News Briefs

Sojern, a digital marketing platform built for travel, and Cloudbeds, a hospitality management software platform, have today announced a new partnership to bring two leaders together within the hotel technology space, just ahead of the World Travel Market in London.

This strategic partnership means that Sojern’s built-for-travel digital marketing and guest experience solutions are fully integrated with Cloudbeds’ system and deliver industry-leading accuracy and tracking capabilities. Sojern’s commission-based travel advertising helps hoteliers increase direct bookings while only paying after the guest’s stay is complete.

Additionally, Sojern’s multi-property capable guest experience tools, tailored and adjusted to the powerful features of both platforms, deliver enhanced customer segmentation and marketing capabilities, driving loyalty and return business.

“At Sojern, we’re always looking to deepen our partner ecosystem to bring new and innovative tools to our clients around the world,” said Baskar Manivannan, VP of Guest Engagement Platform at Sojern. “We’ve built the most robust digital marketing and guest experience solutions specifically for the travel industry, so it was only natural that we would partner with Cloudbeds to give our customers access to their industry-leading property management system.”

“Cloudbeds and Sojern have joined forces to solve some of the biggest challenges facing hoteliers today,” said Sebastien Leitner, VP of Partnerships at Cloudbeds. “Together, we’re offering a seamless solution that integrates flexible, demand-driven advertising across digital, social, and direct booking channels, powered by Cloudbeds’ Booking Engine and Sojern’s end-to-end tracking for superior accuracy. Our collaboration also delivers multi-property guest experience tools tailored to both platforms, allowing hotels to refine customer segmentation and boost loyalty through personalized marketing. This partnership is designed to streamline operations and drive meaningful guest engagement at every step of the journey.”

For more information about the partnership, click here.

Mark Shambura has joined Panera Bread as Chief Marketing Officer. Shambura will lead all aspects of marketing at Panera, including Brand Building, Digital & Loyalty, Product Strategy & Consumer Insights. An accomplished marketing leader with broad expertise in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura has previously held marketing leadership roles during pivotal growth periods for top brands including Chipotle, MOD Pizza, and most recently Papa Johns.

"Mark brings an impressive background building brands and leading marketing teams for fast-casual restaurants, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to Panera Bread,” said José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer. “As Panera continues to evolve our brand, guided by listening to our guests, Mark’s depth of experience and ability will help drive our growth as a brand that serves great food you feel good about eating.”

Shambura previously served as CMO at Papa Johns, where he led a revitalization of the brand by enhancing its iconic “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza” platform, and developing a more modern, innovative omnichannel approach to transform how Papa Johns appealed to both new and loyal consumers. As Executive Director at Chipotle, Mr. Shambura guided the marketing function through periods of both sustained growth and transition, providing leadership over brand strategy, advertising, digital, social, events/sponsorships, promotions, and field marketing, including playing a key role in spearheading its “Real Ingredients” brand strategy.

“I’m proud to join the Panera Bread team and excited to build on the momentum of the brand's transformation as it continues to evolve in service of our guests,” Mr. Shambura said. “Panera propelled and cemented its position at the top of the fast casual restaurant segment through its promise of high-quality ingredients and freshly prepared food, and I’m thrilled to join a highly talented team to help shape its next chapter.”

Prior to his tenure in the restaurant industry, Mr. Shambura gained extensive marketing agency experience, working with a broad array of top global consumer brands for over a decade. Shambura will report directly to José Alberto Dueñas, Chief Executive Officer, and officially assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer on July 29, 2024.

TGI Fridays Inc. the owner and operator of 39 domestic restaurants in the  TGI Friday’s casual dining chain,  filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the Northern District of Texas. The Company expects to use the time and legal protections made available through the Chapter 11 restructuring process to allow the Company to explore strategic alternatives in order to ensure the long-term viability of the brand.

The TGI Fridays brand and related intellectual property are owned by TGI Fridays Franchisor, LLC as a result of a securitization agreement with a separate investor group. These entities are not included in the Chapter 11 process.

TGI Fridays Franchisor, LLC has franchised the brand to 56 franchisees in 41 countries. All of these franchise locations, both domestic and international, are independently owned and therefore not included in TGI Fridays Inc.’s Chapter 11 process. They are open and serving customers as usual.

