Chris Kopenec, Senior Digital Marketing Manager for Chili’s Grill & Bar, told attendees at the Engagement & Experience Expo, hosted by Loyalty360, on Tuesday that the company wanted to implement a loyalty program, but not one that was a cookie-cutter model.
As a result, Chili’s, the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, launched the My Chili’s Rewards loyalty program in May, featuring more than 70,000 tabletop tablets at its more than 800 company-owned restaurants.
This state-of-the-art loyalty program leverages technology, personalization, and gamification to make earning and redeeming points easier and more engaging than ever before. My Chili's Rewards provides a fully digital experience where guests can use the Ziosk® tablet on their restaurant tables or the Chili's app on their mobile phones to sign up and track points and the table top technology to redeem points in restaurant real-time.
What’s more, My Chili’s Rewards walked off with the Platinum Award in the Best Technology & Trends in Customer Experience category at Tuesday’s Loyalty360 CX Awards.
Chili's is the first restaurant company of its size to completely integrate a loyalty program with tabletop technology and mobile as well as give guests full control of their points without ever having to rely on a manager or server. For instance, to interact with the program when dining, guests just need to enter their phone number and four-digit password on the Ziosk tabletop tablet. From there, guests have unlimited access to their point balance, available rewards and more right on the screen in front of them.
Earning points with My Chili's Rewards is simple and clear – members receive 1 point for each full $1 spent at a participating Chili's restaurant (excludes alcohol, tax and gratuity). Those points can then be redeemed for almost any Chili's menu item of the guest's choice any day or time of the week. In addition to earning points for money spent, there are a number of other ways for members to increase their reward status.
Playing into guests’ desire to have more control of how they earn points, the program also motivates members with fun gamification challenges they can complete for extra points, like trying the latest menu item or referring a friend.
My Chili’s Rewards reached a staggering 3.7 million members in five months.
“We’re in awe of what it’s already done,” Kopenec said. “It’s very promising.”
Most rewards members are new guests in the company’s database, not guests who converted from a previous e-club. Currently, one out of every six checks at Chili’s restaurants belongs to a loyalty program member and includes interaction with the program by earning and redeeming points.