In a time when restaurant brands are redefining what value and connection mean to their guests, McAlister’s Deli is standing out by blending purpose-driven hospitality with operational precision and digital intelligence.
In this edition of Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories, we sat down with Danielle Porto Parra, Chief Brand Officer at McAlister’s Deli, to explore how the brand is weaving emotional branding, personalized loyalty, and a culture of hospitality into every guest experience. From their famed sweet tea to an enterprise-backed tech stack powering personalized offers, McAlister’s Deli is on a mission to nourish connections in every sense of the phrase.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
Good afternoon, good morning, Mark Johnson from
Loyalty360.
Everyone's happy, safe, andwell.
It's Thursday, so welcome backto our Leaders in Customer
Loyalty podcast.
This is the Brand Storiesedition, where we explore the
evolving dynamics of customerloyalty and brand strategy
across industries.
Today we're going to be divinginto the restaurant space.
(00:25):
A sector that's undergoing rapidtransformation.
As value becomes an increasinglycritical focus, brands are
rethinking how they delivermeaningful experiences to both
customers and employees.
In this episode, we're going tobe joined by Daniel Para.
She's the chief brand officer atMcAllister's Delhi.
Daniel brings a freshperspective on what she calls
(00:48):
craftsmanship, a term not oftenassociated with restaurant
brands.
But she uses it with conviction,passion, and clarity.
She's going to share how thisphilosophy shapes McAllister's
unique approach to customerloyalty and brand identity.
We're also going to explore howbeing a part of a larger
(01:08):
consortium of brands, GoToFoods, seven iconic brands,
purpose-driven brands, presentsboth challenges and
opportunities, especially whenit comes to leveraging scale,
technology, and shared vision todrive innovation.
But in this case, they do anamazing job of effective
engagement across the brand.
So doing some things that arevery unique.
(01:29):
Danielle, thank you very muchfor taking the time to join us
today.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
I am doing well, Mark.
Thank you for having me andlooking forward to a great
conversation about loyalty andall things emotional branding.
SPEAKER_01 (01:41):
I'm very much excited about that.
There's nothing I'd rather doexcept maybe watch my kids play
their college sports than uhtalk to smart person, smart
people about customer loyalty.
So it should be a greatconversation.
Awesome.
So for uh first off, for thosewho may not be familiar, can you
give us a brief introduction toMcAllisters?
You know, how, why was thecompany started?
SPEAKER_00 (02:02):
Absolutely.
So McAllisters is a 36-year-oldbrand that is growing like an
entrepreneurial startup.
And so we're over a billiondollars in sales, over 560
locations, and continuing togrow in a national footprint.
So the heart and soulMcAllisters for those years and
(02:22):
what makes us super relevant nowis about nourishing connections.
And so it's deeply rooted inloyalty and emotional
connections with our guests andwith the communities that we are
a part of.
And we have a space we've carvedout that I'll call Fast Casual
Plus.
So I would say we're we're notreally like any other concept
(02:45):
out there in the sense of wehave over 160 menu items.
Uh, we are rooted in variety,hand craftsmanship, and again,
that special aspect of nurturingconnections with our guests and
with communities.
And so that's what makes mesuper proud to be leading this
(03:05):
brand and feel very privilegedto work with our franchisees and
continue to grow this brand andbring that experience to
communities across the country.
SPEAKER_01 (03:13):
That's awesome.
Uh, we're a big fan ofMcAllisters.
We have most of our uh kind ofmeetings there since we uh don't
have an office anymore.
We meet at McAllisters quiteoften and uh they know us quite
well, and uh so it's it's alwaysgood to go there.
I'm a big iced tea guy, so uhit's uh it's you know guys have
great iced tea, which is alwaysa plus.
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
Oh, wonderful.
At the moment, we have peachmango as our featured flavor,
and that is flying off theshelf.
So that one is definitely awinner.
SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
Yeah, I'm just more of a kind of a black iced tea
guy, maybe a little sugar kindof uh aficionado.
Uh so, but I'm sure peach isgood as well.
That's great.
You mentioned kind of nurturingconnections, and I think as I
mentioned, that's one of thethings that uh kind of the local
McAllister's that we go to doesa really great job of.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
And you know, uh, you know, isthat one of the kind of
contributing factors to thegreat success that you're seeing
(04:01):
within the brand?
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
Thank you for teeing up that question.
And I would say absolutely theheart and soul of any brand that
can be successful and stillgrowing at the pace we are after
over 35 years, is there has tobe a differentiation.
You have to really resonate andwin hearts and minds of your
guests.
And I think that's exactly whatMcAllister's has done.
(04:24):
It's been part of the DNA fromthe beginning to really nourish
those individual connections.
We've called it a littlesomething extra.
So if you think about in yourown personal relationships,
right?
What are those relationshipsthat stand the test of time?
Um, what defines a relationshipinstead of just a transaction?
It's about giving that littlesomething extra.
And it is part of the DNA ofreally how we we work with all
(04:48):
of the team members.
So what you feel when youdescribe that connection, you
describe your team coming in, wewant you to feel like someone
has really read the signals ofyou today, either remembered you
as a customer or for the firsttime you've been there.
We we call it our first-timeguests, are um just the the
regulars who don't yet know it,right?
(05:08):
And so we're looking to bringsomething, little something
extra every day.
And that's having the managersget out from behind the counter
and come in and talk to ourguests.
Um, it's how we have built thatinto our technology solutions
that intersect with thathumanity.
So nourishing connections ispart of our formal loyalty
program.
So even when you're not in thatdining room with us, you're
(05:29):
feeling that connection pointand you're you're feeling part
of that relationship over time.
So I would say for us, we are apurpose-driven brand, and that
purpose is nourishingconnections and it weaves
through everything we do fromhow our operations team show up
to how we define our menustrategies, um, and certainly
(05:51):
how we've crafted our loyaltyprogram and technology and
marketing solutions as well.
SPEAKER_01 (05:56):
Excellent.
And as I mentioned, I'm a bigiced tea guy.
Uh, we go to McCallistors quiteoften, have the tea pass, uh, so
it's always good to have somegood black iced tea, maybe a
little bit of sweet in there.
Um, but I think sometimes icedtea people kind of get uh
neglected a little bit, right?
Everyone's coffee, cappuccinos,uh being an iced tea person and
having such amazing iced tea, itmeans a lot to me, right?
(06:19):
And then the food is also solidas well, right?
And the kind of the experienceyou mentioned with the managers
and the staff, because they theythey pretty much cheer just like
norm at cheers.
But uh, you know, what does icedtea or how does iced tea kind of
play into that amazing uh youknow, customer loyalty you have
and the engagement you have?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Well, first of all, I love that you are a tea fan.
And, you know, absolutely,whether it's it's coffee or tea
or anything that's handcrafted,how you make the beverage
matters.
Certainly how you deliver itwith the service and the loyalty
wrapper, but for us, the tea hasalways been a really iconic part
of the brand because what you'retasting in that flavor is a
(06:59):
proprietary blend.
We have very exactingspecifications of how we blend
it, the ratio with water.
It's served hot over ice.
The ice is actually a reallyspecially configured type of ice
as well.
And so it is that craftsmanshipI was describing absolutely
comes to life in the tea.
(07:21):
And it's part of what we reallytake seriously.
In all of our food, we have alittle twist, but in the tea in
particular, it's been thaticonic proprietary blend that
again, from from first day oftraining, if you're if you're a
new team member working for oneof our franchisees, you are
absolutely learning how tocraft.
It's not make, it's craft, howto craft that perfect cup of
(07:43):
iced tea.
Um, and the other thing youmentioned and would love to talk
about because it goes into thatloyalty as well, is tea pass.
So tea pass is about leaninginto that consumer insight.
We have fanatical fans of ourtea.
And so, what better way toreward some of our tea fans than
(08:03):
create a pass where for a veryreasonable price, you get an
iced tea every day for 30 days.
And so that really was theinsight behind the tea pass is
why not make it easier for ourbest guests to enjoy a tea every
single day.
Come in, have that experience ofseeing your team member.
(08:24):
Um, bring a friend with you,right?
Be able to have everything fromtea with your lunch to an
afternoon snack, maybe a tea anda cookie.
Um, and just really turn thatfrom a transactional purchase
into that relationship.
