Limited-service restaurant managers often see the same customers several times a week and might be surprised to learn that their operation isn’t the favorite lunch spot of those regulars. 


Likewise, a few of their more infrequent guests may consider the restaurant their No. 1 place to eat, even though they often opt for another, more convenient location.


Zoup!, a 24-unit fast-casual chain based in Detroit and specializing in soup, offers a dozen soups daily from a rotating roster of more than a hundred, as well as sandwiches and salads. That gives the chain a reason to communicate with its customers every day. And it does, sending out 17,000 e-mails to promote the day’s offerings, along with a link for customers to order online.