News Briefs
- 12/15/2024
REPORT: Restaurants Gift Card Sales Peaked Early on Thanksgiving Weekend
Restaurant gift card sales peaked earlier in the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend with shoppers purchasing 13.2% more in dollars per card on Black Friday and 17.7% more spent over the weekend while Cyber Monday sales remained flat vs. those same days in 2023, according to data from Paytronix, a digital guest engagement platform and a provider of restaurant gift cards. Additionally, 2024 saw renewed confidence in in-person dining experiences with consumers spending $7.8 million buying in-store cards vs. $7.3 million on digital card sales, which reversed last year’s trend.
“With gift card sales surging as much as two weeks before the holiday weekend, it appears that brands front-loaded their gift-card offers earlier in order to take full advantage of shopping traffic both on Black Friday and over the Thanksgiving weekend,” said Lee Barnes, chief data officer and chief of staff at Paytronix. “Paytronix data also indicates a renewed, post-Covid enthusiasm for in-person dining experiences with FSR sales outstripping QSR sales.”
Accoridng to Paytronix's data, this appetite for in-person dining is amplified by the fact that, overall, $12.3 million was spent on gift cards for full-service restaurants and $5.2 million on cards for quick service restaurants. On average, consumers loaded $66 on FSR cards vs. $31 on QSR cards.
For the entire four-day weekend, shoppers spent 10 percent more while the total number of cards sold surged six percent vs. the same weekend in 2023. In addition, the average dollars loaded on all cards sold was higher ($57) on Black Friday than over the weekend ($49) or on Cyber Monday ($47).
According to data from Paytronix, the total dollar value of cards sold over the 2024 four-day weekend reached $17.5 million vs. $15.8 million in 2023 with the overall volume of cards sold jumping to 338.5 thousand from 316.7 thousand in 2023.
Methodology
Following trends in closed-loop restaurant gift card sales, the Paytronix Thanksgiving Holiday Card Sales Research includes data from gift card sales November 29 – December 2, 2024, including both full-service and quick-service restaurants. The 2024 data includes 366 brands while the 2023 data included 351 brands. - 12/15/2024
Domino's Latest Promo Leverages Loyalty
Domino's is teaming up with All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was injured earlier this season, to give away $1 million worth of free Emergency Pizzas to fans who had him on their fantasy football roster. Why? Because when your fantasy team loses its star player, that calls for an Emergency Pizza
"There's no two ways about it – being out for the season is a tough break," said Diggs. "I know fans are feeling the sting of my injury, so that's why I'm teaming up with Domino's to give away Emergency Pizzas to those who had me in their lineup. It won't help their fantasy team, but receiving a free Emergency Pizza can be a delicious pick-me-up."
How to Enter for the Chance to Win a Free Emergency Pizza
Did you draft Diggs on your fantasy football team? If so, here's how to enter for a chance to win a free Domino's Emergency Pizza:- If you aren't already a loyalty member, sign up for Domino's Rewards at dominos.com/rewards.
- Visit DominosFromDiggs.com.
- Complete the form and upload a picture/screenshot showing you had Diggs on your fantasy football team.
"Domino's promised we'd bring back Emergency Pizza in more fun and unexpected ways than ever before, so we're here to continue delivering on that promise," said Kate Trumbull, Domino's executive vice president – chief marketing officer. "We're launching this Emergency Pizza partnership because having your fantasy team ruined due to an injury calls for free pizza – $1 million worth of free Emergency Pizzas, to be exact!"
Domino's Emergency Pizzas for fantasy football is the latest announcement in a series of brand partnerships designed to bring free pizzas to life's everyday emergencies.
- 12/15/2024
Workstream Partners With Nadeem Bajwa’s BE Solutions
Workstream, the modern payroll, HR, and hiring platform designed for the hourly business, announced a strategic partnership with BE Solutions, an accounting firm co-founded by Papa Johns franchisee Nadeem Bajwa.
Through their partnership, Workstream and BE Solutions aim to revolutionize administrative and operational workflows in the restaurant industry. This collaboration comes at a crucial time when the restaurant sector faces unprecedented challenges and demands for increased operational efficiency.
This announcement builds on Workstream’s existing relationship with Nadeem Bajwa, the co-founder of BE Solutions and CEO of Bajco Group. Bajwa recently joined Workstream as a strategic advisor. His extensive background in restaurant operations and multi-unit management complements Workstream's mission to enhance technology solutions for hourly workers and their employers.
Together, Workstream and BE Solutions helps address significant obstacles faced by those in the quick-service restaurant industry. By combining Workstream's industry-leading hiring, onboarding, HR, and payroll capabilities with BE Solutions' sophisticated accounting and back-office expertise, owners and operators can reduce administrative burdens and increase profitability.
The partnership delivers several crucial advantages for restaurant owners and operators:
- Decreased operational costs
- Enhanced data accuracy
- Reduced administrative workload
- Streamlined decision-making processes
- Increased focus on team and customer service
Today’s milestone is significant for helping restaurant operators prioritize their core business functions. The combination of Workstream and BE Solutions allows owners and operators to dedicate more time to serving their teams and customers and building successful enterprises.
