Deal vendor Groupon has launched a national offer with Quiznos restaurants across the country that for the first time is designed to generate repeat business by offering an eight-sub punch card.
Subscribers to Groupon can buy the punch card good for eight regular Quiznos subs or salads at one location for $26, or roughly half off the full price of up to $51.92.
Though individual Quiznos stores and franchise groups have offered Groupon deals in various markets, this is the first time the discount broker has organized with the chain’s corporate office for a nationwide deal, said Julie Mossler, a Groupon spokeswoman.
“It demonstrates that the model works with a franchise system,” she said.
Groupon has 70 million subscribers worldwide, Mossler said.
While the group buying site currently offers many restaurant deals, a recent survey by Nation’s Restaurant News indicated that not all operators are ready to jump on the online deal bandwagon. Of the nearly 100 respondents to the First Quarter NRN a.m. Restaurant Operators Survey, only 25 percent said they have participated in promotions through Groupon or similar services.
Mossler said the Quiznos deal is available in more than 100 markets across the country. Groupon worked with Quiznos to ensure that a reasonable number of franchisees participated in each market, she said.
Ellen Kramer, Quiznos’ executive vice president of communications in Denver, said the company asked its franchisees if they wanted to participate in the deal, and more than 2,100 restaurants signed on, which is slightly more than half of the domestic system.
“They were interested in creating new regular customers,” she said. “The franchise owners are totally on board here. It’s a win-win-win for Groupon, Quiznos and the franchise owners.”
Kramer said deal is also expected to give a boost to the launch of a new line of subs and “Fresh Farmers Market” salads scheduled to roll out in the first week in June.
Groupon is known for reaching a female audience, Kramer noted, the same demographic Quiznos is hoping to reach with the new salads
The Groupon deal begins Friday, and vouchers purchased through the website must be exchanged for punch cards by July 4. The punch cards do not expire, but they are only valid at the location where they were purchased.
Customers can use the Groupon deal to buy only two punch cards per location. However, they can buy the deal for more than one Quiznos restaurant.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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