Last November, Taco Bell became the first quick service restaurant to launch a mobile ordering and payment app for dining room and drive-thru orders. The free mobile app, available for both Android and iOS, allows customers to order off the full menu and even customize orders. The mobile app is one of Taco Bell’s largest, most ambitious launches to date and is aimed at increasing customer engagement by offering an experience that fits its customer’s on-the-go lifestyle.
Now, Taco Bell will launch its first customer loyalty program later this year. Taco Bell’s loyalty program will be a part of the chain’s mobile-phone application, said Tressie Lieberman, senior director of digital platforms and social engagement.
“We’re thinking of our experience as more of a game and less your traditional punch card,” Lieberman said. It “gets you coming back time and time again.”
The Mexican-themed fast-food chain has been trying to attract more U.S. diners with its mobile-phone ordering and payment app as well as new menu items. Restaurant loyalty programs typically give patrons discounts or free food as a reward for spending a certain amount.
The Taco Bell app has more than 2.5 million downloads.
Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum! Brands Inc., offers mobile ordering and payment in about 6,000 U.S. restaurants. There are about 6,200 locations globally. Besides Taco Bell, Yum! Brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, and WingStreet worldwide.
During Yum! Brands’ first-quarter earnings conference call last month, CEO Greg Creed said: “I just think we’re a brand-building company and every day each one of our brands in 126 countries we operate is really focused on four things: Making our brands more 
relevant, making them more engaged, making them all connected, and demonstrating that we care. And I think if we follow that philosophy on all of our brands in every country in which we operate, we will continue to see strong same-store sales growth across the business.”