This summer, Midwest Dairy partnered with Runza to bring dairy front and center through a series of popular menu promotions, including a limited-time milkshake flavor, a $1 cone offer, and Runza’s well-loved ranch. Together, these activations delivered strong results, driving more than 96,000 incremental pounds of milk and reinforcing dairy’s role in craveable, everyday menu favorites.
Runza, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, operates more than 90 locations and is known for its loyal fan base and comfort-food menu with a twist. This partnership showcased how dairy can help foodservice brands stand out while delivering real value back to dairy farm families.
A Fresh Take on Summer Shakes
As part of Runza’s summer shake series, Midwest Dairy supported the launch of a new and unexpected flavor, Blueberry Lemon. The shake offered a balance of sweet and tangy flavors that resonated with customers looking for something refreshing during warm-weather months. The flavor helped differentiate Runza from competitors and quickly became a fan favorite.
To support the promotion, Undeniably Dairy branding appeared across multiple in-store and digital touchpoints, including table tents, menu prints, yard signs, door clings, and Runza’s website. This consistent presence helped reinforce dairy’s role in delivering flavor and quality.
Leaning Into a Fan Favorite: Runza Ranch
Runza is especially famous for its ranch dressing, with fans who are passionate and vocal about it. Midwest Dairy leaned into that excitement by highlighting the ranch’s key ingredient, buttermilk, connecting a beloved product back to real dairy.
Cow facts and fun dairy messaging were featured on table tents and at registers, giving guests bite-sized information they could enjoy while waiting for their order. These small touches helped make dairy education approachable, memorable, and fun.
Strong Visibility and Real Results
Throughout the promotion, Runza also shared social media features highlighting both the shake and the ranch, extending reach beyond the restaurant. In-store signage and menu placement contributed to more than 3.6 million potential impressions from May through August, based on store traffic.
Most importantly, these combined efforts translated into meaningful demand, turning menu innovation and in-store storytelling into measurable results for dairy farmers.
A Partnership That Delivers
Collaborations like this show the power of foodservice partnerships to spotlight dairy in ways consumers love, while driving real impact for farm families.