To ensure continuity of service to franchisees, TGI Fridays Franchisor, LLC has negotiated a Transition Services Agreement (“TSA”) with – and provided interim funding to – TGI Fridays Inc. to maintain support services for franchisees while TGI Fridays Franchisor, LLC works to implement a new long-term support structure.

In addition to supporting franchise restaurants, TGI Fridays Inc. maintains operations across its corporate- owned restaurants in the U.S. The Company has secured a commitment for debtor-in-possession financing to support operations while proceeding through the Chapter 11 process. It also filed motions with the Bankruptcy Court that, when approved, will allow the Company to, among other things, continue its customer programs in the normal course. These motions are typical of the Chapter 11 process and are expected to be heard and approved in the first days of the case.

"The next steps announced today are difficult but necessary actions to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, including our domestic and international franchisees and our valued team members around the world," said Rohit Manocha, Executive Chairman of TGI Fridays Inc. "The primary driver of our financial challenges resulted from COVID-19 and our capital structure. This restructuring will allow our go- forward restaurants to proceed with an optimized corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential."
 

A Look Back

TGI Fridays Inc.  is the latest brand to file voluntary Chapter 11 in 2024, including  Roti, Buca di Beppo, World of Beer, Melted Bar & Grill, Kuma's Corner and Tijuana Flats, to name a few. RL Investor Holdings LLC acquired the bankrupt Red Lobster restaurant chain in September.   

BurgerFi International, Inc., owner of the casual dining chain Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings and BurgerFi,  filed voluntary petitions for reorganization. On Oct. 31,  BurgerFi was sold out of bankruptcy to lender TREW Capital Management in a credit bid of $44 million.  TREW also purchased bankrupt Rubio's in August for $40 million. 

PAR Technology announces the introduction of Punchh  Wallet, a fully customizable digital wallet designed to bridge the gap between loyalty and payments. Punchh Wallet redefines the checkout experience and how restaurants engage with their guests by seamlessly integrating payment orchestration with loyalty programs across every channel—both within and beyond the app.

Punchh Wallet goes beyond streamlining checkout—it transforms every transaction into a valuable opportunity for deeper engagement. Whether guests are using in-app features like saved payments and stored value or out-of-app options like digital passes and Apple Wallet®, Punchh Wallet simplifies each step while providing restaurants powerful insights into guest behavior. This holistic approach not only enhances the customer experience but also drives increased lifetime value and strategic revenue growth.

“Restaurants are always searching for that sweet spot where simplicity meets innovation,” said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. “Punchh Wallet isn’t just about streamlining processes—it’s about solving complex technological challenges that have hindered restaurants. Since its launch earlier this year, it has already demonstrated remarkable success, for example, by helping brands achieve a 6.5x lift in customer frequency. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited for what’s next.”

For customers granted early access to Punchh Wallet features, initial results have been remarkable, including:

• 163% increase in customer lifetime value
• 70% increase in sign-ups from customers using Apple Pay®
• 6.5x lift in customer frequency

At a time when nearly 80% of Gen Z consumers use digital wallets, and experts predict digital wallets will replace plastic cards by 2030, the demand for seamless, integrated technology is more critical than ever. Punchh Wallet meets this need by delivering a unified, streamlined loyalty and checkout experience that prepares restaurants for future success while offering immediate, tangible benefits.

Key Benefits of Punchh Wallet:

• Saved Payments – No more juggling between physical cards and the app. Now guests can securely save credit cards in the app and at checkout, simply scan the QR code to pay, earn, and redeem rewards – all at once.
• Stored Value: Forget the hassle of physical gift cards - load and auto-reload stored value reducing time at the POS and increasing convenience with the ability to pay with one tap or scan at checkout.
• Subscriptions: Offer loyal guests exclusive food passes at preferred pricing, all while creating a recurring revenue stream for your brand.
• Apple Wallet Loyalty & Digital Passes: No app? No problem. Guests can join, participate in your loyalty program, and pay directly through Apple Wallet® and Google Wallet®, eliminating the need for traditional apps.

“Punchh Wallet makes it easy for Apple Pay users to join our loyalty program, expanding our reach and engagement beyond the app. The seamless one-tap experience for collecting points, redeeming rewards, and paying has simplified the checkout process for our guests, leading to stronger customer engagement and loyalty,” Lauren Traylor, Director of Marketing at Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill.

