Newk’s Eatery is marking Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month by leaning into one of the most personal cause marketing efforts in fast casual. Through its Newk’s Cares initiative, the brand announced Monday that it is continuing to raise funds and awareness for ovarian cancer while honoring the legacy of the late co-founder Lori Newcomb, who inspired the program.
The initiative traces back to 2013, when Lori Newcomb, wife of Newk’s founder and executive chairman Chris Newcomb, was diagnosed with Stage IIIC ovarian cancer. The couple launched Newk’s Cares in 2014 to spread awareness of a disease that is notoriously hard to detect, and the effort has since raised millions of dollars. Lori passed away in 2019 after years of championing the cause, and her family has carried it forward. Newk’s Cares now runs year-round, largely through cup sales at Newk’s restaurants, with a portion of proceeds supporting ovarian cancer awareness and assistance.
For the family, the mission is deeply personal.
“My mom really turned a negative into a positive,” Madison Newcomb, director of marketing at Newk’s Eatery and the Newcombs’ daughter, said in the announcement. “None of us knew anything about ovarian cancer when she was diagnosed. Her goal became raising awareness and funds, but more than anything, she wanted women to understand the symptoms and listen to their bodies.”
Newk’s Cares stands out because it is built into the brand rather than bolted on for a single month. That authenticity is what makes cause marketing land, and purpose-driven programs are an increasingly central part of franchise marketing. This year, the brand is deepening the effort by finding more ways to give directly in the communities where it operates.
For a franchise system, a cause woven through everyday operations gives every location a shared story to tell, backed by the repeatable systems that keep a brand consistent across units. Newk’s is betting that a decade-plus of steady commitment does more for its brand, and its cause, than any one-month campaign could.