HungerRush

HOUSTON: HungerRush, the leading cloud software provider for the restaurant industry, today announced new research that reveals how restaurant loyalty and rewards programs impact consumer behaviors. The survey indicates that rewards programs increase the frequency of visits by members, improve customer loyalty, and provide restaurant owners with the opportunity to gather valuable data to personalize and tailor future offers.
“When a restaurant opens its doors, the goals are simple: make great food, drive sales, and create an experience that keeps consumers coming back for more”
Amid ongoing economic constraints, consumers are tightening the purse strings, and this is impacting how and when they dine out. In fact, in another survey (The RushReport: The 2023 Restaurant Consumer Experience Report), HungerRush found that 50% of Americans are dining out less frequently due to inflation. For restaurants trying to capture customer attention and drive sales, bringing in customers is critical, and loyalty and rewards programs are an effective strategy to increase foot traffic.
According to this survey, 55% of consumers visit establishments where they earn rewards at least two times per month and once signed up, 51% say they wouldn’t stop going to the restaurant if the program was devalued or changed. Moreover, programs encourage positive word of mouth from loyal customers, 47% of consumers say they encourage friends and family to sign up for programs they feel offer the best benefits.
Restaurants that use HungerRush loyalty programs are unstoppable
“HungerRush’s loyalty offering allows me to refocus time on the operations side of my business, improve and personalize consumer experiences without skipping a beat,” said Jeremy Galvin, President of Master Pizza Ohio. “It is one less thing for me to think about.”
“When a restaurant opens its doors, the goals are simple: make great food, drive sales, and create an experience that keeps consumers coming back for more,” said Perry Turbes, CEO of HungerRush. “Having a strong loyalty and rewards program creates meaningful connections with a restaurant’s community and is an easily implementable strategy to increase brand awareness, loyalty, and sales.”
Loyalty programs are also an invaluable way for businesses to gather insightful customer data and when used correctly, consumers are amenable to share this information. The survey showed that 61% of consumers are comfortable giving out their information in exchange for relevant discounts and offerings, tailored more to their likes and preferences. Furthermore, 71% of millennials and 63% of Gen Z consumers are willing to share their personal information with restaurants in exchange for more frequent or personalized offers, compared to 50% of Boomers. By leveraging consumer data, restaurants can use the information to understand the demographics of their customer base, time promotions, plan inventory, forecast order surges, and deliver a connected restaurant experience that feels personal to guests.
The additional value that restaurants can benefit from is connecting loyalty to ordering via marketing. This is part of the connected restaurant experience vision of HungerRush.
By capturing critical order data as part of a loyalty program, restaurants can in turn directly market to these customers with personalized promotions via email and text message. Text promotions can be responded to directly in our text ordering channel. This linkage and convenience is proven to drive additional loyalty and results in a significant lift in repeat order volumes.
“HungerRush’s loyalty program is a must-have,” said Victor Martinez, Chief Operating Officer of PieZoni’s. “Having all of my tools with HungerRush is paramount these days. The HungerRush solution has consistently helped us achieve a 20% redemption rate while improving our bottom line by 10-20%. We reach 70,000 consumers with each email we send out. You can’t get that type of return on investment anywhere else.”

HOUSTON - HungerRush , the leading cloud software provider for the restaurant industry, today announced it has added Bill Mitchell to its board of directors.
“His robust experience and tenure in the restaurant industry serving large multi-unit brands will provide excellent counsel and help drive HungerRush’s continued growth. We look forward to his contributions as we continue to invest in innovation to address industry challenges and anticipate the needs of every customer.”
Bill brings more than 30 years of experience across the U.S. and global markets. Previously, he served as President of Global Operations at Papa John’s, President of Dunkin’ Brands International, and CEO of Cici's Pizza restaurant chain with more than 430 restaurants across 31 states.
He has a proven track record of transforming and successfully re-branding various restaurant chains to quickly scale and grow, providing tremendous value and experience to the HungerRush board. Drawing from his experience as an officer in the U.S. Army, Bill follows structure and discipline to aid him in the business arena, fully immersing himself in the mind of stakeholders and constituents to ensure the highest level of success for every restaurant.
“It is an honor to welcome Bill to our board of directors. Our whole team is looking forward to his contributions as we continue to focus on product innovation, development, and creating new solutions for restaurant owners,” said Perry Turbes, CEO of HungerRush. “His robust experience and tenure in the restaurant industry serving large multi-unit brands will provide excellent counsel and help drive HungerRush’s continued growth. We look forward to his contributions as we continue to invest in innovation to address industry challenges and anticipate the needs of every customer.”
“HungerRush is unique due to its ongoing passion for innovation and creative problem-solving techniques offered to restaurants of various sizes,” said Bill Mitchell. “I’ve been immersed in the restaurant space for more than three decades so I’m no stranger to the ebbs and flows of challenges. I firmly believe in HungerRush’s solutions, and I’m thrilled to be on board.”
As the newest member of the board, Bill will work closely with the leadership team to continue focusing on helping independent restaurants and multi-unit brands stay competitive in the ever-evolving restaurant industry. He will work on enhancing HungerRush’s solution strategy for restaurants, adding value to its strategic integrations, and advise the company around ways to accelerate cutting-edge solutions to match the restaurant industry’s challenges, including top of mind labor shortages.

