt pets in real life.

Launched in collaboration with the metaverse, Pedigree's FOSTERVERSE allows users to foster virtual dogs. The overarching mission behind this initiative is to combat pet homelessness. By enabling metaverse users to foster these virtual canines, Pedigree aims to increase awareness and encourage real-life adoption of pets.

In addition, the Pedigree Foundation also seeks donations to support its cause, highlighting its commitment to making a tangible impact on pet homelessness and adoption efforts.

5. Oreo

In January 2023, Oreo, the iconic cookie brand, made its mark in the digital realm by introducing its own metaverse initiative named "Oreoverse". This move represents Oreo's foray into the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the broader web3 space.

As part of this initiative, Oreo launched a special metaverse-themed cookie termed "The Most OREO OREO", which signifies their immersion into the metaverse culture.

Additionally, the Oreoverse experience is designed to be immersive, having integration with platforms like Meta Horizon Worlds, which promises a captivating experience for users. Visitors to the Oreoverse website have a chance to win $50,000 while enjoying an OREO-filled experience and searching for the OREO code. The Oreoverse comprises four mini-games: Stack Stuf, Rocket Stuf, Explore Stuf, and Nab Stuf, where completing them fills your virtual glass with milk for dunking.

The underlying motive behind these endeavors is not just commercial; it's also about capitalizing on the burgeoning trend of the metaverse and NFTs, demonstrating Oreo's adaptability to emerging digital trends.

6. Pop Tarts

Pop-Tarts, the iconic toaster pastry brand, has made significant strides in the world of NFTs and the digital metaverse. In November 2022, Pop-Tarts collaborated with Mythical Games to introduce a set of NFT characters (named Hip Pop, Punk Pop, and Glam Pop) based on the Pop-Tarts brand for the game Blankos Block Party. Blankos Block Party is a free-to-play blockchain MMO featuring collectible digital vinyl toys called Blankos, obtainable through in-game events and brand partnerships.

This was part of a broader initiative by Pop-Tarts to create a fresh creative direction, as the brand is known for its "Crazy Good" toaster pastries.

Moreover, in 2023, Kellogg's, the parent company of Pop-Tarts, showed significant interest in the NFT space. The company filed trademark applications for multiple brands, including Pop-Tarts, hinting at potential NFT-related ventures in the future. This marks Kellogg's first Web3 venture in Europe and aims to engage Gen Z consumers who may be less familiar with the Pop-Tarts product.

7. M&M

Mars, the company behind the iconic M&M's candy, ventured into the world of NFTs by collaborating with the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and the NFT supergroup KINGSHIP. KINGSHIP is a digital-only band, comprising four NFTs: one Mutant Ape and three Bored Apes. They aim to create new music and perform in the metaverse. 

As a result of the collaboration, M&M's has introduced three limited edition products: a Gold 100 gift box, a Celebratory gift box, and a Gift jar. These packs include M&M's in all six colors and feature custom candies depicting KINGSHIP group members, including Captain, KING, Arnell, and Hud. This partnership takes place in the context of the KINGSHIP NFT collection, which includes 5,000 access-enabled Key Cards NFTs. These cards unlock various products, experiences, and access to a token-gated community. M&M's and KINGSHIP have set aside 1,000 Celebratory Boxes exclusively for Key Card holders from the KINGSHIP NFT collection.

8. Jimmy John's

Jimmy John's, the popular sandwich chain, has made strides into the digital space by engaging with the concept of NFTs and the metaverse. The company has revamped its loyalty program with elements of gamification based on non-fungible tokens and also introduced a concept known as the 'Metasandwich', which aims to bridge the virtual and real worlds. On May 20, 2022, Jimmy John's collaborated with artist Rob Shields to design custom delivery vehicles, delivery driver avatars, and nine nonfungible tokens (NFTs). This move seems to tie in their metaverse experiments with real-world assets. Further highlighting their metaverse engagement, Jimmy John's allowed customers to create their own sandwiches in the virtual space and then pick them up in real life at select store locations.