And so uh love that you have theT Pass.
And that was the exact insightbehind it is um lots of brands
have subscription programs, butfor us, it's about, you know,
(08:47):
really saying what matters forus is the tea and how do we
treat our T Pass customers alittle bit differently when they
come in as well?
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
Excellent.
Um, you were pointed to ChiefBrand Officer earlier this year.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that role uh with the
company or your role with thecompany?
And also how did you get towhere you are today?
Uh, were there positions thatled you to this role?
You mentioned that you've beenuh part of uh the the seven
iconic brands for a while.
You know, how did you get towhere you are today and what is
(09:15):
the chief brand officer?
SPEAKER_00 (09:16):
So I'll start with that last part.
So, chief brand officer, um,that's the terminology we use
within GoToFoods.
At other companies, you mightfind these roles called
president of the brand.
And so my job is to look out forum the strategy, operations,
growth, um, and marketing of theMcAllister's brand, as well as
(09:38):
obviously working hand in handwith our franchisee teams.
Uh, so so that's the terminologywe use.
So each of our seven brandswithin GoToFoods has a chief
brand officer.
Get in other companies, youmight find that to be a
president role.
Um, and so that's a little bitabout who who uh what that chief
brand officer role is.
And I have been in this role forMcAllisters since January.
Um, I've been with GoToFoods intotal for five years.
(10:02):
And so in the the four years orso prior to that, um I had the
privilege of leading our centralmarketing and culinary teams
across the seven brands, andthen transitioned uh to be the
chief brand officer forMcAllisters in January.
Um, it's been a tremendous fiveyears.
Really, uh, my role in thoseearlier years was to help build
(10:24):
that platform company acrossthese seven iconic brands.
We've built shared services, forinstance, a paid media group,
whereby we're able to still haveabsolutely tailored plans for
each one of our brands.
Um build a loyalty programinfrastructure where you have
absolutely tailored loyaltyprograms for each of our brands,
(10:44):
but do it with some sharedservices expertise.
And so we call it kind ofallowing the brands to punch
above their weight.
So it's it's a super honor andthrill for me now to be leading
a brand using some of thoseplatform engines.
And therefore, we're winningagainst competition in a way
that's even bigger and betterthan what McAllister's is able
to do on its own.
(11:05):
So that's a little bit about theum portfolio company and
business that we've built hereat GoToFoods.
Um, you asked about my priorbackground.
Prior to joining GoToFoods, umI've spent over 20 years in a
combination of uh technology anddigital roles.
Uh, early part of my career wasactually working for a
(11:25):
technology company and helpingto bring um loyalty programs to
life.
For instance, uh CaesarsEntertainment uh and Harris
Casinos back in the day.
I was part of the team to helpreally build and craft that
loyalty program, one of thefirst multi-brand loyalty
programs, um, as part of thetechnology team, and then worked
(11:45):
full-time with them as well inthe marketing function.
So I've spent a lot of years inrestaurants, in hospitality, and
in retail in a combination oftechnology, digital, and loyalty
roles, but also um overall brandas chief marketing officer and
chief digital officer.
Um, and in addition to that, uhoperations and PL management
(12:06):
roles.
So companies like Caesars,Petco, uh, Pet Boys, uh, prior
to coming, I would say, backhome to the food industry, which
is how I put myself uh throughcollege.
SPEAKER_01 (12:17):
Excellent.
When you look at the uh, youknow, you mentioned that you uh
have kind of a fast casual plus,I think you mentioned earlier,
uh, very interesting.
Uh the whole uh fast casualrestaurant industry, QSR, is
changing a good deal.
You know, when you look at someof the changes that you see
within the industry, you know,what are some of the biggest
challenges or opportunities yousee or face?
(12:38):
You know, what keeps you up atnight?
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
So I think one of the biggest things, and it's
it's been at the heart of whatcustomers are seeking for a
while, but it's becoming harderand harder for um companies in
our space to deliver, which isvalue.
Customers clearly want value,they want connection, and they
want to feel like they'reconnected to a purpose.
And so for us, um, that's wherewe continue to lean into what we
(13:03):
think is that secret sauce forMcAllisters on the value front,
because we have such a varietyof menu items, and we have
something as unique and iconicas our sweet tea, but also
spuds, right?
And we have incredibly uniquesandwiches like the jalapeno
turkey crunch, where you havejalapeno bread, you've got
(13:25):
turkey, avocado, and some spicychips on there.
Um, we have salads and reallythe ability to play in this
variety so that you can not havea veto vote in your group and in
your friends.
And people see value in that.
People see value in thatrelationship.
When we talk about Fast CasualPlus, the reason we we describe
(13:45):
it that way is you're not comingin and just ordering at a
counter and feeling like you'rein a transactional environment.
We we have our employees and ourmanagers that will come and
deliver your food and willrefill your drinks, have a
conversation with you.
It's part of our service model.
Um, and ultimately bust yourtables.
So that's where it's a fastcasual plus is you're getting
(14:08):
that human connection.
You're getting the table servicewithin our environment.
And customers give us credit forthat, where we see, you know, in
an environment where there are alot more choices in the
restaurant space than there havebeen in prior years, and where
certainly inflation has putpressure on consumers, we see
our customer satisfaction scoresand our value scores from
(14:30):
customers going up year overyear significantly.
And so when you say what'schanging and what keeps us up at
night, we're constantly lookingat how do we make sure we're
putting value into everything webring to our customers?
Um, and that same lens we we dodigitally as well.
SPEAKER_01 (14:50):
And and value is a pretty significant area of uh
interest uh within ourcommunity, right?
We meet every week on ondifferent topics, brands lead
different uh sessions arounddisparate topics on customer
experience, customer loyalty,and value right now is one of
the big uh kind of discussions,right?
Uh is there value internally ofthe program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
(15:11):
Uh, but also is that programproviding value to the
customers?
Uh there's some challengingeconomic uh kind of headwinds
potentially, depending on theindustry.
Uh, and you know, the customersare asking their uh brands they
engage with to maybe do more forthem, to help them out through
this time.
That's right.
You know, how are you looking atvalue uh, you know, from your
(15:32):
industry and what does that,what does value mean?
SPEAKER_00 (15:35):
Value to us has a couple of different dimensions.
Um, it is it is not just anumber from a discount
perspective.
In fact, as a brand, we largelydon't play in discount and price
point situations.
We obviously do highlypersonalized offers and we we we
have a loyalty program that hasrich value for every time you're
(15:55):
purchasing with us, you'regetting rewarded and you're
earning your choice of rewards.
But for us, value is so muchdeeper.
Our rallying cry aroundnourishing connections and our
approach to loyalty and value isthe intersection of a loyalty
program, technology, and thathuman relationship.
And so, what do I mean by that?
(16:17):
I'll give you an example of oneway that we've we've formalized
that value and that loyalty thatincludes the human interaction.
When you come into McAllister'sto dine with us, in order for
the team member to be able todeliver your food to the table
and have that interaction withyou, you need a table number.
And so one of the things that wewanted to do, again,
operationally embedding it, wassay, we need to give a cue to
(16:40):
our team member who's coming todeliver that order.
Is this person part of ourloyalty program or are they not
part of our loyalty program?
And so it's actually a differentcolor on the table number.
And that will designate to theteam member is this person
already part of our loyaltyprogram, or do I need to have a
different conversation withthem?
And so we have built thosepieces in.
(17:01):
If you're a loyalty member,someone's going to come to the
table and say, thank you.
Thank you for being a loyaltymember.
Perhaps it's let me give you alittle something extra.
It's part of our servicephilosophy, which may be a free
cookie today.
Let me just come and have aconversation with you.
If you're there with your kids,maybe I'm engaging in what is
their activity, right?
(17:22):
And really have thatconversation separate from if I
see that you have the tablenumber color where you're not a
loyalty program member.
Great, let me give you a coupleof talking points.
Would you like to earn a freetea today?
You can sign up today, getcredit for your current program,
and earn a free tea.
And so in both of thosescenarios, we've empowered them
(17:43):
to give a little somethingextra, to treat the guests
differently.
And it doesn't feel sotransactional.
It feels like someone is reallyengaging with you as a human.
And so that's one example of howwe look at value so much more
deeply and back to that purposeof nourishing connections.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
That's awesome.
And I know that's that's also apretty big challenge.
