McDonald's released a 30-second holiday spot that showcases favorite orders for fictional characters, including Rudolph, Santa Claus, Scrooge, the Griswolds, Gizmo from "Gremlins" and John McClane from "Die Hard." The ad will debut during Sunday's NFL games and touts a Daily Deals McDonald's app promotion that will run from Monday to Dec. 24.

President-elect Joe Biden's support for providing federal help to keep restaurants afloat while protecting customers and employees resonated with SmartBrief readers this week. New Pringles packaging popped to the top of this week's Top 10 list.

The pandemic has taken a steep toll on the restaurant industry and created an uncertain future for many chefs, cooks and servers who had stable careers in thriving restaurant markets before. "After about the second or third week into COVID, I got scared for my job security in a way that I never had before in 10 years of cooking," said Jeff Danaher, an experienced cook in Chicago who has scrambled to get by this year.

DoorDash's high-profile initial public stock offering will give the newly public company the resources it needs to grow with a focus on its roots as a delivery platform for all types of businesses, Chief Operating Officer Christopher Payne said. The company has added more grocery and convenience store partners this year, and it has teamed with Walmart and other major retailers to provide last-mile delivery.

Landry's Chairman and CEO Tilman Fertitta said this week he is considering taking at least parts of his company public, a decade after a buyout that took the growing restaurant and entertainment empire private. "We've tried to do some acquisitions in the last six months and have gotten beat out of every one of them by a public company because they can pay a larger multiple," he said.