McDonald’s Rewards Program Launches in July

McDonald’s Rewards Program Launches in JulyHave you heard the news? McDonald’s will be launching its loyalty program, McDonald’s Rewards nationwide on July 8, 2021. Does your restaurant have a rewards program in place to compete with this fast-food giant? If your answer is, “no”, now may be the time to start considering how to add one to your restaurant’s business model. Let’s dive into how to create a great rewards program that cultivates brand loyalty.

Make It Simple
The main goal of a loyalty program is to generate long-term, repeat customers. So, when it comes to making a rewards program, you want to keep it simple. The more complicated it is to earn rewards and redeem them, the less likely you will be able to keep your customers’ engaged and they will move on to another eatery down the road for their daily lunch break. Creating a points system of $1 equals 1 point is as easy as it gets, but there are other ways to create a rewards system that won’t cause frustrations for your customers.

Add Fun Perks
When someone joins a rewards program, they expect to earn something in return. Adding some fun milestone bonuses to the mix to entice your customers to reach other goals that you’ve set for them is a great way to expand your program and stand out from your competitors. Things like your 20th meal is on us or earn free swag when they spend $250 are some fun ways to increase their rewards along with earning points. You can also add exclusive rewards like special desserts only available to rewards members or special discounts for members only to boost memberships.

Go Digital
Everyone expects things to be easily accessible at a moment’s notice these days. This will be the case for your rewards program too. Your customers will want to be able to view how many points they have, where they stand in terms of earning rewards, and be able to redeem them easily including when placing orders online or in-house. This can be done through your restaurant’s app (if you don’t have one yet, get one!) Or, you can purchase a rewards tracking system that your customers can access through your restaurant’s website. Going old school with a punch card just isn’t going to cut it anymore to stay in competition with the big guys.

Give Exclusivity a Try
Make your rewards program exclusive to a certain number of people each year and you’ll really start turning some heads. While limiting the number of people that you’ll allow in your program may sound counter-intuitive, it can also help curate more loyal customers who will want to use their memberships for exclusive rewards.

If your restaurant is ready to add a rewards program to the mix, we’re here to help make it happen. We have restaurant loans available that will allow you to purchase the new technology, training, and marketing pieces your restaurant will need to launch your new rewards program. Visit our online application today and one of our local loan consultants will be in touch with you to go over your options and see which loan best fits your restaurant’s needs.