Significant challenge we have uhor we hear about within our
community as well is you know,understanding the program.
How are you training around theprogram?
How much should you empower thatfrontline employee?
How much should you trust them,right?
And that that can be a prettysignificant challenge for many
brands, right?
Finding the right person, manybrands have internal advocates,
(18:23):
right, that that will do sometraining, store to store,
location to location, but thatthat help kind of assuage maybe
the challenges of understandingthe program.
Because if the if the if theemployees don't understand the
program, the value of theprogram, the value of that data,
the value of the engagement, itcan be somewhat challenging for
you know them to talk about it.
But it sounds like you have avery proactive approach to
employee engagement and kind ofuh training around the
(18:46):
importance and impact of theprogram.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
You have to, and you have to make it simple, right?
When you when you think aboutthose table colors, we're we're
training our human team membersas much as anything else.
You have to make it simple tothem, right?
There are so many things that afrontline employee has to do,
whether you're in a retailenvironment or in a restaurant
environment.
You have to make it simple forthem and you have to give them
something to your point to offerthe customer.
(19:11):
And so we solve both of thosethings by embedding it in those
operational rituals and doingsomething like those different
color table numbers.
SPEAKER_01 (19:18):
Excellent.
I know you recently revamped andrelaunched the uh customer
loyalty program, theMcAllister's reward program.
You know, what were McAllister'smain objectives with the loyalty
relaunch?
Uh, and were you aiming to boostfrequency, engagement, spend?
I mean, were there some kind ofdefinitions or kind of uh kind
of did you have like an overallarching approach that you were
looking for?
(19:39):
Or, you know, what were youlooking to do?
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
We started with a customer at the center and
really stepped back and said,again, true to our brand purpose
and based on what customerswant, what are they telling us?
And one of those biggest thingswas choice and continual choice.
So for our program, one of thebackbones, it's a point-based
system for the loyalty programitself.
But one of the key parts of thatis you choose your reward,
(20:03):
right?
When you get to that freebeverage or dessert, do you want
to redeem then or do you want towait and accrue that for a
higher value reward?
So leaning into that choice,because we know that we have so
many different types ofcustomers within our customer
base.
We have everyone from a collegestudent where we're really
building that relationship kindof young, um, huge presence on
(20:26):
college campuses and in collegetowns.
Well, they're motivated bysomething different.
Their value uh is probably thatfree entree, which can last
them, you know, two meals.
Whereas you have a mom with kidsin another situation, her value
is different, or someone we callthem lunch breakers who come in
very frequently during the dayfrom a lunch perspective.
And so we know through our dataand through um having a loyalty
(20:50):
program that there are all thosedifferent needs.
And we know our customers tellus that part of the value they
see is in that variety andchoice.
And so that was a backbone forthe program and really building
that in.
And it flows through all of theways that we engage our
customers from a loyaltystandpoint and then using that
(21:10):
data to give them personalizedoffers as well.
SPEAKER_01 (21:14):
That's awesome.
And I know uh, you know,engaging the customer, engaging
the employee to understand notonly what they know about the
program, but also, you know, ifthere's enhancements you can
make to the program.
So you seem to be very proactivein that regard as well.
And, you know, how did youengage with the customers from a
VOC or employees VOE perspectiveto kind of design the new
(21:35):
program, the new processes?
SPEAKER_00 (21:37):
So we're very fortunate to work in a franchise
business and we have a franchiseadvisory council.
I mentioned that because that'sone way that we get the voice of
the employees funneled back tous on a regular basis.
And so I mentioned earlier, wereally listen to our guests.
Um, we we do that throughresearch.
We also have a um fantastic inthe moment, we can actually ask
(21:59):
questions on a daily basisthrough our, we call it guest
focus, our program that collectsour satisfaction data.
And so we have a real-timepulse.
If I have a question today thatI want to ask through GoToFoods
platform company capabilities,we can literally put a question
out there, ask consumers, andand tomorrow I've got an answer
to some of those questions.
(22:20):
So we're constantly seekingvoice of the customer.
Our franchisees provide a largepart of the voice of the
employee.
And then we bring thosetogether.
And I'll tie it back actually toT Pass.
So T Pass is an example whereyou know we heard from some of
our employees, hey, we have somepassionate folks that are in
(22:40):
here all the time.
What can we do for them?
Right.
We've had as a brand every yearfree tea day.
Just had it on July 17th, wherewe give everyone free tea.
Again, we know there is apassion point.
And they said, what can we do?
Well, let's create the T Pass.
Let's have it be for loyaltymembers only.
So I'm incenting you to join andI'm rewarding our best
(23:00):
customers.
And let's then train ouremployees on it so that they can
sign our best customers up forthe T Pass and give them that
value and build thatrelationship.
So I would say we use both voiceof the customer and voice of the
employee data and are alwayslooking to say, then how do we
build that into our technology?
(23:21):
And how do we make sure we'vetrained those employees?
So when you come in, they'regiving that best experience and
really are able to walk someonethrough what's a T Pass.
SPEAKER_01 (23:30):
Excellent.
Uh customer loyalty.
Uh, we get the privilege ofspeaking with uh individuals
like yourself who run veryiconic brands, who have great
customer engagement, customerloyalty programs.
But we always love hearing, youknow, what customer loyalty
means from a qualitativeperspective, right?
So when you look at customerloyalty, you know, what does it
mean to you and to McAllisters?
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
Um it means nourishing connections.
So for us, loyalty is so muchmore than just the loyalty
program.
Look, a loyalty program, and youin the community know this, a
loyalty program is imperative.
It's imperative that you do itwell.
It's a cornerstone for how wecollect data to be able to give
even more personalizedexperiences to our guest, but
(24:13):
loyalty does not stop with thatprogram.
It weaves through everything wedo.
And so I'll give you an examplewhen we think about loyalty in
another marketing environment.
Um, in our social mediachannels, we have engagement
questions and conversations.
We ask for menu item feedback,right?
(24:33):
Um, we are always looking forhow do we have that lens of
nourishing and creatingconnections and having a two-way
dialogue with our customers?
Um, loyalty for us is didsomeone have a great experience
and they want to choose to comeback?
And to your point, there'sobviously metrics we put behind
that.
Are we winning against ourcompetitors?
Are we driving frequency?
(24:55):
Did we get a purchase that maybewe wouldn't have otherwise
gotten?
Of course, those are theeconomics that power a business.
But but loyalty is really aboutthat relationship.
And so we measure it throughguest satisfaction and feedback,
we measure it through socialengagement, absolutely through a
loyalty program.
We have over 25% of our salesthat are attached to the loyalty
(25:17):
program, which in our industryis substantial.
Um, and we have a large digitalpresence as well.
So absolutely it's a combinationof qualitative and quantitative
metrics, but it is not justabout the loyalty program.
It's about deepening customerrelationships every day and in
every one of our touch points.
SPEAKER_01 (25:37):
Okay.
When you look at your vision forcustomer loyalty, obviously the
McAllister's uh MCA program, therewards program is integral into
that uh kind of vision, correct?
SPEAKER_00 (25:47):
It absolutely is.
SPEAKER_01 (25:49):
Excellent.
Uh, personalization is isanother uh area of a pretty
significant interest, makingsure you have the right offer,
right channel, uh you know, uhright content, um, whatever it
may be, to these differentaudiences segments you have,
from the young college studentto the expected mother to the
grandmother or grandparent,right?
Everyone's gonna have uniqueexperiences.
(26:09):
So when you look atpersonalization, how are you
personalizing the offer, theexperience to these different
audience segments?
SPEAKER_00 (26:16):
Well, this is where it gets really exciting to talk
about because the loyaltyprogram gives you the data to be
able to do that as well.
We have tools in our paid mediaenvironment, in our web, an app
to be able to listen to ourcustomer behavior.
And we've actually brought allof that together in a
centralized customer dataplatform, which we then use to
(26:37):
do that personalization.
So that personalization comes inthe form of an offer that's
specific to individuals orindividual segments.
And so we have an offer enginethat continually runs and
delivers through email, as anexample, a tailored offer
depending on that profile andthat behavior.
We also have been able to takethat data and tie it into paid
(27:01):
media.
So when we're in Facebook or inInstagram, we're able to say,
hey, we want to go aftercustomers that look like our
best current loyalty customersand let's use that data and
target them.