9. Dave and Buster’s

Dave & Buster's has embraced the NFT trend by launching a series of NFT Digital Collectibles. The restaurant and entertainment venue introduced these NFTs as part of a prize program at locations nationwide, allowing customers to win, unlock, and claim NFT prizes. The collectibles range from common to rare to uber-rare NFTs and feature D&B Game Coin Designs and D&B City Card Designs. Sweet's technology has been integrated into Dave & Buster’s Win system at over 140 locations nationwide, allowing users to collect unique NFTs through interactive gameplay. In addition to individual NFTs, Dave & Buster's has also ventured into the Metaverse with the launch of "Dave & Buster's World" on Roblox, marking their entry into virtual worlds.

10. Cadbury

Cadbury Gems, a brand under the international chocolatier Cadbury, has ventured into the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) with philanthropic intentions in February 2023. Through their new campaign named the "Junior NFT campaign," Cadbury Gems transformed children's artworks into NFTs. As of February 15, 2023, 1544 of these artwork-based NFTs had been minted and made available.

This initiative is not just for brand promotion but also has a charitable aspect. The funds raised from this NFT collection will be used for charitable purposes, aiming to support less fortunate kids. The NFTs can be purchased with fiat money by potential buyers. Cadbury's move into the NFT space showcases how traditional brands are leveraging modern blockchain technology to combine marketing with social good.

11. Cheetos

Cheetos, in collaboration with Vayner3 and Meta Horizon Worlds, has introduced Chesterville, a virtual suburban neighborhood in the metaverse for Halloween festivities. This venture into virtual reality marks Cheetos' and Frito-Lay's first foray into the metaverse. In Chesterville, players engage in mischievous activities to earn points on their "mischief meter" and aim to access a spooky mansion on Cheetos Hill. Inside the mansion, they can vote for their favorite discontinued Cheetos flavor, with the winning flavor making a limited return in the real world. Chesterville can be experienced on Meta Quest 2, and Cheetos enthusiasts can participate in the fun by selecting their preferred flavor and even entering a costume contest. This innovative move showcases Cheetos' commitment to engaging with fans in new and immersive ways within the metaverse.

12. McDonald’s

McDonald’s McRib Collection

McDonald's launched its first-ever NFT collection in 2021 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the McRib sandwich. The collection consists of 10 limited-edition digital collectibles featuring the iconic sandwich, which were given away to select fans through a promotional campaign.

The use case for the brand was to strengthen McDonald's presence in the digital space, engage with fans and customers, and create a buzz around the return of the McRib sandwich to participating restaurants nationwide

Big Mac Rubik's Cube Collection

In October 2021, McDonald's China released the Big Mac Rubik's Cube, the first pickle NFT burger ever, to mark the company's 31-year anniversary in mainland China. A total of 188 pickle NFT burger tokens were released in collaboration with Cocafe, a company that creates digital assets. The Conflux public blockchain-based pickle NFT burger coins were given away as rare gifts to select clients and employees.

13. Burger King

In September 2021, the titan of the fast food industry, Burger King, unveiled Keep It Real Meals NFT, the first NFT project under the Burger King brand. The goal of the collection was to promote Burger King's "Keep It Real Campaign," which marked the removal of 120 artificial ingredients from their menu. The NFTs were available on the Sweet NFT Marketplace. 

The marketing strategy behind Burger King NFT is a little different from other concepts. Six million lunch cartons with QR codes were scanned by eager collectors as part of the Burger King NFT Campaign. The codes allowed the Burger King NFT to unlock one of its three precious game components. A fourth token, which could be used to make a digital item, was sent to the client once all three game pieces had been collected. The reward for owning all components was the opportunity to either:

• Win a digital collectible

• Win a year’s supply of NFT burgers

• with a phone call from one of the campaign’s celebrity ambassadors

Among the ambassadors for the campaign, we can name celebrities like Nelly, Anitta, and LILHUDDY.

14. Pizza Hut

In March 2021, Pizza Hut released its NFT in Canada as a part of the 1 Byte Favorites program. The world's first NFT pizza used tasty digital images of pizza slices as its food tokens. 

