News Briefs
- 3/31/2024
North American Hotel Brands Move Toward Sustainability Certification to Strengthen Commitment to Environmental Well-Being
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) announced today that Green Key Global, the sustainability certification body for hotels, is now jointly operated by the associations in the U.S. and Canada.
A roster of hotel companies across the continent, including Accor, Best Western, Choice Hotels, Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Highgate, Hyatt, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and more continue to lead the way as some of Green Key Global’s partners committed to sustainability through their involvement with the third-party certification program.
HAC created Green Key Global in 1994 to certify hotels’ environmental sustainability policies and processes, and its certification criteria are aligned with all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Hotels complete a robust assessment and audit process to measure their performance in areas such as energy and water conservation, land use, hazardous and solid waste management, indoor air quality, and more.
The AHLA and HAC partnership is crucial for the industry, as sustainability is increasingly shaping the behavior of leisure, business, and group travelers. Green Key Global programming is designed to give credibility to the sustainability initiatives properties are already undertaking, while equipping them with a plan for continued improvement.
The partnership builds on AHLA’s Responsible Stay® initiative, which underscores AHLA member companies’ long-standing and growing commitment to energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing.
“We are excited to see the momentum with the Green Key Global platform as we enter this partnership with HAC. This is an opportunity for AHLA to continue to do what we do best, supporting and educating our members on key factors influencing their business day in and day out,” said AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey. “This is a vital time for hoteliers, and AHLA is proud to be partnering with HAC to meet the moment.”
“This is an important milestone,” said Susie Grynol, President & CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, “as we are not only expanding the footprint of the Green Key Global brand, but also the opportunity for the industry to lead the way towards monumental shift and environmental impact, with a best-in-class program that is affordable, measurable and accessible for all hotels.”
- 9/13/2023
Domino's Updates Rewards Program
Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program.
Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:
- Earn points for less
- Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
- Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
- Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
- 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
- 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
- 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
- Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
- Earn more rewards
- Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!
"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."
Marketing a LTO
From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch.
- Earn points for less
- 4/1/2024
Chester's Chicken Hires Industry Veteran Bill Rice as EVP
Chester's Chicken welcomes Bill Rice to the executive team as EVP, Head of Sales, Operations and Supply Chain. Rice joins Chester's after a short retirement preceded by nearly four decades of experience in foodservice supply chain management, most recently as a senior vice president at Krispy Krunchy Foods, LLC.
Under Rice's leadership and with a solid foundation already laid, the company plans to accelerate growth and evolution. Rice will ensure team members have the resources needed to achieve Chester's aggressive growth goals while continuing to support existing franchise partners.
"We continue to prioritize investing in the Chester's leadership team and Bill is the perfect complement," said Alexis Lobodocky, General Manager, Chester's Chicken. "He brings extensive expertise in supply chain, an area of opportunity that will drive gains for the Chester's brand and Chester's operators."
Prior to Chester's Chicken, Rice served seven years at Krispy Krunchy where he championed a redesign of the company's supply chain network. Notable achievements also included overhauling procedures on issues including vendor and manufacturer selection, quality control, inventory and organizational management; developing a turn-key branded grab-n-go and breakfast program, in addition to several other menu items and product concepts; and achieving year-over-year double-digit sales growth by establishing and maintaining continuous sources of supply amidst various supply chain disruptions.
Rice has also held leadership roles at Intl. Traders Inc./MBM Corp., Performance Food Group, and Kraft Foodservice Corp.
"The Chester's culture and core values like 'winning as a team' and 'fried chicken is fun' are what drew me in and convinced me to exit retirement," said Rice. "It's refreshing to be working alongside some of the best in the industry who are energized about our future and focused on initiatives that deliver the most value to our operators."
Rice took his position in January and has been working against several Q1/Q2 projects including a supply chain optimization study, adding new and profitable menu items, equipping the team with new sales tools, and bringing on additional resources to the field team.
- 4/1/2024
Marco's Pizza Promotes John Meyers to COO
Marco's Pizza appoints restaurant and hospitality industry veteran, John Meyers, to Chief Operating Officer. This appointment comes at an opportune time as Marco's continues expanding its global footprint through strengthening franchisee relations, enhancing its technology infrastructure and committing to operational excellence.
Meyers has a 25-plus-year history of bringing innovation and collaboration to drive change at industry leading organizations such as Darden Restaurants and The Walt Disney Co. An action oriented strategic thinker, Meyers has used data and analytics to strategically streamline restaurant operations and profitability.
Prior to his appointment to COO, Meyers served as Marco's SVP of Finance & Business Intelligence. In his new role, Meyers oversees a diverse team in several departments including technology, supply chain and operations. With responsibility over day-to-day operations, he also plays a vital role in the development and implementation of new technologies that drive sales and streamline operations.
Empowering front-line team members to deliver an exceptional experience is a top priority for Meyers. "When employees see and act on an opportunity to turn someone's day around, even in little ways, it not only makes the customer experience better, but also improves job satisfaction and employee retention," said Meyers.
"The opportunity to contribute to the Marco's Pizza legacy during this phase of continued growth is truly a privilege," shared Meyers. "Our pizza is special using only top-quality ingredients, fresh cheese and dough made-from-scratch. I am committed to upholding this high quality standard and ensuring our customers enjoy it hot and fresh. Every Marco's Pizza encounter should be a memorable experience for our customers."
