Let Someone Else Do the Marketing

A missed lunch, a hungry kid, and the unexpected snack that changed how I think about marketing

I forgot to pack lunches — again. And so, much to my dismay, we ended up stopping at a local vegan restaurant that sells a range of things, from vegan hamburgers and breakfast sandwiches to French fries, milkshakes, and mac and cheese. Think of it like a vegan fast-food spot. It even has a drive-thru. But this time, we went in.

My son did what he typically does in any public space where there is waiting involved: he paced back and forth as I ordered what we came in for — one order of mac and cheese, one chick’n sandwich with French fries, and one chocolate chip cookie. But he stopped long enough to notice a small bag of Hippeas chickpea puffs, nacho cheese flavor — basically vegan Cheetos — sitting on a wooden shelf filled with other vegan snacks: peanut butter–filled pretzels, kettle-cooked potato chips, and Unreal candy. All of it was at his eye level.

When he looked up at me and said, “These look good,” I was shocked.

We had come into the restaurant already knowing it wasn’t a great idea to stray from our household budget, but I told him, since I had neglected to prepare for our day outside of the house, it was important for him to eat if he was hungry despite my mistake. Still, I could tell he knew not to ask me to buy these as well. So, as surprised as I was to hear him interested in them, he looked just as surprised when I bought them for him to try.

One crunch, and he was sold. His exact description: “They look big, but when you crush them, it’s like air is inside — cheesy air. I like them.”

The irony, of course, was completely lost on him. I had purchased these exact “Cheetos” before. I had shown them to him, asked him to try them, even served them alongside his lunch — and all he did was look at me in disgust and let them sit there on the plate, untouched, mocking me like so many other snack items I’ve purchased in the past. Not to mention when I picked it up afterward and tried, somewhat desperately, to slide them back into the bag so they wouldn’t go to waste.

But standing there in that restaurant, something had shifted — and it had nothing to do with the food itself.

That display did more than I ever could to convince my son to try something new. Well, that — and his hungry stomach, I suppose.

Same snack. Just better marketing.

If you’re interested in more thoughts like this — the small shifts, ideas, and moments that shape how we approach food and family — you can join me in my weekly column, The Edit on Substack.