NFT buyers received brand-new NFTs of a pizza slice made using a different recipe throughout the first week. The collection featured a limited quantity of 8-bit style versions of Pizza Hut pizzas, such as Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Canadian, and Margherita. The company also teamed up with artist Rob Shields to design custom delivery vehicles, delivery driver avatars, and nine nonfungible tokens (NFTs) that embody cyberpunk themes for an event called ComplexLand.

The collection was very well received by the community, with one slice of pixelated pepperoni reportedly sold for $8,824.

15. Taco Bell

Similar to Pizza Hut, Taco Bell debuted early in the NFT space. On March 8, 2021, their Taco NFT Art was made available on Rarible, only days before Beeple revolutionized digital collection history with his pickle NFT artwork.

Taco Bell launched a collection of taco-themed NFTs that included five different designs (“Ever-Crunching Tacos,” “Gimme That Taco NFT,” “‘Taco NFT  Dimensions,” “Transformative Taco NFT,” and “Swivel Taco NFT,”), with five editions of each, totaling 25 NFTs. Four out of the five designs include GIFs. Owners of Pickle NFTs got a $500 digital Taco Bell gift card. The NFTs were sold on the Rarible marketplace. The starting price of the NFTs was 0.001 ETH ($1.79), and the highest bid reached 0.4 ETH ($700)

The funds were used to finance the Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship, which supports youth in discovering and pursuing their career and educational goals.

The Taco Bell NFT collection was well-received, as all 25 tokens were sold within half an hour of their release. The resale prices of some NFTs soared in secondary markets, with one case reaching over $180,000. 

The use case of the NFTs for Taco Bell was to promote the brand in the digital space and engage with the NFT community, while also raising funds for their foundation.

16. Papa John’s

Papa John's launched a pizza-themed NFT collection, named Hot Hags, as part of the metaverse's biggest-ever free NFT giveaway in the UK. The collection consists of 19,840 NFTs featuring nine pizza hot bag inspired designs, which were dropped on several dates throughout early March 2022. The purpose of the Munchies NFT food release was to publicize the company's latest venture, a range of products named Papa John's X Cheddar.

Three of the nine hot bag designs included in the collection are 'Papa 1984', 'Papa Cheese Melt', and 'Papa Tag'. The NFTs have been minted on Tezos, an energy-efficient blockchain.

In addition to the NFT giveaway, Papa John's also sold a limited-edition number of real-world hot bags via Depop. One hot bag was available to win on the NFT microsite by a person who redeems an NFT between 1 March - 12 April 2022.

The NFTs served as a promotional tool for the brand, engaging fans and drawing attention to Papa John's Pizza and the new Cheddar range of pizzas.

17. Doritos

Doritos entered the metaverse space with the “Triangle Studios” collection.  Through competitions on Decentraland, Doritos gave away custom gaming PCs, rare NFTs, and Decentraland wearables worth $25,000. Doritos' metaverse experience allows players to design their avatars and explore a triangle tower, where they can win free NFT avatars minted on the Polygon blockchain. Launched in February 2023, the experience allows users to create their NFT avatar, and then use it in the game. Players can change their skin color, hairstyle, clothes, and shoes, as well as try out different accessories. Depending on how many game points they score, players had a chance to win one of two NFT avatars, which include a mix of RTFKT’s Clone-X #12118 with Takashi Murakami and Larva Labs’ Meebits #24. The company also gave away 8 wearables, as well as two custom gaming platforms from BRParadox, minted on the Polygon blockchain.

The benefits of holding Doritos NFTs include having unique digital assets, participating in the metaverse experience, and eligibility for giveaways and competitions. 

The use case of the Doritos NFTs for the brand includes engaging with the community, creating a unique metaverse experience, and promoting the Doritos brand in the digital space (brand positioning).

18. Pringles

In March 2021, Pringles joined the NFT (non-fungible token) craze by releasing a limited-edition virtual flavor called "CryptoCrisp". It offered 50 limited edition NFT artworks on the blockchain. The collection was released on Rarible and it was commissioned by artist Vasya Kolotusha.

One Pringles NFT was purchased for $2 and later sold for close to $1,500, showcasing the potential value of such digital collectibles.