"John plays an instrumental role in steering our brand toward sustained growth and we are excited to embark on the next phase of his journey as COO," said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO and President of Marco's Pizza. "John consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to our brand values, and this promotion is a testament to his hard work and invaluable contributions to our company's success. I am confident that he will excel in this new role, leveraging his experience and insights to drive operational excellence and elevate our brand to new heights."
This appointment comes at a pivotal time for the leadership team as they strengthen their strong development support system, which includes technology and tools to help identify territories for expansion, plus support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and information related to financing. FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, reports Marco's 2023 FUND Score of 895 is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands.
The brand's impressive performance has earned multiple awards and recognition: Ranking in Newsweek's 2023 America's Best Customer Service in the pizza chains category, earning a spot on QSR's Top 50, appearing on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious Top 500 ranking, and most recently claiming the No. 48 spot on Entrepreneur's 2024 Franchise 500® ranking.
- 4/1/2024
STUDY: Positive Work Culture Provides 'Emotional Paycheck' for Most
Results of a new survey from Wiley suggest a positive organizational culture is the top non-financial factor impacting wellbeing at work for most individuals, but younger Gen Z workers place more value on flexibility.While financial compensation is still extremely important to wellbeing at work, the findings of the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence research report, The Emotional Paycheck: Going Beyond Traditional Compensation, indicate employees’ priorities have evolved to include more than just a paycheck. The more holistic elements of employee wellbeing, such as culture, flexibility, location, and perks, are said to make up their “emotional paycheck.”For most survey respondents, a positive organizational culture is their top priority when it comes to non-financial compensation. The older the employee, the more they appear to value culture. Specifically, for those 35 to 44, work culture is deemed more important than location flexibility by a 10% margin (32% to 22%); for those 55 to 64, however, that margin grows to 18% (40% to 22%).The younger adults in the Gen Z population, however, have a different priority, valuing flexibility more than culture. Respondents ages 18 to 24 are most likely to value work time flexibility, preferring it over a positive organizational culture by a 12% margin (34% to 22%). And personal time off (PTO) comes in a close third for these younger workers.“Younger Gen Z workers appear to prize autonomy, a work-life balance, and the ability to customize their work time to fit their own needs and lifestyles,” said Dr. Mark Scullard, senior director of product innovation at Wiley. “Our findings suggest, however, that as employees gain more experience and their responsibilities and priorities evolve, they may become more aware of the impact an organization’s culture can have on their wellbeing.”While a competitive salary is clearly important to employees, the findings suggest culture actually tops money in terms of overall importance. Given a choice between culture and money, nearly three-fourths (73%) of respondents said a positive organizational culture is most important to them, while only 27% said working for a company that pays well is the most important.MethodologyThe data in this report are based on surveys completed by 2,013 individuals in North America. Respondents work in a variety of roles across a range of industries, with 58% having direct reports and 42% being individual contributors.Wiley is a knowledge company and a provider of research, publishing and knowledge solutions. - 4/1/2024
PAR Punchh Partners with Attentive on SMS Marketing Capabilities for Restaurant Loyalty Programs
ParTech, Inc. (PAR), a global restaurant technology company and provider of unified commerce solutions for enterprise restaurants, today announced a new partnership between PAR Punchh®, PAR Technology’s industry-leading loyalty and offer solution, and Attentive, the AI marketing platform specializing in SMS marketing for leading brands. This integration will expand PAR Punchh's capabilities to help restaurants turn anonymous guests into loyalty members, grow their loyalty membership and send engaging visuals and content with personalized offers to spark actions via SMS messaging.
The integration offers restaurants enhanced tools for customer acquisition and communication. These tools operate within a channel that 93% of customers express interest in for brand communication, according to data from Attentive’s Global Consumer Survey Report. The partnership gives Punchh Customers the opportunity to:
- Grow loyalty membership by incentivizing SMS opt-ins.
- Send targeted campaigns to drive app downloads and loyalty sign-ups.
- Leverage advanced SMS functionality like MMS, video, GIFs and A/B testing.
- Streamline SMS compliance with Attentive's expertise.
"Partnering with Attentive equips our customers with more robust tools to engage guests through timely, relevant messaging," said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. "SMS engagement is critical for growing loyal customers and repeat visits in today’s restaurant industry. With Attentive, we can help brands create seamless omnichannel relationships with customers, fostering loyalty across digital interactions and real-world visits.”
This integration comes at a time when consumers are seeking deeper relationships with their favorite brands. SMS provides a high-value channel, boasting a 98% open rate compared to email, which is less than 20%. Restaurants using PAR Punchh can now engage with loyalty and non-loyalty members to encourage new sign-ups and actions.
"We’re thrilled to be able to offer restaurants a convenient way to engage with customers, by using personalized and visual text messaging in every step of the omnichannel journey to meet customers where they are," said Angelique Kamara, VP of Partnerships at Attentive. "This partnership with PAR Punchh helps our joint brands unlock the full potential of SMS marketing, further strengthening brand loyalty and increasing revenue.”
In a testament to the tangible impact of this new partnership, Kim Collura, VP of Marketing at Jason’s Deli, shares her experience: “Thanks to the seamless integration between Attentive and Punchh, our business has experienced a significant uplift in SMS subscriber growth and customer engagement. With targeted messaging and personalized rewards, we’ve seen a tangible increase in repeat visits and higher average spend per customer. This partnership has truly elevated our marketing efforts, allowing us to connect with our audience on a deeper level and drive sustainable growth.”
Joining PAR Punchh’s ecosystem of over 200 technology partners, Attentive’s partnership is currently the only restaurant loyalty and SMS platform integration of its kind.
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