Simplify Operations

Punchh Wallet aligns with PAR Technology’s mission to simplify restaurant operations and enhance customer engagement through connected, future-ready solutions. By unifying loyalty, payments, and guest data under one roof, Punchh Wallet overcomes the technological challenges that have deterred many restaurants from adopting integrated systems. This streamlined orchestration reduces the need for multiple vendors, driving operational efficiency and boosting revenue for restaurants.

“Punchh Wallet is helping us increase engagement in our app and provides our guests the added convenience at checkout to effortlessly pay and reap the rewards of our Healthy Rewards™ loyalty program—all in one click,” said Shannon Murphy, Senior Director of Digital Marketing & Loyalty at Smoothie King. “The ability to segment and incentivize users to utilize both saved payments and stored value in one execution is an incredibly compelling proposition for us as we continue to focus on digital growth.”

For more information, please visit partech.com.

The United Kingdom-based Access Group has entered an agreement to acquire Paytronix, a provider in guest engagement for restaurants and convenience stores, from Boston-based Great Hill Partners. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

This investment represents one of Access Group’s most significant acquisitions in its 30-plus-year history and is a major step forward for the Group as it continues to focus on its product offering in the United States. Access Group, known as a provider of business management software to mid-market organisations in Europe, the US and Asia Pacific, hopes to add further support to the Paytronix team, helping to accelerate its growth and expand the footprint, bringing high-quality products and a digital guest engagement platform to more clients worldwide, helping them to excel in meeting ever-evolving customer demands. 

Guest Engagement Platform

Currently, the full Paytronix guest engagement platform includes numerous capabilities for online ordering, loyalty, omnichannel messaging, branded mobile apps, gift cards, third-party marketplace management, and payments. Leveraging data from transactions and personalized customer accounts, Paytronix creates targeted marketing campaigns that motivate increased interaction and spending throughout the customer journey. Paytronix will retain its name and plans to integrate its platform with a selection of Access products; the enhanced comprehensive suite of products and services will further improve the guest experience. 

Founded in 2001 by executive chairman Andrew Robbins, Paytronix is based in Newton, Mass. Its platform is deployed in over 50,000 sites across 1,800 brands and has processed more than 40bn consumer transactions. It boasts over 500 partnerships including many of the biggest names in the restaurant and convenience space, such as Google and Apple Pay, Toast, Square, DoorDash, UberEats, and many more. Their customers range from single operators to successful regional chains and large multi-unit enterprises like Panera, Qdoba, Nando’s and Five Guys. 

Paytronix was purchased by Boston-based Great Hill Partners in 2017, and they have been a valued accelerator of the company’s rapid growth. “We’ve had the privilege of working alongside Great Hill Partners to deliver our solutions and services to the innovative restaurant and convenience store brands that we proudly call clients,” said Paytronix CEO, Jeff Hindman. “The acquisition by The Access Group is the beginning of another stage in our growth, and I’m excited to say that from here we’re only going to build upon the service and capabilities that our clients know us for.  

“Joining a global force such as Access will further broaden the software solutions available to our current and future client base, enhancing the value we can offer and helping to solve everyday business challenges.” 

“Since our founding, we’ve worked to help clients build one-to-one interactions, enhance customer engagement and streamline operations for their businesses. Billions of transactions and millions of data-driven guest profiles later we realize our vision every time an AI-enhanced campaign is sent, which is nearly once every minute,” continued Hindman. “Joining a global force such as Access will further broaden the software solutions available to our current and future client base, enhancing the value we can offer and helping to solve everyday business challenges.” 

“We are incredibly proud of the progress and achievements made by Paytronix during our partnership. Over the past seven years, Paytronix has demonstrated remarkable growth and innovation, solidifying its position as a leader in guest engagements,” said Nick Cayer, Managing Director at Great Hill Partners. “We are confident that Paytronix will be well positioned under the Access umbrella, and we wish Jeff and the entire team success moving forward.” 

The Access Group has extensive experience in delivering world-class technology solutions to the hospitality sector across the UK, Europe and APAC with a suite of products covering front-of-house and operations, including the ResDiary online reservations management system, Wireless Social guest wi-fi and QikServe digital order and pay capabilities. The company’s leading software solutions also cover HR, payroll, learning, staff scheduling, procurement, EPoS, property management and accounting.