After seeing success from February’s beta test runs across three markets, Burger King announced Thursday the launch of its new Royal Perks loyalty program nationwide, with plans to roll it out to two-thirds of restaurants by the end of the month. The “dollars for crowns” structure (10 crowns for every dollar spent) offers rewards, everyday perks and personalized experiences based on customer data.
“Customers are looking forward to getting items and menus that are personal to them and more useful to them,” Ellie Doty, chief marketing officer of Burger King, told Nation’s Restaurant News. “They expect to be rewarded today for their loyalty to the brand and frequency of use. I think that is true more so today than even two years ago because customers are looking for brands to understand what their past behaviors were to make their experiences moving forward even better.”
Other features of the loyalty app include free daily perks for members (including drink upsizing, and free fries or hashbrowns with your order) and member-only exclusives like specials offers and promotions, along with the chance in the future to preview new menu items. Crowns can also be redeemed for different free menu items across the board, not just a set number of rewards.
“We want to make sure that our loyalty program is as easy as it can possibly be and actually improves our guest experience versus creates a new step for them,” Doty said. “Obviously, the minute you start running some water through the pipes of any kind of tech program, you learn pretty quickly what those challenges might be. […] especially when most of your product is sold through a drive thru, we want to make sure that it is as fast and accurate as it can possibly be.”
Right now, you can sign up for the loyalty program via text, QR code or short code. Points can be redeemed through almost any channel (drive-thru, takeout, in-store dining, or delivery) except for third-party delivery currently.
Of course, Burger King is not the only major quick-service chain launching or revamping a rewards program. Burger King rival McDonald’s just launched its first loyalty program nationally in July and Chipotle announced an enhancement of its rewards program this week with new gamification features that let you earn extra points through personalized in-app challenges.
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