El Jannah wins four honours at QSR Media Awards 2026

El Jannah collected four honours at the QSR Media Awards 2026, taking recognition for digital initiatives, marketing, teamwork and multi-site restaurant operations. Held on 12 October, the Australian event recognised achievements across 20 categories, offering the franchise community a broad view of the priorities shaping quick-service and fast-casual restaurant businesses.

Four awards for El Jannah

El Jannah won Best Digital Initiative and Best Marketing Campaign for a Large Restaurant Chain, alongside Squad of the Year and the 2026 Multi-Site Restaurant of the Year award.

The combination gave the brand recognition across both customer-facing activity and restaurant operations. Rather than concentrating on a single campaign or product, its four honours spanned digital work, brand promotion, teams and the management of multiple locations.

These are distinct award categories, and the results should be read accordingly: recognition for a digital initiative is not the same measure as recognition for multi-site operations. Together, however, they made El Jannah a prominent name on this year's winners list.

For franchise owners following the results, that breadth provides several areas to explore when considering their own businesses, from the way customers encounter a brand to the teams responsible for delivering its offer.

Marketing, loyalty and customer experience

OAKBERRY received two awards: Best Marketing Campaign for a Small to Medium Restaurant Chain and Best Loyalty Programme. Its recognition placed customer acquisition and ongoing engagement alongside each other on the winners list.

Other customer-facing honours covered several different parts of the restaurant experience. Oliver's won Best Customer Experience, while Oporto received Best Delivery Initiative. Wendy's Burgers Australia took Best Drive-Thru Initiative, and KFC Australia won Best Brand Collaboration.

LeWrap was named the winner of Best Brand Transformation, with BURGER URGE receiving Best Restaurant Renovation. Those categories recognised brand change and physical restaurant improvements separately from marketing and ordering channels.

For Australia's franchise community, the range is a useful reminder to distinguish between different operational objectives. Loyalty, delivery, drive-thru service and restaurant presentation each address a different aspect of the customer relationship. An award in one category should not be treated as evidence of results across all of them.

New concepts, menus and people

Luke's Banh Mi won Best New Concept, while The Cheesecake Shop received Best Innovation – Food & Beverage. Gelatissimo took Best Menu Innovation – Limited Time Offer, completing a group of awards focused on restaurant concepts and food offerings.

The distinction between those categories matters. A new concept, a food and beverage innovation, and a limited-time menu offer represent different kinds of development. The awards recognised each in its own right rather than grouping all menu and product activity together.

People and workplace recognition also featured prominently. Eva Nichol of Soul Origin received the Rising Star award, and Five Guys Australia won Best Employee Recognition Programme.

Krispy Kreme Australia & New Zealand was named Diversity and Inclusion Champion. Ben & Jerry's ANZ received Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, while Gami Chicken took the Beyond the Counter Award.

Alongside El Jannah's Squad of the Year honour, these results ensured the event's recognition extended beyond products, marketing and restaurant formats to individuals, teams and organisational practices.

A meeting point for restaurant operators

The QSR Media Conference & Awards 2026, powered by Red Bull, brought together senior executives, operators and investors. The event took place against a backdrop of changing consumer behaviour, cost pressures, greater use of data and new approaches to growth beyond traditional restaurant formats.

Its award categories reflected that broad agenda, covering digital innovation, customer experience, marketing, workplace culture, menu development and operational excellence. For franchise businesses, the results offer a starting point for examining recognised approaches, rather than a ready-made formula for expansion or improved performance.

Practical takeaway: Choose the award category most relevant to your business's current priorities, then assess whether the recognised approach merits closer investigation. Keep any investment decision grounded in your own customer needs, operating requirements and financial assessment.