19. Frank’s RedHot

The sauce brand Frank's RedHot unveiled an "edible NFT" collection along with a spoof cryptocurrency called "Bonecoin" in January 2022. The NFT collection aimed to celebrate the popular game-day snack of buffalo wings ahead of the Super Bowl. By blending humor, technology, and a beloved food item, the campaign sought to engage fans and promote the brand in a novel and entertaining way.

The mechanics of the edible NFT campaign involved fans scanning images of their chicken wing bones during a specific time window (Jan 27 - Feb 13) to earn “Bonecoin”. The prize for the person who earned the most Bonecoin was Frank’s RedHot NFT and its edible replica, the eNFT.

20. Campbell’s

Campbell's Soup Company commissioned its first official NFT collection by artist Sophia Chang to celebrate the changes to its iconic soup can labels. The collection, titled "AmeriCANa – SOPHIA CHANG X CAMPBELL'S," consisted of 100 NFT art pieces created by the celebrated street-style artist and illustrator, Sophia Chang. The main goal of the collection was to commemorate the redesign of Campbell's iconic soup can labels, which maintain the classic red and white blocking but feature a modernized logo and other minor changes. This NFT collection marks Campbell's first commissioned art piece in decades and carries on the brand's legacy of being at the forefront of iconic, priceless art collaborations.

The company auctioned off a single animated NFT on the OpenSea platform. All proceeds from the auction were donated to Feeding America, a hunger relief organization.

The creation of this NFT collection showcases Campbell's willingness to engage with new technologies and trends to connect with its audience and maintain its status as an iconic brand in the food industry.

21. Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods Group, an American food manufacturing and processing giant, has been exploring the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse. They filed NFT and metaverse patents for several of their popular brands. This move comes after their first attempt to enter the metaverse in which they released an NFT on Rarible for their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese product.

In October 2022, Kraft Foods applied to trademark the iconic Weinermobile, with plans for NFT-backed media, online virtual marketplaces, virtual restaurants, stores, foods, and drinks. The Weinermobile is a fleet of uniquely shaped cars that travel around America advertising Oscar Mayer products.

Kraft Heinz is another brand under the Kraft umbrella that has ventured into the NFT space. In December 2022, Kraft Heinz unveiled its Web3 Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistle NFTs. Additionally, Kraft Heinz has been looking at using the metaverse to help solve supply chain issues for products like Lunchables, Velveeta, and ketchup. In this regard, the company partnered with Microsoft to use its cloud platform to virtually replicate its supply chain processes.

22. Applebees

Applebee's, a popular restaurant chain, has entered the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by launching a series of NFTs based on their iconic menu items. These NFTs are designed to bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences. As part of their "Metaverse Mondays" campaign, Applebee's released a new NFT every Monday in December.

The first NFT sold by Applebee's was a colorful burger by artist Amber Vittoria, which was purchased for $25. The buyer also received a year's worth of burgers from the restaurant chain. Applebee plans to continue releasing new NFTs inspired by their menu items throughout the campaign.

23. Quiznos

Quiznos launched in November 2021 an NFT collection called "Out of This World" sandwich coins in collaboration with Crypto.com and The NFT Agency. The collection features designs by 3D NFT artist Sameer Baloch. The "Out of This World" NFT collection featured astronauts embarking on a mission to different planets with the purpose of introducing innovative and alternative methods of sustainability.

The company gave $1,000 in Dogecoin to two random winners. 33 winners were also given physical Quiznos gift cards, allowing them to purchase their preferred meals at the restaurant.

24. Chick’nCone

Chick'nCone, a Pennsylvania-based fast food chain, has released "Chick'nCoins," NFTs that represent ownership over a franchise of the chain in a specific geographic region within the U.S. Customers could pay 3.5 ETH to have a territory chosen for them at random, or 6.5 Ethereum to choose the zone they want.

The collection (up to 933 NFTs) allows owners to receive royalties and franchising fees. Chick'nCoins owners can earn 50% of the initial franchising fee and a monthly payment of 2% royalty on sales at all units within the area for up to six years. Chick'nCone CEO believes that other brands should offer NFTs with real-world utility to rejuvenate their customer base.

