Red Robin Gourmet Burgers’ new loyalty program is about more than just building frequency, said chief marketing officer Susan Lintonsmith.
The Red Royalty program, which the 450-unit chain rolled out in January, will help the chain track registered users’ preferences and purchases in order to understand guests better and determine which incentives can drive repeat business efficiently, she said.
“We’re hoping to drive sales primarily through traffic gains,” Lintonsmith said, “and national TV and Red Royalty are our two biggest and strongest ways to drive that through retention and frequency. Then we’ll have product news from appetizers, desserts and beverages to drive the incremental guest check, but first and foremost, it’s about traffic.”
The loyalty program is part of parent company Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.’s Project RED plan, which is aimed at driving traffic, improving sales, reducing expenses and improving margins. Red Robin executives discussed the initiative during the company’s earnings conference call on Feb. 18. (EARLIER: Red Robin details its turnaround plan)
Lintonsmith spoke with Nation’s Restaurant News on Monday about how the program was developed and how customers are responding so far.
Read the interview here.