Join Lauren Barash, VP of Brand Marketing at Full Course, as she delves into the world of restaurant loyalty programs, and reveals the top five essential strategies to optimize your approach in an ever-evolving industry!

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● Current Vibe: Industry Trends
vs What Consumers Want
● Making Your Case: Why
Loyalty Matters
● Where to Focus: 5 Strategies
for Optimization

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How some of the hottest brands have recently
upgraded their loyalty programs
• Faster & more customized rewards
• Emphasis on personalization & customization
• Surprise & Delight
• Exclusive deals & content
• Referral strategies (i.e. gifting to friends)
• Paid subscriptions
• Tiered Memberships

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● 86% of consumers rank transactional outcomes
as important*
● Transactional outcomes include:
○ Financial benefits to drive acquisition
○ Monetary savings (offers, coupons)
○ Supporting the adoption of transaction-
based behaviors
● 83% of consumers ranked program simplicity as
important. All other features ranked far
behind.*
○ Just 19% of companies describe their own
loyalty programs as easy to understand.**
*Source: Deloitte, Beyond the Punch Card, 2022
**Source: Deloitte Digital, 2024
Consumer want the basics - not the flashy

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Understanding a guest’s lifetime value
● It now costs 15x more to recruit a new
customer than to keep an existing one*
● A 5% rise in loyalty can raise lifetime value
per customer by as much as 76%.*
● Loyalty customers are 6x more likely to:
○ Engage with your brand
○ Pay attention to your advertising
○ Buy (& re-buy) your products or
services
○ Resist price-based competitor offers
○ Recommend you to others
○ Give your brand the benefit of the
doubt in uncertain circumstances
*Source: Brand Keys, Customer Loyalty Index, 2023

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More on lifetime value…
● FOCUS ON HEAVY USERS
○ The rule of thumb is 25% of customers are
responsible for 50% of sales.*
● THE ABILITY TO EARN REWARDS DRIVES VISITS
○ 69% of shoppers say that their choice of retailer is
impacted by where they can earn loyalty and
rewards
● LOYALTY MEMBERS SPEND MORE
○ In 2022, active loyalty members boasted 5%
increases in check size as compared to non-loyalty
members.
● LOYALTY MEMBERS VISIT MORE OFTEN
○ Loyalty programs were responsible for an 18–30%
percent increase in spend and visit frequency.
*Source: Loyalty Outlook 2022: 4 Maneuvers to transition from Survival Mode to Strategic
Powerhouse
**Source: Paytronix, Loyalty Report, 2023

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5 Strategies to
Optimize Your
Loyalty Program
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Keep it simple, silly
● Easy to navigate
● Easy to understand how it works
● Mirrors the in-store experience
○ Consider customization, upselling
● Include a feedback loop
● Deliver the VIP experience
○ Curbside, contactless payment, saved
orders
● Optimize guest recovery

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SMART goals are Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant & Timely.
● ACQUISITION
○ In order for loyalty to make a meaningful impact, you
need your heavy users enrolled.
○ Consider onboarding offers supported by paid media
○ Loyalty exclusive events & offers.
(i.e. Carl’s Jr)
● RETENTION/FREQUENCY
○ Need current guest frequency data.
○ What % of your database is 1-and-done?
○ Rewards 2 and 3 need to be compelling and quick to
earn to drive frequency/create habits.
● COST PER CUSTOMER
○ Measure the discount, total ticket amount and
frequency to ensure your margins remain intact

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● Beyond discounts, offer perks and experiences: charitable contributions, events, hidden menu
items, new product exclusives (i.e. Ihop)
● Consider tiers
● Strategic partnerships to drive emotional connection.
● Allow guests to choose their own reward

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Make it Personal
● Create and use audience segmentation:
○ Parents
○ Health-conscious
○ Weekend vs Weekday visits
○ Lapsed customers
○ Heavy users
○ Geography – weather, sports
● Customize timing, offer, message
● Test & Measure
Use the data you have. Remember,
if this is true, what else is true?

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Loyalty is not a marketing thing – it’s a
brand thing. Everyone needs to buy-in.
● Have an exit strategy
● Demand tech integration
● Own & use your data
● Train your frontline

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1. Nail the basics
2. Set SMART goals
3. Redefine value
4. Make it personal
5. Execute flawlessly

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We offer consulting, corporate training &
more designed for the restaurant industry.
Book a call. We’d love to help.
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