Smashburger Partners with Understory to Elevate Brand Presence Across the Digital Landscape

Partnership marks a key step in amplifying Smashburger's voice, elevating guest interaction, and fueling future expansion

DENVER, April 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Smashburger®, the fast-casual restaurant company that popularized smashed burgers, today announced a new partnership with Understory, a modern creative agency known for driving breakthrough growth with insight‑led, culturally attuned, and impact‑driven marketing. This collaboration marks a significant step in elevating the brand's storytelling to drive customer engagement, and support long‑term growth strategy.

"We're entering a pivotal chapter for our brand," said Tom Ryan, Founder of Smashburger. "As we scale, we need a partner who understands not just where we are, but where we're going. Understory brings a modern, energetic approach to brand building that matches our ambition. Their team immediately understood our vision, and we're excited to build something powerful together." 

Understory is known for helping ambitious brands sharpen their identity, move with greater agility, and scale with intention. As the restaurant landscape rapidly evolves, Smashburger is partnering with Understory to fortify its brand foundation, unify its marketing ecosystem, and infuse fresh creative firepower into its next chapter. Together, the teams will bring greater clarity, consistency, and cultural relevance to how the brand shows up and connects with guests. As part of the partnership, Understory will support Smashburger across a range of strategic and creative initiatives, including:

• Brand and narrative development
• Digital and social content creation
• Campaign development and execution
• Guest engagement and loyalty storytelling

"In this industry, relevance is earned through agility, cultural resonance, and storytelling that feels real," said Darren Allison, Founder of Understory. "Smashburger has the passion, the purpose, and the leadership to stand out. We're energized to help accelerate that momentum, sharpening how the brand shows up, amplifying its connection with guests, and fueling the next chapter of growth with creativity and clarity."

This partnership marks the next step in Smashburger's commitment to innovation, customer engagement, and long‑term growth as the brand continues expanding its footprint and enhancing the guest experience. For more information about Smashburger, its new menu offerings, and operating hours please visit www.smashburger.com.

About Smashburger

Smashburger® is a leading fast-casual better burger restaurant known for its Certified Angus Beef® burgers, which are smashed on the grill to lock in flavor and create a signature sear. In addition to burgers, the menu includes all-Angus hot dogs, Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, Deluxe Chicken Smash®, hand-spun shakes, and sides such as SmashFries® and SmashTots®. Founded in 2007 and based in Denver, Colorado, Smashburger is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jollibee Foods Corporation with 190 locations across 29 U.S. states and six countries.

About Understory

Understory is a strategy-led creative agency built to help ambitious brands find clarity and turn it into action. We bring together strategy, creative, and social to create work grounded in real insight, shaped for culture, and focused on driving meaningful impact.

Our model is intentionally lean and hands-on. Small, empowered teams work closely with partners to simplify decisions and build ideas that carry weight. Inspired by the natural understory where new growth takes hold, we help brands navigate change and grow in ways that are built to last.

CONTACT: [email protected] 

SOURCE Smashburger