And we actually can target ourcurrent loyalty customers in
some of those media platforms aswell.
(27:22):
And so we're very intentionalabout using that loyalty
customer data to do exactly whatyou're describing.
Who are our customers?
Let's create them in segments.
What is some statisticalmodeling and AI-driven offer
optimization we can do anddeliver personalized offers?
And then how do we reach themwith tailored offers and
(27:45):
messages and targeting, even inareas like media that are
outside of our own channels?
SPEAKER_01 (27:50):
Yeah.
Having a media offering, it'sdefinitely kind of a pretty
synchronic area of interest, butfor you know, a you know,
restaurant, QSR, or kind of afast casual plus, should I say,
you know, it's very unique inthat regard.
So that's great to hear thatyou're doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (28:04):
It is.
It's it's actually a greatexample of where being part of
the platform company, um, youknow, any one of our brands
would probably not be able toafford that technology and
expertise on their own, but wepool, you know, that ability and
we're able to have expertisethat allows us to then punch
above our weight and delivervalue for our franchisees and
our guests that that youcouldn't get in a company of our
(28:26):
our size otherwise.
And so it's it's it's really thefuture of uh doing data-driven
demand generation and that thatnext you know view of of
loyalty.
Um, the other example of usingthat data-driven piece goes back
to what I said in the store.
We're actually taking that guestinformation and putting it in
front of the cashier as well.
So they they know you and theyknow again, do you get the
(28:49):
orange or the green uh tabletag?
So we're mapping that throughthe whole customer journey.
And that's intrinsically part ofloyalty as well.
SPEAKER_01 (28:56):
Excellent.
Uh, a couple more questionshere.
You know, what's the next bigthing for customer loyalty,
customer experience that uh yourbrand brands are focused on in
investing today?
SPEAKER_00 (29:08):
It's like choosing uh your favorite child.
You're gonna you're gonna makeme pick one.
There's there's two and theypull in different directions.
So I might I might have to gowith two.
So one is continuing to leaninto more of that
personalization and data-drivenum personalized marketing.
Absolutely.
And that's both in-store and outof store in digital.
But the second one that webelieve in is um the more
(29:29):
physical side of it, combiningthat that data-driven insight
with physical.
What do I mean by that?
So, for instance, in in theMardi Gras time frame, big for
our brand, we're originally fromMississippi, uh, we actually
gave our top 100 customers ahand delivered to their home or
office big gift box that wasgold foil wrapped, Mardi Gras
(29:52):
themed, a true gift from us thatincluded a whole lot of swag.
Um, actually, this McAllister.
Cup was one example.
Some socks and a big physicalthank you gift.
And we're going to do that a fewtimes a year for our customers
that are in that frequently.
And again, that's that's thatnourishing connections purpose
(30:14):
of yes, you do that throughtechnology and insights, but
sometimes that human gift andthat human connection is just as
important to weave through.
SPEAKER_01 (30:22):
Absolutely.
And I think the many brands arelooking for that surprise and
delight or ways, uh, or should Isay, types of rewards or
incentives or engagementopportunities that are more
experiential, that have kind ofa more mode of appeal.
And it's great to hear thatyou're doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (30:36):
It's it, it's really the promise when you think about
loyalty, um, and particularly aloyalty program.
There's a core part of you haveto again have a best in class
loyalty program that has choice,that's built on points, that
gives you that data, but it'swhat you do with that data and
how you personalize it that alsounlocks that next level of value
and loyalty, we believe.
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
Absolutely.
Uh second last question.
What are two or three thingsyou're most proud of your
program?
SPEAKER_00 (31:04):
Um I think our customer feedback is what I
would say I'm I am most proudof.
Again, we we set a bar forourselves to say we have to be
continually improving whatguests feel about our loyalty
program and our brand.
And we have the mechanisms to becontinually monitoring that.
So that is something that I'mmost proud of because at the end
(31:25):
of the day, if customers aren'tseeing value, um, then you're
you're not really winning in thelong term.
And so proud of our continuingincrease in value scores and in
satisfaction with the loyaltyprogram.
Um, the other thing I would sayis uh new customer enrollment.
So as we open up in new markets,um we see that loyalty and the
(31:48):
loyalty program and our overallbrand promise really resonate
with new guests.
And it has helped us continue toset new records for new store
openings.
Every market we go into yearover year, we're setting new
records in new store openingsales and the amount of loyalty
signups as well.
SPEAKER_01 (32:06):
That's great.
That's great to hear.
And it it again, it's somethingthat we see pretty uh
significantly or kind of prettyconsistently now is this this
leaning into customer loyaltyand making sure that you're
leveraging the data and thatyour customer loyalty guests are
getting the best offers versussomeone you may not know as
well.
And it sounds like you're doingthe same.
SPEAKER_00 (32:25):
That's right.
And you want to create that fearof missing out, right?
Again, for those that aren'tloyalty members, that's why we
have that other table tent so wecan come out and have that
conversation with you.
SPEAKER_01 (32:32):
That's awesome.
And then last question, what canthe loyalty 360 do to help you
or your team in your customerloyalty journey?
SPEAKER_00 (32:38):
You know, I think continuing to have conversations
like this um across industries,we're always looking to say,
what are other folks doing?
Um, what are you seeing that'sthat's a best practice?
Um, how can you be the voice forconsumers out there, especially
in the changing marketplace,right?
Look, everything is changing sorapidly for consumers in any
(32:58):
industry.
And I think um you guyscontinuing to nourish this
community, have thesediscussions, and bring your
point of view forward is hugelyhelpful.
SPEAKER_01 (33:06):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much forthat.
Uh it was a great uh greatopportunity to get to know you a
little bit better.
Uh, I know we've spoken in thepast, but also learn about some
of the amazing things you'redoing in the council.
I'm a big, big, big fan.
Uh, and this is one of the bestinterviews I've had in a while.
So, and I've had a string ofthem recently.
It's like three or four in a rowthat have been solid.
Uh and uh, but no, this is uh agreat interview.
(33:28):
Uh they're not always asimpactful or you know, you take
away so much.
So thank you for sharing.
SPEAKER_00 (33:34):
No, absolutely.
I've been I've enjoyed it, anduh we'll definitely send you
some tea passes too.
SPEAKER_01 (33:39):
That'd be great.
But real quick, we have thequick fire questions, which uh
we like to get a one-word orshort phrase response.
Uh, and they're easy.
What is your favorite word?
Oh, copy.
Okay.
What's your least favorite word?
SPEAKER_00 (33:52):
Uh, anyways.
SPEAKER_01 (33:54):
Okay.
What excites you?
SPEAKER_00 (33:57):
Uh creating new things.
SPEAKER_01 (34:00):
What do you find tiresome?
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Uh negative people.
SPEAKER_01 (34:04):
Uh is there a book that you've read or you uh uh
read once or twice that you liketo recommend to colleagues?
SPEAKER_00 (34:09):
Do you know what?
When I read books, this is thisis the embarrassing one.
I am more of like the TomClancy, just you know, unplug
and do the Jack Reacher TomCrancy type thing.
SPEAKER_01 (34:18):
So Is there a profession other than the one
you currently are involved inthat you may like to attempt?
SPEAKER_00 (34:24):
Completely outside of this realm, uh social work
and working with foster kids.
SPEAKER_01 (34:29):
That is awesome.
Is there something that youenjoy, but you often don't get
the time to do?
SPEAKER_00 (34:34):
Uh yes, hiking, uh long distance hiking.
I used to say running, but thatthose days are behind me, so
hiking.
SPEAKER_01 (34:41):
Okay.
Who inspired you to become theperson you are today?
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Uh a combination of multiple folks, uh, I would say.
SPEAKER_01 (34:49):
And what do you think about at the end of the
day?
SPEAKER_00 (34:53):
Family.
SPEAKER_01 (34:54):
And last question uh how do you want to be remembered
by your friends and family?
SPEAKER_00 (34:58):
Uh as someone that gave of their time and uh and
helped others and and also hadan impact.
SPEAKER_01 (35:05):
Excellent.
Again, Danielle, thank you verymuch for taking the time to
speak with us today.
Uh it was a pleasure getting toknow you more and getting an
update on the Calistors program.
Uh, thanks again.
SPEAKER_00 (35:14):
Awesome.