- 12/12/2024
Hostaway Report Reveals STR Property Managers Care More About Growth, Extreme Weather than Tech
Hostaway, a global vacation rental property management software, has released its annual 2024 STR Market Report, revealing a fundamental shift in priorities and concerns among property managers worldwide.The data shows that property managers’ primary headache throughout 2024 was no longer technology or software – formerly the leading source of frustration — but rather the complexities of growth and scaling. This operational struggle now tops the list of challenges for property managers, pushing technology down to sixth place. Cleaning and maintenance were cited as the second biggest challenge.The findings also highlight a surge in climate-related concerns. While extreme weather — hurricanes, heat, and rainfall — barely registered in the previous year, it now emerges as a major concern, mentioned 24 times more this year than last, representing 8% of managers surveyed. This surge in climate anxiety reflects an industry recognizing that environmental shifts aren’t one-off disruptions, but enduring factors that affect everything from property upkeep to pricing strategies.In contrast, economic volatility, which ranked fifth in last year’s report, failed to even crack the top eight this year — an indication that while macroeconomic factors still linger in the background, they have been overshadowed by more immediate and tangible threats to property managers’ day-to-day operations.The report further reveals that adoption of artificial intelligence and dynamic pricing tools has soared alongside these evolving challenges. More than half of surveyed operators now rely on AI for daily decision-making, and tactics like dynamic pricing and upselling have surged in popularity, growing nearly 45% over the previous year.Marcus Rader, CEO and Founder of Hostaway, said: “Our latest findings show that the conversation has moved far beyond the fundamental challenges of integrating technology. Property managers are now grappling with a set of priorities that feel more immediate, more interconnected, and more influenced by forces outside their control than ever before. Growth and scaling no longer mean simply adding more properties to a portfolio, they mean building businesses that can adapt to sudden shifts in climate and guest expectations. At the same time, we see economic worries fading into the background, suggesting that while broad market trends still matter, operators are more concerned with practical, on-the-ground realities than abstract fiscal forecasts.“It is the dramatic rise in climate-related concerns that truly stands out. This isn’t a story of one-off disasters; it is a recognition that weather patterns are shifting in ways that affect maintenance schedules, insurance, pricing strategies, and even how managers communicate with guests. The industry is acknowledging that resilience to environmental change is not a nice-to-have, but a foundational pillar of sustainable growth.”The 2024 Short Term Rental Report by Hostaway surveyed over 300 professional property managers across 51 countries. - 12/10/2024
Church's Texas Chicken Adds Voice AI Ordering at the Drive-Thru
SoundHound AI, Inc., a provider of voice artificial intelligence, is working with Church’s Texas Chicken to provide a voice AI-powered drive-thru ordering solution.
Church’s Texas Chicken drive-thru guests will have the option to place their order using SoundHound AI’s Dynamic Drive-Thru solution. This breakthrough AI voice platform offers instant, continuous audiovisual feedback in response to verbal commands, allowing guests the ability to communicate their order as if they were talking to a human. The system is designed to ignore off-topic speech to increase the accuracy of order placement.
“At Church’s, our guests’ experience is extremely important to us and we are always looking for innovative ways to help improve service and the overall guest engagement,” said Ahnaf Ali, Chief Information Officer of Church’s Texas Chicken. “SoundHound’s AI technology will enable us to process orders faster with greater efficiency, reduce wait times and streamline team workflows.”
SoundHound’s voice AI technology enhances drive-thru efficiency by promptly greeting customers, quickly taking orders, visually confirming requests, and listing options to speed up transactions. Dynamic Drive-Thru also increases the order throughput potential by allowing the restaurant crew to focus on fulfilling orders through the pickup window – with up to 90% of orders completed without human intervention. If customers would prefer to speak with a member of staff, they will still have that option.
“Integrating our technology into Church’s Texas Chicken restaurants marks a significant milestone in drive-thru innovation,” said James Hom, Chief Product Officer at SoundHound AI. “With Dynamic Drive-Thru, consumers can speak naturally as they would to a human and have the same customer experience they’re used to, while adding the benefit of helping busy employees seamlessly process orders and focus on providing what matters most – preparing great food and offering excellent customer service."
SoundHound’s proprietary technology is backed by millions of hours of voice data and an annual query run rate of multiple billions. To learn more about restaurant solutions from SoundHound AI, visit www.soundhound.com.
- 12/11/2024
Grubhub Onsite and Hilton Expand Partnership to Elevate the Guest Experience
Grubhub Onsite and Hilton are expanding their partnership by bringing on-demand food, grocery, and convenience item delivery to over 2,600 hotels across the Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, and Spark by Hilton brands. This expansion means more guests can now enjoy seamless access to Grubhub’s extensive Marketplace of more than 375,000 merchants by simply scanning a QR code, offering the ultimate convenience during their stay. Guests also enjoy one free month of Grubhub+ for perks like $0 delivery fees, lower service fees, and 5% back on pickup orders, making it even easier for guests to get the items they need.
This rollout builds on the success of Grubhub Onsite at Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton, where the program launched in 2023. Since then, orders to Hilton properties have more than doubled, with Sunday being the most popular day for orders. Guests have ordered everything from pad thai and caesar salad to phone chargers, deodorant, cold remedies, and nail polish remover. This expanded partnership complements Hilton’s existing offerings by providing guests with additional flexibility to meet their unique needs and cravings.
"Expanding our partnership with Hilton is a testament to our successful alliance and the strong demand for our service among guests seeking convenient, affordable delivery," said Rob DelaCruz, vice president and general manager, Grubhub Onsite. "Whether it’s comfort food from a local restaurant, groceries to complete a meal, or forgotten toiletries, we’re devoted to supporting Hilton’s guests while they’re away from home."
“At Hilton, our goal is to make every stay as comfortable and convenient as possible,” said Bill Duncan, senior vice president and global category head, All Suites and Focused Service Brands, Hilton. “The expansion of our Grubhub Onsite partnership to include Hampton, Tru, and Spark enhances the amenities offered at our beloved hotels, offering even more value to our guests and ensuring they have easy access to the items they want during their stay.”
This collaboration continues Hilton’s legacy of elevating the guest experience through innovative offerings that meet travelers’ evolving needs. Guests at participating properties will now enjoy expanded options for dining, essentials, and indulgences—all delivered directly to their hotel.
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