Toast Turns ‘Busy’ into a Badge of Honor with New Brand Platform
and National Campaign Created by Arnold
Created in partnership with Arnold, Toast is introducing a new brand platform and national campaign called “Built for Busy,” rooted in the grit, determination and pride at the heart of modern business ownership, and an expression of Toast’s commitment to helping each of its customers grow and thrive.
The new platform reframes “busy” as a badge of honor for success-minded restaurant operators and business owners, celebrating the hard work and dedication demanded of a thriving business. For the operators Toast champions — those who earn their success, showing up consistently in the moments that matter — busy isn’t something to avoid, it’s proof the craft is working. Creatively, the campaign leans into the tension around the word itself. For most people, busy means overwhelm. For Toast operators, it’s the goal. That mindset shift became the foundation of “Built for Busy,” positioning Toast as the technology designed for and pressure-tested in high-stakes, fast-paced environments.
Sam Mullins, SVP, Group Creative Director:
“Working hand in hand with the folks at Toast during such an exciting phase of the company has been truly great. ‘Built for busy’ isn’t just a campaign, it’s a reflection of who they are. Creatively, we were really drawn to the tension in the word ‘busy’: it implies high stakes, but it’s also what every restaurant operator is chasing. At its core, being busy means you’re in demand. For restaurant operators, that’s everything.”
The hero spot, “Busy,” opens on a chef calmly dicing an onion in the middle of a packed, bustling kitchen. As orders fly and staff rush past, the camera slowly pulls back, revealing the moment from the perspective of someone watching through the restaurant window. Over this scene, narration reframes the meaning of “busy,” with lines like: “Busy means all your work is working,” and “Busy is success.”
A companion :15 spot, “Chop,” focuses on another operator in a quick-service restaurant methodically dicing green onions while a rapid-fire to-do list flashes across the screen, mirroring the constant stream of tasks running through many operators’ minds.
Beyond film, the campaign also includes a unique out-of-home activation in New York, where the dining room windows of some of the city’s busiest restaurants, like Carmine’s, Gertie, and Two Hands, will double as living billboards. Rather than investing in traditional media for this campaign, this approach allowed Toast to put its budget where it matters most: back into each of the NYC businesses on display. Toast will also partner with leading NYC content creators including Will Damron (@tastebywill) and Justin Wu (@hungryartistny), along with restaurant business influencers like Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ to capture unique, behind-the-scenes content with each restaurant and their teams, rolling it out across digital channels throughout the year.
The campaign will begin rolling out in April across national OLV, radio, social, OOH, influencer partnerships, and brand activations in NYC. Toast and Arnold previously partnered in 2025 to create the award-winning campaign, “One of Those Nights,” featuring Toast customer and television star Matty Matheson.
“For business owners, being busy is the point—it’s the proof of progress. This dedication to building products designed to help our customers succeed in a rapidly-changing world is at the heart of Built For Busy, and shapes the way Toast builds technology,” said Kelly Esten, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise at Toast. “As we continue to unlock new innovation and the potential of AI, we’re doing it with ‘busy’ in mind. Every innovation seeks to make a Friday night rush more manageable or help an owner fill an empty sales floor with new faces—and we’re going to keep building as the industry and its challenges continue to evolve.”
CREDITS
Client: Toast, Inc
CMO and COO, Enterprise – Kelly Sennatt Esten
SVP, Revenue, Brand & International Marketing – Robert Hale
Senior Director, Branding & Creative – Jon Reil
Senior Director, Global Brand Marketing – Margot Koehler
Director, Brand Strategy – Tom Chirico
Sr. Creative Project Manager – Isabella DeVincenzo
Senior Manager, Campaigns – Leah Fagin
Senior Branding Manager – Grady Ross
Director, Brand Activation and Creative – Christy Smits
Director, Campaigns – Megan Flannery
Senior Director, Paid Performance & Brand – Blake Nelson
Senior Manager, Paid Brand Media & Growth – Meaghan Via
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Chief Creative Officer – Sean McBride
SVP, Group Creative Director – Justin Galvin
SVP, Group Creative Director – Sam Mullins
Creative Director – Jude Senese
Creative Director – Lawson Clarke
VP, Executive Producer – Patrick Driscoll
Executive Print Producer – Jim Spadafora
Senior Editor – Will Gregg
Studio Manager – Ken LeBlanc
Chief Client Officer – Vallerie Bettini
Marketing Director – Sophia Abdo
Marketing Director – Dottie Arsenault
Chief Strategy Officer – Bre Rossetti
EVP, Head of Strategy – Marissa Kelley
Strategy Director – Colleen Saville
Project Manager – Graydon Wood
VP, Director Project Management – Cybil Morin
SVP, Head of Business Affairs – Lisa Belden Colucci
VP, Director of Business Affairs – Jane Dawson
Business Affairs Manager – Leo Doh
Production / Post Production:
Production: Anonymous Content
– Director: Tim Godsall
– Director of Photography: Kris Belchevski
– Producer: Shannon Barnes
– Managing Director: Eric Stern
– VP Commercials / Executive Producer: SueEllen Clair
– Head of Production: Ena Nicole Abadjian
Editorial: Exile Editorial
– Editor: Matt Murphy
– Assistant Editor: Evan Fredriksen
– Managing Director / Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
– Executive Producer: Sarah Cassell
– Producer: Ben Kainz
Telecine / Color Correct: Company 3
– Colorist: Tim Masick
VFX / Finishing: Artjail VFX
– ECD/Founding Partner/Shoot Supervisor: Steve Mottershead
– Managing Director/EP/Partner: John Skeffington
– EP/Head of Sales: Patrick Nugent
– Producer: Becca Gmerek
– Producer: Andreina Villabon
– Project Lead: Rodrigo Jimenez
– 2D Team / Artists: Denys Kimerin / Michael Diorditsa / Romain Couturiaux / Elizabeth Bodnar / Richard Aponte / Adam Schwartz
Music / Sound Design / Audio Post: Singing Serpent
– Managing Director: Glen Galloway
– Executive Producer: Dennis Culp
– Associate Producer: Beks Johnson
– Creative Director: Jon Spencer
– Composer: Derek Poulsen
– Audio Engineer / Sound Designer: Chris Keyes
– Sound Design / Final Mix: Jonathan Fuhrer
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