Have a great day.
Enjoyed it.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (35:16):
You as well.
And thank you, everyone, fortaking the time to listen today.
Make sure you join us back everyThursday for our Leaders and
Customer Loyalty Series.
And until then, have a wonderfulday.
Good afternoon, good morning, Mark Johnson from
Loyalty360.
Everyone's happy, safe, andwell.
It's Thursday, so welcome backto our Leaders in Customer
Loyalty podcast.
This is the Brand Storiesedition, where we explore the
evolving dynamics of customerloyalty and brand strategy
across industries.
Today we're going to be divinginto the restaurant space.
(00:25):
A sector that's undergoing rapidtransformation.
As value becomes an increasinglycritical focus, brands are
rethinking how they delivermeaningful experiences to both
customers and employees.
In this episode, we're going tobe joined by Daniel Para.
She's the chief brand officer atMcAllister's Delhi.
Daniel brings a freshperspective on what she calls
(00:48):
craftsmanship, a term not oftenassociated with restaurant
brands.
But she uses it with conviction,passion, and clarity.
She's going to share how thisphilosophy shapes McAllister's
unique approach to customerloyalty and brand identity.
We're also going to explore howbeing a part of a larger
(01:08):
consortium of brands, GoToFoods, seven iconic brands,
purpose-driven brands, presentsboth challenges and
opportunities, especially whenit comes to leveraging scale,
technology, and shared vision todrive innovation.
But in this case, they do anamazing job of effective
engagement across the brand.
So doing some things that arevery unique.
(01:29):
Danielle, thank you very muchfor taking the time to join us
today.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
I am doing well, Mark.
Thank you for having me andlooking forward to a great
conversation about loyalty andall things emotional branding.
SPEAKER_01 (01:41):
I'm very much excited about that.
There's nothing I'd rather doexcept maybe watch my kids play
their college sports than uhtalk to smart person, smart
people about customer loyalty.
So it should be a greatconversation.
Awesome.
So for uh first off, for thosewho may not be familiar, can you
give us a brief introduction toMcAllisters?
You know, how, why was thecompany started?
SPEAKER_00 (02:02):
Absolutely.
So McAllisters is a 36-year-oldbrand that is growing like an
entrepreneurial startup.
And so we're over a billiondollars in sales, over 560
locations, and continuing togrow in a national footprint.
So the heart and soulMcAllisters for those years and
(02:22):
what makes us super relevant nowis about nourishing connections.
And so it's deeply rooted inloyalty and emotional
connections with our guests andwith the communities that we are
a part of.
And we have a space we've carvedout that I'll call Fast Casual
Plus.
So I would say we're we're notreally like any other concept
(02:45):
out there in the sense of wehave over 160 menu items.
Uh, we are rooted in variety,hand craftsmanship, and again,
that special aspect of nurturingconnections with our guests and
with communities.
And so that's what makes mesuper proud to be leading this
(03:05):
brand and feel very privilegedto work with our franchisees and
continue to grow this brand andbring that experience to
communities across the country.
SPEAKER_01 (03:13):
That's awesome.
Uh, we're a big fan ofMcAllisters.
We have most of our uh kind ofmeetings there since we uh don't
have an office anymore.
We meet at McAllisters quiteoften and uh they know us quite
well, and uh so it's it's alwaysgood to go there.
I'm a big iced tea guy, so uhit's uh it's you know guys have
great iced tea, which is alwaysa plus.
SPEAKER_00 (03:31):
Oh, wonderful.
At the moment, we have peachmango as our featured flavor,
and that is flying off theshelf.
So that one is definitely awinner.
SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
Yeah, I'm just more of a kind of a black iced tea
guy, maybe a little sugar kindof uh aficionado.
Uh so, but I'm sure peach isgood as well.
That's great.
You mentioned kind of nurturingconnections, and I think as I
mentioned, that's one of thethings that uh kind of the local
McAllister's that we go to doesa really great job of.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
And you know, uh, you know, isthat one of the kind of
contributing factors to thegreat success that you're seeing
(04:01):
within the brand?
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
Thank you for teeing up that question.
And I would say absolutely theheart and soul of any brand that
can be successful and stillgrowing at the pace we are after
over 35 years, is there has tobe a differentiation.
You have to really resonate andwin hearts and minds of your
guests.
And I think that's exactly whatMcAllister's has done.
(04:24):
It's been part of the DNA fromthe beginning to really nourish
those individual connections.
We've called it a littlesomething extra.
So if you think about in yourown personal relationships,
right?
What are those relationshipsthat stand the test of time?
Um, what defines a relationshipinstead of just a transaction?
It's about giving that littlesomething extra.
And it is part of the DNA ofreally how we we work with all
(04:48):
of the team members.
So what you feel when youdescribe that connection, you
describe your team coming in, wewant you to feel like someone
has really read the signals ofyou today, either remembered you
as a customer or for the firsttime you've been there.
We we call it our first-timeguests, are um just the the
regulars who don't yet know it,right?
(05:08):
And so we're looking to bringsomething, little something
extra every day.
And that's having the managersget out from behind the counter
and come in and talk to ourguests.
Um, it's how we have built thatinto our technology solutions
that intersect with thathumanity.
So nourishing connections ispart of our formal loyalty
program.
So even when you're not in thatdining room with us, you're
(05:29):
feeling that connection pointand you're you're feeling part
of that relationship over time.
So I would say for us, we are apurpose-driven brand, and that
purpose is nourishingconnections and it weaves
through everything we do fromhow our operations team show up
to how we define our menustrategies, um, and certainly
(05:51):
how we've crafted our loyaltyprogram and technology and
marketing solutions as well.
SPEAKER_01 (05:56):
Excellent.
And as I mentioned, I'm a bigiced tea guy.
Uh, we go to McCallistors quiteoften, have the tea pass, uh, so
it's always good to have somegood black iced tea, maybe a
little bit of sweet in there.
Um, but I think sometimes icedtea people kind of get uh
neglected a little bit, right?
Everyone's coffee, cappuccinos,uh being an iced tea person and
having such amazing iced tea, itmeans a lot to me, right?
(06:19):
And then the food is also solidas well, right?
And the kind of the experienceyou mentioned with the managers
and the staff, because they theythey pretty much cheer just like
norm at cheers.
But uh, you know, what does icedtea or how does iced tea kind of
play into that amazing uh youknow, customer loyalty you have
and the engagement you have?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Well, first of all, I love that you are a tea fan.
And, you know, absolutely,whether it's it's coffee or tea
or anything that's handcrafted,how you make the beverage
matters.
Certainly how you deliver itwith the service and the loyalty
wrapper, but for us, the tea hasalways been a really iconic part
of the brand because what you'retasting in that flavor is a
(06:59):
proprietary blend.
We have very exactingspecifications of how we blend
it, the ratio with water.
It's served hot over ice.
The ice is actually a reallyspecially configured type of ice
as well.
And so it is that craftsmanshipI was describing absolutely
comes to life in the tea.
(07:21):
And it's part of what we reallytake seriously.
In all of our food, we have alittle twist, but in the tea in
particular, it's been thaticonic proprietary blend that
again, from from first day oftraining, if you're if you're a
new team member working for oneof our franchisees, you are
absolutely learning how tocraft.
It's not make, it's craft, howto craft that perfect cup of
(07:43):
iced tea.
Um, and the other thing youmentioned and would love to talk
about because it goes into thatloyalty as well, is tea pass.
So tea pass is about leaninginto that consumer insight.
We have fanatical fans of ourtea.
And so, what better way toreward some of our tea fans than
(08:03):
create a pass where for a veryreasonable price, you get an
iced tea every day for 30 days.
And so that really was theinsight behind the tea pass is
why not make it easier for ourbest guests to enjoy a tea every
single day.
Come in, have that experience ofseeing your team member.
(08:24):
Um, bring a friend with you,right?
Be able to have everything fromtea with your lunch to an
afternoon snack, maybe a tea anda cookie.
Um, and just really turn thatfrom a transactional purchase
into that relationship.
And so uh love that you have theT Pass.
And that was the exact insightbehind it is um lots of brands
have subscription programs, butfor us, it's about, you know,
(08:47):
really saying what matters forus is the tea and how do we
treat our T Pass customers alittle bit differently when they
come in as well?
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
Excellent.
