Inside the Chick-N-D’s Shoot

What happens when a household name in fast seafood decides to take on the fried chicken heavyweights? You sharpen your knives, heat the fryer, and call in your friendly neighborhood food photographers. Enter: Chick-N-D’s, the new virtual brand from Captain D’s aimed at delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats; and the team at Reactor Media, called in to help bring the new line to life with high-impact food photography.

This wasn’t just any “let’s snap a few shots in a kitchen” situation. It was a full-on, strategy-first, let’s-make-this-chicken-sell-itself kind of shoot. And spoiler alert: it did.

The Ask: Make Chicken Look Craveable - Every Pixel Counts

Captain D’s reached out with a clear challenge: their new virtual brand, Chick-N-D’s, was ready to launch with all-new packaging, updated recipes, and a bold new position in the fast casual chicken space. Think Cane’s and Zaxby’s, but with a fresh twist. The visuals couldn’t just be “nice” - they needed to drive conversions across delivery apps, social media, and digital ads.

That meant creating high-resolution food imagery that would stop the scroll and trigger the “is it lunch yet” reaction. That means food styling that makes mounds of coleslaw glisten, breadsticks glow golden brown, and tenders look so fresh you can “see” that crunch.

The Setup: A Test Kitchen Turned Studio

We transformed Captain D’s internal Nashville test kitchen into a full-blown studio. We had minimal space to work with, but through a team effort we transformed the space to fit our needs. Kris was able to do a tech scout of the space to ensure that it would work. It also allowed Nick to figure out what equipment could fit in the space. Clipped products on white  were the goal, with no backdrops and maximum appetite appeal. From the 2-piece kids meal to the towering Big Chicken Sandwich, everything had to be hero-shot ready and adaptable for multiple platforms.

Because this was a launch, everything had to be polished: no distractions, no “that’s good enough.” We coordinated directly with the brand’s culinary team to fine-tune every shot, picking the right breadstick, swapping the greenest cabbage for that perfect pop, and double-checking the tender placement, making sure the layout was perfect.

Reactor’s approach to studio food photography setup always starts with a hybrid: commercial precision meets lifestyle warmth. Even if you’re not showing a hand in frame, the food should still feel ready to eat. We achieve mouthwatering lighting by mimicking a bright sunny day. by using a combination of both a warm hard light from behind the subject with a larger softer source directly behind the key. We then augment this light as needed with fill from the front. What this creates is those hard shadows that we love to see but it softens things up to have that  commercial appeal for both e-commerce food images and fast food advertising photos that drive performance.

Quick-Serve, But Make It Beautiful

Fast casual doesn’t mean fast and loose. The biggest surprise to many brands is how much detail goes into this kind of shoot. We’re not just pointing a camera and hoping for magic, we’re building it. That means:

• Food styling with a trained eye (thanks Meg)

• Professional food photographer workflow from pre-light to final crop

• Advertising food campaigns standards built into every frame

And yes, asking the client what they want for lunch before we even roll camera (priorities, people)

The final assets included a mix of 1:1 aspect ratios for Uber Eats, 4:3 for Grubhub, and 4000px PNGs for future repurposing across email, web, and app platforms. Every tender, sauce, and side dish was styled to match the exact box it’d ship in.

This level of attention, even in background elements like branded packaging, is what separates “we tried” from “we sold out.”

Why This Matters (And Why It Works)

There’s a reason Captain D’s didn’t try to fake this shoot with Photoshop or re-use old photography. When you’re launching a new vertical, especially in the delivery space, your visuals are your storefront. Your menu design photos are your marketing.

Reactor Media’s strength lies in making food photography that actually sells. Whether it’s social media food content, restaurant marketing visuals, or quick-serve branding images, we understand how to balance beauty and utility. Pretty pictures are great, but pictures that move product? Even better.

We don’t just photograph what’s on the plate. We photograph what your customers want to feel when they order it.

Crumbs of Wisdom for Other Fast Casual Brands

If you’re launching a new item, testing a virtual concept, or just tired of your current menu photography services, here’s what we learned from this shoot that you can use:

Plan with your platforms in mind. Don’t shoot blindly, know where the content’s going, how it’ll be cropped, and what your competition is already doing in that space.

Work with stylists who know food - not just props. It’s the difference between a “meh” sandwich and a mouthwatering masterpiece.

Make a space work for you. Even a test kitchen can become a pro studio with the right setup. A great way to trim budget is to shoot in your existing kitchen space. It just takes a tech walk though before the shoot to ensure that we can have the space that we need to make this work. Another great cost savings from this is we typically don’t have to ship as much food to a studio kitchen. It also cuts down on the prep time required from the styling team. Instead of having to thaw boxes of food a day head of time and having to worry about refrigeration space you have everything at your kitchen ready to go. 

Know what makes your food stand out - and show it off. Sauces, color, portion size, packaging. Lean in into what makes this worth someone’s hard earned money.

A Virtual Brand With Real Results

Chick-N-D’s isn’t just a clever name, it’s a full-on entry into the chicken wars, and the visuals needed to be just as bold. With a menu full of crispy, saucy, snackable hits, it was our job to make every pixel punch.

The result? A portfolio of creative commercial food shots ready for third-party apps, social campaigns, in-store signage, and whatever else comes next.

Let’s Make Your Food Look as Good as It Tastes

If you’re a fast casual or QSR brand thinking about how to better show off your menu—whether it’s tenders, tacos, bowls, or burgers—let’s talk.

At Reactor Media, we specialize in commercial food photography that helps national and regional brands stand out in a saturated market. From fast food advertising photos to lifestyle food photography and beyond, we turn everyday meals into click-worthy content.

Need food photography that actually sells?

Reach out and let’s get cookin’.