McDonald’s Extends Loyalty Program Test
The chain said it’s entering the next phase of the initiative before it debuts across the U.S. later in 2021.
Feb 08, 2021 | 3 min read
CHICAGO—McDonald’s has been working on bringing its successful reward program to the United States, CNBC reports. The fast-food chain already has the program in other countries, including France. Retailers and restaurants, like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks, use rewards programs to expand their loyal customer base and boost visit frequency.
Last November, McDonald’s started piloting the initiative in Nevada and Arizona, before adding New England restaurants a few weeks ago. Currently, about 900 U.S. locations are participating in the test.
“It’s not a secret that we’re late in the game to loyalty, but I think from the operator side, we’ve been wanting to reward our loyal customers for years,” said Alex Menendez, a U.S. franchisee and part of the operator committee overseeing the pilot program.
The MyMcDonald’s Rewards give members 100 points for every dollar spent. More points can be earned via targeted promos, such as double points for a Monday visit. The program has four point tiers for redemption options across 16 menu items. During the pilot, members can pay with cash or through mobile order-and-pay. The nationwide launch will add the ability for customers to use credit or debit cards as payment.
Alycia Mason, McDonald’s vice president of digital, media and customer relationship management, pointed out the loyalty program enhances the customer experience, such as McDonald’s employees greeting members by name in the drive-thru and sending customized emails after order pickup. “It felt more special and different than my normal McDonald’s experience this way,” said Mason after trying the program in Arizona.
MyMcDonald’s Rewards also has an employee component, giving workers opportunities to get points through participating in training, for example. Overall, the program fits into the chain’s new “MyMcDonald’s” digital platform designed to make it simple for customers to order and purchase food.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s has quietly begun selling the faux-meat McPlant burger in Denmark and Sweden to measure customer interest before rolling it out to more areas, according to Bloomberg.
The tests began in select locations last month. McPlant, which McDonald’s co-developed with Beyond Meat, is made from pea-based protein, according to McDonald’s Danish and Swedish websites. Rice protein is a secondary protein ingredient.
The current McPlant burger offering is topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. The patty is cooked on the same grill as beef burgers, the company said, which can be a problem for anyone following a vegan diet.
Restaurant Brands International-owned Burger King faced the same issue in 2019 with its soy-based burgers cooked on the same broiler as beef and chicken. Some chains often let customers request a different grill or the microwave.
Sweden’s test will last until March 15, while the Denmark trial will run through April 12. While McDonald’s will use Beyond Meat patties for the tests, the company didn’t specify the suppliers for future rollouts.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has described plant-based food as “an ongoing consumer trend,” adding that the company will be “flexible” with McPlant, which could be offered as a burger, chicken item or breakfast sandwich.
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