Um, you were pointed to ChiefBrand Officer earlier this year.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that role uh with the
company or your role with thecompany?
And also how did you get towhere you are today?
Uh, were there positions thatled you to this role?
You mentioned that you've beenuh part of uh the the seven
iconic brands for a while.
You know, how did you get towhere you are today and what is
(09:15):
the chief brand officer?
SPEAKER_00 (09:16):
So I'll start with that last part.
So, chief brand officer, um,that's the terminology we use
within GoToFoods.
At other companies, you mightfind these roles called
president of the brand.
And so my job is to look out forum the strategy, operations,
growth, um, and marketing of theMcAllister's brand, as well as
(09:38):
obviously working hand in handwith our franchisee teams.
Uh, so so that's the terminologywe use.
So each of our seven brandswithin GoToFoods has a chief
brand officer.
Get in other companies, youmight find that to be a
president role.
Um, and so that's a little bitabout who who uh what that chief
brand officer role is.
And I have been in this role forMcAllisters since January.
Um, I've been with GoToFoods intotal for five years.
(10:02):
And so in the the four years orso prior to that, um I had the
privilege of leading our centralmarketing and culinary teams
across the seven brands, andthen transitioned uh to be the
chief brand officer forMcAllisters in January.
Um, it's been a tremendous fiveyears.
Really, uh, my role in thoseearlier years was to help build
(10:24):
that platform company acrossthese seven iconic brands.
We've built shared services, forinstance, a paid media group,
whereby we're able to still haveabsolutely tailored plans for
each one of our brands.
Um build a loyalty programinfrastructure where you have
absolutely tailored loyaltyprograms for each of our brands,
(10:44):
but do it with some sharedservices expertise.
And so we call it kind ofallowing the brands to punch
above their weight.
So it's it's a super honor andthrill for me now to be leading
a brand using some of thoseplatform engines.
And therefore, we're winningagainst competition in a way
that's even bigger and betterthan what McAllister's is able
to do on its own.
(11:05):
So that's a little bit about theum portfolio company and
business that we've built hereat GoToFoods.
Um, you asked about my priorbackground.
Prior to joining GoToFoods, umI've spent over 20 years in a
combination of uh technology anddigital roles.
Uh, early part of my career wasactually working for a
(11:25):
technology company and helpingto bring um loyalty programs to
life.
For instance, uh CaesarsEntertainment uh and Harris
Casinos back in the day.
I was part of the team to helpreally build and craft that
loyalty program, one of thefirst multi-brand loyalty
programs, um, as part of thetechnology team, and then worked
(11:45):
full-time with them as well inthe marketing function.
So I've spent a lot of years inrestaurants, in hospitality, and
in retail in a combination oftechnology, digital, and loyalty
roles, but also um overall brandas chief marketing officer and
chief digital officer.
Um, and in addition to that, uhoperations and PL management
(12:06):
roles.
So companies like Caesars,Petco, uh, Pet Boys, uh, prior
to coming, I would say, backhome to the food industry, which
is how I put myself uh throughcollege.
SPEAKER_01 (12:17):
Excellent.
When you look at the uh, youknow, you mentioned that you uh
have kind of a fast casual plus,I think you mentioned earlier,
uh, very interesting.
Uh the whole uh fast casualrestaurant industry, QSR, is
changing a good deal.
You know, when you look at someof the changes that you see
within the industry, you know,what are some of the biggest
challenges or opportunities yousee or face?
(12:38):
You know, what keeps you up atnight?
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
So I think one of the biggest things, and it's
it's been at the heart of whatcustomers are seeking for a
while, but it's becoming harderand harder for um companies in
our space to deliver, which isvalue.
Customers clearly want value,they want connection, and they
want to feel like they'reconnected to a purpose.
And so for us, um, that's wherewe continue to lean into what we
(13:03):
think is that secret sauce forMcAllisters on the value front,
because we have such a varietyof menu items, and we have
something as unique and iconicas our sweet tea, but also
spuds, right?
And we have incredibly uniquesandwiches like the jalapeno
turkey crunch, where you havejalapeno bread, you've got
(13:25):
turkey, avocado, and some spicychips on there.
Um, we have salads and reallythe ability to play in this
variety so that you can not havea veto vote in your group and in
your friends.
And people see value in that.
People see value in thatrelationship.
When we talk about Fast CasualPlus, the reason we we describe
(13:45):
it that way is you're not comingin and just ordering at a
counter and feeling like you'rein a transactional environment.
We we have our employees and ourmanagers that will come and
deliver your food and willrefill your drinks, have a
conversation with you.
It's part of our service model.
Um, and ultimately bust yourtables.
So that's where it's a fastcasual plus is you're getting
(14:08):
that human connection.
You're getting the table servicewithin our environment.
And customers give us credit forthat, where we see, you know, in
an environment where there are alot more choices in the
restaurant space than there havebeen in prior years, and where
certainly inflation has putpressure on consumers, we see
our customer satisfaction scoresand our value scores from
(14:30):
customers going up year overyear significantly.
And so when you say what'schanging and what keeps us up at
night, we're constantly lookingat how do we make sure we're
putting value into everything webring to our customers?
Um, and that same lens we we dodigitally as well.
SPEAKER_01 (14:50):
And and value is a pretty significant area of uh
interest uh within ourcommunity, right?
We meet every week on ondifferent topics, brands lead
different uh sessions arounddisparate topics on customer
experience, customer loyalty,and value right now is one of
the big uh kind of discussions,right?
Uh is there value internally ofthe program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
(15:11):
Uh, but also is that programproviding value to the
customers?
Uh there's some challengingeconomic uh kind of headwinds
potentially, depending on theindustry.
Uh, and you know, the customersare asking their uh brands they
engage with to maybe do more forthem, to help them out through
this time.
That's right.
You know, how are you looking atvalue uh, you know, from your
(15:32):
industry and what does that,what does value mean?
SPEAKER_00 (15:35):
Value to us has a couple of different dimensions.
Um, it is it is not just anumber from a discount
perspective.
In fact, as a brand, we largelydon't play in discount and price
point situations.
We obviously do highlypersonalized offers and we we we
have a loyalty program that hasrich value for every time you're
(15:55):
purchasing with us, you'regetting rewarded and you're
earning your choice of rewards.
But for us, value is so muchdeeper.
Our rallying cry aroundnourishing connections and our
approach to loyalty and value isthe intersection of a loyalty
program, technology, and thathuman relationship.
And so, what do I mean by that?
(16:17):
I'll give you an example of oneway that we've we've formalized
that value and that loyalty thatincludes the human interaction.
When you come into McAllister'sto dine with us, in order for
the team member to be able todeliver your food to the table
and have that interaction withyou, you need a table number.
And so one of the things that wewanted to do, again,
operationally embedding it, wassay, we need to give a cue to
(16:40):
our team member who's coming todeliver that order.
Is this person part of ourloyalty program or are they not
part of our loyalty program?
And so it's actually a differentcolor on the table number.
And that will designate to theteam member is this person
already part of our loyaltyprogram, or do I need to have a
different conversation withthem?
And so we have built thosepieces in.
(17:01):
If you're a loyalty member,someone's going to come to the
table and say, thank you.
Thank you for being a loyaltymember.
Perhaps it's let me give you alittle something extra.
It's part of our servicephilosophy, which may be a free
cookie today.
Let me just come and have aconversation with you.
If you're there with your kids,maybe I'm engaging in what is
their activity, right?
(17:22):
And really have thatconversation separate from if I
see that you have the tablenumber color where you're not a
loyalty program member.
Great, let me give you a coupleof talking points.
Would you like to earn a freetea today?
You can sign up today, getcredit for your current program,
and earn a free tea.
And so in both of thosescenarios, we've empowered them
(17:43):
to give a little somethingextra, to treat the guests
differently.
And it doesn't feel sotransactional.
It feels like someone is reallyengaging with you as a human.
And so that's one example of howwe look at value so much more
deeply and back to that purposeof nourishing connections.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
That's awesome.
And I know that's that's also apretty big challenge.
Significant challenge we have uhor we hear about within our
community as well is you know,understanding the program.
How are you training around theprogram?
How much should you empower thatfrontline employee?
How much should you trust them,right?
And that that can be a prettysignificant challenge for many
brands, right?
