MIAMI—Burger King is giving away free fries to its Burger King Royal Perks members for the rest of the year, according to a news release. Royal Perks members are eligible for one free order of fries of any size per week with any purchase. Non-members have until June 20 to sign up to receive the benefit.
“Since announcing the rollout of our loyalty program last September, Royal Perks is now available in nearly every Burger King restaurant nationwide,” said Tom Curtis, president of Burger King North America. “Enhancing the digital Guest experience continues to be a major focus for our brand, and we’re confident this latest offer will attract even more loyal fans, while rewarding our existing members.”
QSR Magazine reports that 80% of adults, including 90% of Gen Z and millennials, said they'd probably join a loyalty and rewards program if it were offered at a favorite local restaurant, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2022 State of the Industry report.
Other perks of Burger King’s program include free upgrades, early access to products and limited-time members-only offers and deals plus double points earned during the month of a member’s birthday.
Burger King's app was downloaded 535,000 times in March, QSR Magazine reports, which was 10th-best in the quick-service segment, according to app intelligence firm Apptopia. First was McDonald's (2.7 million), followed by Starbucks (1.1 million), Wendy's (1 million) and Domino's (877,000).
Loyalty programs are becoming more commonplace among businesses, so they must differentiate to gain customers’ spend. Panera recently upgraded its successful unlimited coffee subscription program to include unlimited amounts of self-serve beverages and increased the price from $8.99 to $10.99. Niren Chaudhary, Panera’s CEO, hopes to boost the fast-casual chain’s lunch and dinner sales, which account for 80% of total sales.
“If we provide the same benefit of accessibility, of disruptive value at a flat price point, allowing customers to drink whatever they want, whenever they want, as much as they’d like,” Chaudhary told the Boston Globe, “it’ll multiply the impact for Panera. This is a much bigger playground.”
Panera’s coffee launch happened just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, which pushed many customers to digital ordering. Panera said that 38% of its orders came from kiosks, web or mobile orders pre-pandemic, and now it’s 47%.
(Here’s why fast-casuals flourished during the pandemic.)
Forty-eight percent of restaurant patrons surveyed say they engage with a loyalty program in some way, according to a report by Paytronix Systems Inc. and PYMNTS. Another Paytronix report found that deals, discounts and loyalty programs attract high-spending, high-frequency customers more than other spending groups, and these buyers account for one-quarter of restaurant patrons and an outsized share of food aggregator users.
NACS Magazine dove into loyalty programs and how they can provide convenience retailers with critical consumer insights and a competitive edge in “Just Rewards.”
NACS is offering a free webinar at 2 p.m. EDT tomorrow, April 27, that will show you how to improve your current loyalty program.