The use case of the NFTs for the brand is to promote and finance its franchising model and to create engagement with younger demographics.

25. Trix (Nestle)

The TRIX Globe NFT collection is a set of 2 unique NFTs based on the Ethereum blockchain, created in celebration of the launch of Nestlé's TRIX cereal brand in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). The collection features the TRIX Rabbit mascot exploring Dubai for the first time while hunting for the world's fruitiest cereals. The NFTs were auctioned on OpenSea until May 13th, 2022.  Nestlé launched these globe-inspired animations showcasing Dubai's skyline, and the sale proceeds were donated to the Emirates Red Crescent Charity.

The use case of the TRIX Globe NFTs for the brand was to create excitement around the launch of the TRIX cereal brand in the MENA region and to raise funds for charity by leveraging the popularity of NFTs.

26. Chotto Matte

The Global restaurant chain, Chotto Matte, founded in 2013 by the restaurateur Kurt Zdesar, launched a unique, highly expensive NFT called “the Founder that grants the owner access to upcoming restaurant openings, vineyard and distillery visits, a private encounter with the restaurant's executive chef, New Year's Eve reservations for six, and even sports tickets. The ticket was sold for $1 million.

This is not the restaurant’s first incursion into the Web3 space. In the context of the Bitcoin Miami conference and Miami NFT Week, Chotto Matte held a debut ceremony at its Miami Beach location. Conference attendees gained access to unique dishes and the 10/31 cocktail, a limited-edition drink inspired by Bitcoin that was prepared with Japanese whisky and garnished with a flammable dollar note that revealed a Bitcoin coin. Both the meals and the drinks were only available for purchase with Bitcoin.

27. Front of House

Launched in May 2022, Front of House is an NFT marketplace dedicated to the restaurant industry. The goal is to provide smaller restaurants with turnkey solutions to launch NFTs (reflecting both digital collectibles and experiences). By using FoH, the restaurant keeps 80% of the sale of digital collectibles. The aim of the business is to help restaurants create deeper engagement with their customers, through digital or phygital keepsakes, interactive experiences, and other benefits that could lead to customer loyalty.

28. Freed’s Bakery

Freed's Bakery, a family-owned business from Las Vegas launched a NFT collection called "Handminted Cakes" which features unique NFTs representing their physical cake designs. It is the world's first Physical Cake NFT collection, and the desserts included in this collection are available for purchase as physical cakes for local pickup or delivery.

The price of the Bakery NFT tokens, which are bakery NFT GIFs of their cooked cakes, was 0.1 ETH, or around $164 at the time of writing. 

In addition to the unique NFTs, the Handminted Cakes collection includes access keys for exclusive products and offers, as well as admittance to gated content and unique rewards.

29. GourmetNFT

GourmetNFT is an online platform that allows chefs to turn their recipes into collectible digital assets in the form of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The platform enables chefs to create revenue by offering their recipes as culinary digital downloads, while food enthusiasts can collect, organize, and cook from a wide range of international food recipes. By utilizing blockchain technology, GourmetNFT ensures that these recipes are securely stored in the owner's digital wallet.

GourmetNFT was co-founded by Ruth McCartney, a digital media entrepreneur, and David Skinner, the chef of the 12-seat restaurant Eculent outside Houston. The platform aims to revolutionize the culinary world by helping creators monetize their recipes and food experiences through NFT technology.

Users can browse and purchase NFTs of various chefs' recipes on the GourmetNFT website. The platform is managed by a limited partnership corporation formed in Texas in 2007, which focuses on all aspects of hospitality and operates several culinary businesses.

30. Flyfish Club

Flyfish Club is a members-only private dining club that allows customers to purchase a membership on the blockchain as an NFT. Members who own the token gain access to the restaurant and various culinary, cultural, and social experiences. The club's private dining room spans across 10,000+ square feet in an iconic location in New York City.

The Flyfish Club NFT collection consists of 3,035 tokens, representing exclusive access to the fine dining experience offered by the upcoming restaurant. There are currently 1,338 Flyfish Club owners. The NFTs have a total sales volume of $24.97k and an average price of $4.2k per NFT. The current floor price for a Flyfish Club NFT is Ξ3.4.