Finding the right person, manybrands have internal advocates,
(18:23):
right, that that will do sometraining, store to store,
location to location, but thatthat help kind of assuage maybe
the challenges of understandingthe program.
Because if the if the if theemployees don't understand the
program, the value of theprogram, the value of that data,
the value of the engagement, itcan be somewhat challenging for
you know them to talk about it.
But it sounds like you have avery proactive approach to
employee engagement and kind ofuh training around the
(18:46):
importance and impact of theprogram.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
You have to, and you have to make it simple, right?
When you when you think aboutthose table colors, we're we're
training our human team membersas much as anything else.
You have to make it simple tothem, right?
There are so many things that afrontline employee has to do,
whether you're in a retailenvironment or in a restaurant
environment.
You have to make it simple forthem and you have to give them
something to your point to offerthe customer.
(19:11):
And so we solve both of thosethings by embedding it in those
operational rituals and doingsomething like those different
color table numbers.
SPEAKER_01 (19:18):
Excellent.
I know you recently revamped andrelaunched the uh customer
loyalty program, theMcAllister's reward program.
You know, what were McAllister'smain objectives with the loyalty
relaunch?
Uh, and were you aiming to boostfrequency, engagement, spend?
I mean, were there some kind ofdefinitions or kind of uh kind
of did you have like an overallarching approach that you were
looking for?
(19:39):
Or, you know, what were youlooking to do?
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
We started with a customer at the center and
really stepped back and said,again, true to our brand purpose
and based on what customerswant, what are they telling us?
And one of those biggest thingswas choice and continual choice.
So for our program, one of thebackbones, it's a point-based
system for the loyalty programitself.
But one of the key parts of thatis you choose your reward,
(20:03):
right?
When you get to that freebeverage or dessert, do you want
to redeem then or do you want towait and accrue that for a
higher value reward?
So leaning into that choice,because we know that we have so
many different types ofcustomers within our customer
base.
We have everyone from a collegestudent where we're really
building that relationship kindof young, um, huge presence on
(20:26):
college campuses and in collegetowns.
Well, they're motivated bysomething different.
Their value uh is probably thatfree entree, which can last
them, you know, two meals.
Whereas you have a mom with kidsin another situation, her value
is different, or someone we callthem lunch breakers who come in
very frequently during the dayfrom a lunch perspective.
And so we know through our dataand through um having a loyalty
(20:50):
program that there are all thosedifferent needs.
And we know our customers tellus that part of the value they
see is in that variety andchoice.
And so that was a backbone forthe program and really building
that in.
And it flows through all of theways that we engage our
customers from a loyaltystandpoint and then using that
(21:10):
data to give them personalizedoffers as well.
SPEAKER_01 (21:14):
That's awesome.
And I know uh, you know,engaging the customer, engaging
the employee to understand notonly what they know about the
program, but also, you know, ifthere's enhancements you can
make to the program.
So you seem to be very proactivein that regard as well.
And, you know, how did youengage with the customers from a
VOC or employees VOE perspectiveto kind of design the new
(21:35):
program, the new processes?
SPEAKER_00 (21:37):
So we're very fortunate to work in a franchise
business and we have a franchiseadvisory council.
I mentioned that because that'sone way that we get the voice of
the employees funneled back tous on a regular basis.
And so I mentioned earlier, wereally listen to our guests.
Um, we we do that throughresearch.
We also have a um fantastic inthe moment, we can actually ask
(21:59):
questions on a daily basisthrough our, we call it guest
focus, our program that collectsour satisfaction data.
And so we have a real-timepulse.
If I have a question today thatI want to ask through GoToFoods
platform company capabilities,we can literally put a question
out there, ask consumers, andand tomorrow I've got an answer
to some of those questions.
(22:20):
So we're constantly seekingvoice of the customer.
Our franchisees provide a largepart of the voice of the
employee.
And then we bring thosetogether.
And I'll tie it back actually toT Pass.
So T Pass is an example whereyou know we heard from some of
our employees, hey, we have somepassionate folks that are in
(22:40):
here all the time.
What can we do for them?
Right.
We've had as a brand every yearfree tea day.
Just had it on July 17th, wherewe give everyone free tea.
Again, we know there is apassion point.
And they said, what can we do?
Well, let's create the T Pass.
Let's have it be for loyaltymembers only.
So I'm incenting you to join andI'm rewarding our best
(23:00):
customers.
And let's then train ouremployees on it so that they can
sign our best customers up forthe T Pass and give them that
value and build thatrelationship.
So I would say we use both voiceof the customer and voice of the
employee data and are alwayslooking to say, then how do we
build that into our technology?
(23:21):
And how do we make sure we'vetrained those employees?
So when you come in, they'regiving that best experience and
really are able to walk someonethrough what's a T Pass.
SPEAKER_01 (23:30):
Excellent.
Uh customer loyalty.
Uh, we get the privilege ofspeaking with uh individuals
like yourself who run veryiconic brands, who have great
customer engagement, customerloyalty programs.
But we always love hearing, youknow, what customer loyalty
means from a qualitativeperspective, right?
So when you look at customerloyalty, you know, what does it
mean to you and to McAllisters?
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
Um it means nourishing connections.
So for us, loyalty is so muchmore than just the loyalty
program.
Look, a loyalty program, and youin the community know this, a
loyalty program is imperative.
It's imperative that you do itwell.
It's a cornerstone for how wecollect data to be able to give
even more personalizedexperiences to our guest, but
(24:13):
loyalty does not stop with thatprogram.
It weaves through everything wedo.
And so I'll give you an examplewhen we think about loyalty in
another marketing environment.
Um, in our social mediachannels, we have engagement
questions and conversations.
We ask for menu item feedback,right?
(24:33):
Um, we are always looking forhow do we have that lens of
nourishing and creatingconnections and having a two-way
dialogue with our customers?
Um, loyalty for us is didsomeone have a great experience
and they want to choose to comeback?
And to your point, there'sobviously metrics we put behind
that.
Are we winning against ourcompetitors?
Are we driving frequency?
(24:55):
Did we get a purchase that maybewe wouldn't have otherwise
gotten?
Of course, those are theeconomics that power a business.
But but loyalty is really aboutthat relationship.
And so we measure it throughguest satisfaction and feedback,
we measure it through socialengagement, absolutely through a
loyalty program.
We have over 25% of our salesthat are attached to the loyalty
(25:17):
program, which in our industryis substantial.
Um, and we have a large digitalpresence as well.
So absolutely it's a combinationof qualitative and quantitative
metrics, but it is not justabout the loyalty program.
It's about deepening customerrelationships every day and in
every one of our touch points.
SPEAKER_01 (25:37):
Okay.
When you look at your vision forcustomer loyalty, obviously the
McAllister's uh MCA program, therewards program is integral into
that uh kind of vision, correct?
SPEAKER_00 (25:47):
It absolutely is.
SPEAKER_01 (25:49):
Excellent.
Uh, personalization is isanother uh area of a pretty
significant interest, makingsure you have the right offer,
right channel, uh you know, uhright content, um, whatever it
may be, to these differentaudiences segments you have,
from the young college studentto the expected mother to the
grandmother or grandparent,right?
Everyone's gonna have uniqueexperiences.
(26:09):
So when you look atpersonalization, how are you
personalizing the offer, theexperience to these different
audience segments?
SPEAKER_00 (26:16):
Well, this is where it gets really exciting to talk
about because the loyaltyprogram gives you the data to be
able to do that as well.
We have tools in our paid mediaenvironment, in our web, an app
to be able to listen to ourcustomer behavior.
And we've actually brought allof that together in a
centralized customer dataplatform, which we then use to
(26:37):
do that personalization.
So that personalization comes inthe form of an offer that's
specific to individuals orindividual segments.
And so we have an offer enginethat continually runs and
delivers through email, as anexample, a tailored offer
depending on that profile andthat behavior.
We also have been able to takethat data and tie it into paid
(27:01):
media.
So when we're in Facebook or inInstagram, we're able to say,
hey, we want to go aftercustomers that look like our
best current loyalty customersand let's use that data and
target them.
And we actually can target ourcurrent loyalty customers in
some of those media platforms aswell.
(27:22):
And so we're very intentionalabout using that loyalty
customer data to do exactly whatyou're describing.
Who are our customers?
Let's create them in segments.