63% of consumers save email marketing messages from restaurants, and 55% who receive these messages plan to dine at those restaurants within a month
HOUSTON - HungerRush, the leading POS software platform provider for quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, today announced new results from a consumer survey that examines the impact of restaurant promotional marketing campaigns on repeat orders, return visits and customer engagement.
Post COVID, fast-casual and quick-service restaurants have an opportunity to leverage marketing campaigns including mailers, email, and text messages to boost brand awareness and drive a healthy increase in both in-store dining and online orders. According to the new HungerRush consumer survey, 93% of customers visit fast-casual restaurants at least once a month, with 32% dining out 4-6 times a month. Consumers cite lower price points as the top motivator for selecting a quick service restaurant.
During a time when consumers are more price-conscious and discerning than ever in their dining selections, marketing campaigns undoubtedly have a positive impact on driving repeat orders. The same survey indicated that 55% of consumers who receive marketing messages (emails, mailers, and text messages) from restaurants will dine at or order from that restaurant within the next month.
Consumers want to hear from restaurants, and when they do, restaurants win
Tapping into coupons and marketing messages is a classic technique used by many to bring in new and existing customers, and restaurant operators should be pleased to know these efforts are well received. The majority of consumers surveyed indicated a positive sentiment toward receiving marketing messages from restaurants, with only 29% saying they actively ignore or opt out of marketing communications. Moreover, 32% said they receive up to five marketing messages per week directly from restaurants, demonstrating an interest in hearing from multiple businesses on a consistent basis.
Overwhelmingly, consumers are more likely to act within one week of receiving a marketing message, whether that be a coupon, a promotion or menu/seasonal updates. In fact, 62% of consumers said they are 50% to 100% more likely to visit a restaurant within one week after receiving a promotional offering. This shows an immediate return on investment for restaurant operators. For those not leveraging a marketing messaging strategy, they are missing out on repeat orders and visits.
Connecting the right message, at the right time, in the right channel delivers the highest impact
Knowing what types of messages stick with a customer is instrumental in properly executing a successful marketing campaign. According to HungerRush, 82% of consumers cite weekly or monthly menu updates as their top reason to stay in the loop with a restaurant – outside of deals and promotions – followed by new store openings at 43%. Lower priority topics cited were business updates and community involvement news. Highlighting content that excites consumers' taste buds and gives them incentives to repeat an order online or revisit a restaurant is key.
Across every age group surveyed, email marketing was the preferred method of contact, with 63% saving email messages, followed by mailers (61%) and text messages (55%). When it comes to which type of message has the most impact, email marketing messages are the most popular across all age demographics, with Boomers (60%), Gen X (67%), Millennials (64%), and Gen Z (60%) all saying they save email coupons more than physical mailers and text messages. As many as 61% of respondents said they use coupons and promotions as often as possible.
Andy Nannoshi, Owner of Uncle Andy’s Pizza, has simplified his marketing process by leveraging automated solutions from HungerRush.
“As a restaurant owner, I have the added challenge of figuring out how and when to connect with my customers,” said Nannoshi. “Text messages are something that customers are more open to now than ever, and HungerRush simplifies the process of sending out email blasts and text messages with customized promotions based on dining behaviors. The HungerRush technology has been instrumental in helping me build a loyal customer base.”
“Restaurant operators have been facing a number of challenges in recent years,” said Olivier Thierry, CRO of HungerRush. “Inflation and economic uncertainty are heavily impacting consumer decisions on where and how often they eat out. Meanwhile, with more options available to consumers, it’s increasingly difficult for restaurants to capture customer attention and bring them back for more. The good news is restaurants can gain a significant advantage and see a positive impact on their bottom line through automated omni-channel marketing campaigns that drive repeat orders and improve brand loyalty by meeting consumers in their favorite channel, be it text, email, or direct mail.”
Leveraging marketing campaigns to gather greater customer insight
In addition to driving repeat orders and brand loyalty, marketing messages offer additional benefits to restaurant operators in the form of data. The impact and usage of third-party delivery apps surged during the pandemic, and while these apps offer benefits to consumers, it can create a blind spot for restaurant operators looking to know more about their customers. Knowing the best topics and timeframes to push promotional offerings are important data points that operators can obtain through marketing campaigns.
Restaurants can look to improve and offer a comparable or better experience through streamlined payment options. Thirty-four percent of consumers cite the convenient checkout process with their saved payment information as the top reason for selecting third-party delivery apps.
“Our survey confirmed what we know anecdotally from our customers: nearly 40% of consumers are not using third-party delivery apps,” said Thierry. “At HungerRush, we see this as a huge market opportunity for QSR operators to bring consumers directly to their sites or mobile apps to communicate, engage and learn about ordering behaviors. Harnessing this data and keeping consumers engaged through weekly and monthly marketing messages is a foolproof way to capitalize and encourage repeat visits and revenue.”
Today, HungerRush restaurant owners that use the HungerRush 360 Marketing add-on module routinely see an increase in repeat online orders by as much as 12%.
For more information on HungerRush’s survey findings on consumer restaurant marketing preferences and trends, please see the HungerRush survey infographic.