The VCR Group, the founders of Flyfish Club, developed a mechanism that converts a traditional membership into an asset that the NFT token holder can use. Unlike other membership programs, Flyfish Club members own their membership, and they can do what they want with it, including selling recipes as NFTs or leasing it.

Flyfish Club offers more than just NFT food tokens to its token-holders. They also get access to real-life pop-up events, such as Super Bowl parties and boat rentals in Miami. The goal of Flyfish Club is to create a community of food enthusiasts who appreciate unique culinary experiences and food tech.

The Flyfish Club NFT drop was groundbreaking, generating over $14 million on the initial mint, with ongoing sales reaching an impressive $21 million. By offering membership as an NFT, Flyfish Club returns equity directly back to the token-holder, allowing them to capitalize on their asset by selling or leasing their membership if they so choose. The VCR Group emphasizes that their intention is not to create a passive income stream from token-holders leasing their membership but rather to focus on building a community and providing as much value as possible for the token-holder. The leasing concept was designed to keep the restaurant filled with customers even when token-holders are out of town, allowing people who are not token-holders to experience Flyfish Club and potentially become token-holders in the future.

31. Burger DAO

BurgerDAO is a food company that makes decisions about the brand as a community using DAOs. BurgerDAO, which has no physical locations and instead makes use of cloud kitchens (restaurants that prepare food on behalf of digital brands, such as REEF Kitchens, Virtual Dining Concepts, and Nextbite), was inspired by MrBeast Burger, a virtual restaurant brand that delivers burgers and fries throughout the United States. BurgerDAO offers NFTs with a hamburger motif that grants token holders access to members-only Discord channels, the chance to work with other community members to draft and vote on proposals that directly affect the brand, naming rights for franchise locations, and various other real perks.

32. PizzaDAO

PizzaDAO is another decentralized community that created over 10.000 baked pizza NFTs, in conjunction with 300 artists. 

On May 22, 2021 (the International Bitcoin Pizza Day), money raised from the sale of this NFT collection was used to buy real pizza. For this occasion, over $300,000 was spent on 300 pizzerias in about 60 different countries. For the group, this evolved into an annually recurring event.

33. Bored Breakfast club

Bored Breakfast Club is a unique LA-based NFT project that combines digital collectibles with real-world coffee shipments and exclusive experiences for its members. The collection consists of 5,000 NFTs breakfast scenes living on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-721 tokens. At mint, the NFTs were sold for 0.08 ETH (about $250 at that time). Each NFT serves as a membership token that unlocks ongoing free shipments of freshly roasted coffee from Yes Plz (12-ounce bags).

The NFTs are designed by "Breakfast," the project's chef, host, and barista, who has programmatically generated a series of delicious meals in exotic locations. Each NFT is sized to fit perfectly as a banner in your social network of choice.

The Bored Breakfast Club was founded with the goal of giving back to the community. The Community Coffee Wallet is a communal treasury that gets funded by a 5% royalty fee on purchases made on the secondary market as well as a portion of sales of coffee and other goods. If a certain amount of community money is raised in the Community Coffee Wallet, The Bored Breakfast Club will deliver new coffee blends to its members.

The project was founded by BAYC owners, but who are not associated with Yuga Labs. As BAYC holders, they have commercial rights over the artwork contained in the owned Bored Apes NFTs. As such, they have used Bored Apes Having Breakfast as the image for their venture.

The innovative model combines the tokenized representation of coffee subscriptions with collectible artworks to offer a phygital experience to the Web 3 community, capitalizing on the hype around the Bored Ape Yacht Club brand.

34. CHFTY Pizzas

In June 2022, chefs Tom Colicchio and Spike Mendelsohn introduced CHFTY Pizzas, a collection of 8,888 NFTs with a pizza motif that allows users access to special events and merchandise. NFT holders have access to an "intimate cellar area" at the Times Square outpost of The Brooklyn Chop House. The collection, listed on Open Sea, has, at the moment of writing, a volume of 117 ETH, a floor price of 0.0399 ETH, and 1178 owners.