What is some statisticalmodeling and AI-driven offer
optimization we can do anddeliver personalized offers?
And then how do we reach themwith tailored offers and
(27:45):
messages and targeting, even inareas like media that are
outside of our own channels?
SPEAKER_01 (27:50):
Yeah.
Having a media offering, it'sdefinitely kind of a pretty
synchronic area of interest, butfor you know, a you know,
restaurant, QSR, or kind of afast casual plus, should I say,
you know, it's very unique inthat regard.
So that's great to hear thatyou're doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (28:04):
It is.
It's it's actually a greatexample of where being part of
the platform company, um, youknow, any one of our brands
would probably not be able toafford that technology and
expertise on their own, but wepool, you know, that ability and
we're able to have expertisethat allows us to then punch
above our weight and delivervalue for our franchisees and
our guests that that youcouldn't get in a company of our
(28:26):
our size otherwise.
And so it's it's it's really thefuture of uh doing data-driven
demand generation and that thatnext you know view of of
loyalty.
Um, the other example of usingthat data-driven piece goes back
to what I said in the store.
We're actually taking that guestinformation and putting it in
front of the cashier as well.
So they they know you and theyknow again, do you get the
(28:49):
orange or the green uh tabletag?
So we're mapping that throughthe whole customer journey.
And that's intrinsically part ofloyalty as well.
SPEAKER_01 (28:56):
Excellent.
Uh, a couple more questionshere.
You know, what's the next bigthing for customer loyalty,
customer experience that uh yourbrand brands are focused on in
investing today?
SPEAKER_00 (29:08):
It's like choosing uh your favorite child.
You're gonna you're gonna makeme pick one.
There's there's two and theypull in different directions.
So I might I might have to gowith two.
So one is continuing to leaninto more of that
personalization and data-drivenum personalized marketing.
Absolutely.
And that's both in-store and outof store in digital.
But the second one that webelieve in is um the more
(29:29):
physical side of it, combiningthat that data-driven insight
with physical.
What do I mean by that?
So, for instance, in in theMardi Gras time frame, big for
our brand, we're originally fromMississippi, uh, we actually
gave our top 100 customers ahand delivered to their home or
office big gift box that wasgold foil wrapped, Mardi Gras
(29:52):
themed, a true gift from us thatincluded a whole lot of swag.
Um, actually, this McAllister.
Cup was one example.
Some socks and a big physicalthank you gift.
And we're going to do that a fewtimes a year for our customers
that are in that frequently.
And again, that's that's thatnourishing connections purpose
(30:14):
of yes, you do that throughtechnology and insights, but
sometimes that human gift andthat human connection is just as
important to weave through.
SPEAKER_01 (30:22):
Absolutely.
And I think the many brands arelooking for that surprise and
delight or ways, uh, or should Isay, types of rewards or
incentives or engagementopportunities that are more
experiential, that have kind ofa more mode of appeal.
And it's great to hear thatyou're doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (30:36):
It's it, it's really the promise when you think about
loyalty, um, and particularly aloyalty program.
There's a core part of you haveto again have a best in class
loyalty program that has choice,that's built on points, that
gives you that data, but it'swhat you do with that data and
how you personalize it that alsounlocks that next level of value
and loyalty, we believe.
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
Absolutely.
Uh second last question.
What are two or three thingsyou're most proud of your
program?
SPEAKER_00 (31:04):
Um I think our customer feedback is what I
would say I'm I am most proudof.
Again, we we set a bar forourselves to say we have to be
continually improving whatguests feel about our loyalty
program and our brand.
And we have the mechanisms to becontinually monitoring that.
So that is something that I'mmost proud of because at the end
(31:25):
of the day, if customers aren'tseeing value, um, then you're
you're not really winning in thelong term.
And so proud of our continuingincrease in value scores and in
satisfaction with the loyaltyprogram.
Um, the other thing I would sayis uh new customer enrollment.
So as we open up in new markets,um we see that loyalty and the
(31:48):
loyalty program and our overallbrand promise really resonate
with new guests.
And it has helped us continue toset new records for new store
openings.
Every market we go into yearover year, we're setting new
records in new store openingsales and the amount of loyalty
signups as well.
SPEAKER_01 (32:06):
That's great.
That's great to hear.
And it it again, it's somethingthat we see pretty uh
significantly or kind of prettyconsistently now is this this
leaning into customer loyaltyand making sure that you're
leveraging the data and thatyour customer loyalty guests are
getting the best offers versussomeone you may not know as
well.
And it sounds like you're doingthe same.
SPEAKER_00 (32:25):
That's right.
And you want to create that fearof missing out, right?
Again, for those that aren'tloyalty members, that's why we
have that other table tent so wecan come out and have that
conversation with you.
SPEAKER_01 (32:32):
That's awesome.
And then last question, what canthe loyalty 360 do to help you
or your team in your customerloyalty journey?
SPEAKER_00 (32:38):
You know, I think continuing to have conversations
like this um across industries,we're always looking to say,
what are other folks doing?
Um, what are you seeing that'sthat's a best practice?
Um, how can you be the voice forconsumers out there, especially
in the changing marketplace,right?
Look, everything is changing sorapidly for consumers in any
(32:58):
industry.
And I think um you guyscontinuing to nourish this
community, have thesediscussions, and bring your
point of view forward is hugelyhelpful.
SPEAKER_01 (33:06):
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much forthat.
Uh it was a great uh greatopportunity to get to know you a
little bit better.
Uh, I know we've spoken in thepast, but also learn about some
of the amazing things you'redoing in the council.
I'm a big, big, big fan.
Uh, and this is one of the bestinterviews I've had in a while.
So, and I've had a string ofthem recently.
It's like three or four in a rowthat have been solid.
Uh and uh, but no, this is uh agreat interview.
(33:28):
Uh they're not always asimpactful or you know, you take
away so much.
So thank you for sharing.
SPEAKER_00 (33:34):
No, absolutely.
I've been I've enjoyed it, anduh we'll definitely send you
some tea passes too.
SPEAKER_01 (33:39):
That'd be great.
But real quick, we have thequick fire questions, which uh
we like to get a one-word orshort phrase response.
Uh, and they're easy.
What is your favorite word?
Oh, copy.
Okay.
What's your least favorite word?
SPEAKER_00 (33:52):
Uh, anyways.
SPEAKER_01 (33:54):
Okay.
What excites you?
SPEAKER_00 (33:57):
Uh creating new things.
SPEAKER_01 (34:00):
What do you find tiresome?
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Uh negative people.
SPEAKER_01 (34:04):
Uh is there a book that you've read or you uh uh
read once or twice that you liketo recommend to colleagues?
SPEAKER_00 (34:09):
Do you know what?
When I read books, this is thisis the embarrassing one.
I am more of like the TomClancy, just you know, unplug
and do the Jack Reacher TomCrancy type thing.
SPEAKER_01 (34:18):
So Is there a profession other than the one
you currently are involved inthat you may like to attempt?
SPEAKER_00 (34:24):
Completely outside of this realm, uh social work
and working with foster kids.
SPEAKER_01 (34:29):
That is awesome.
Is there something that youenjoy, but you often don't get
the time to do?
SPEAKER_00 (34:34):
Uh yes, hiking, uh long distance hiking.
I used to say running, but thatthose days are behind me, so
hiking.
SPEAKER_01 (34:41):
Okay.
Who inspired you to become theperson you are today?
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Uh a combination of multiple folks, uh, I would say.
SPEAKER_01 (34:49):
And what do you think about at the end of the
day?
SPEAKER_00 (34:53):
Family.
SPEAKER_01 (34:54):
And last question uh how do you want to be remembered
by your friends and family?
SPEAKER_00 (34:58):
Uh as someone that gave of their time and uh and
helped others and and also hadan impact.
SPEAKER_01 (35:05):
Excellent.
Again, Danielle, thank you verymuch for taking the time to
speak with us today.
Uh it was a pleasure getting toknow you more and getting an
update on the Calistors program.
Uh, thanks again.
SPEAKER_00 (35:14):
Awesome.
Have a great day.
Enjoyed it.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (35:16):
You as well.
And thank you, everyone, fortaking the time to listen today.
Make sure you join us back everyThursday for our Leaders and
Customer Loyalty Series.
And until then, have a wonderfulday.
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