What happens when payments and loyalty stop living in separate tech stacks and finally start working together? That’s exactly what we explored in our recent webinar with Restaurant Business Online, where experts from PAR, Punchh, and Bounteous sat down to talk about the real impact of connecting these two essential parts of the guest journey.
If you didn’t get a chance to tune in live, we’ve got you covered. Here are the big takeaways you don’t want to miss.
Personalization Doesn’t Have to Be 1:1 to Be Powerful
Josh Schoonmaker, VP of Product at PAR, kicked things off by breaking down a smarter way to think about personalization: it doesn’t have to mean crafting a totally unique message for every single guest. Instead, Josh shared a “pyramid” approach:
- Macro segments like region or visit frequency
- Micro segments based on specific behavior (e.g. spicy food fans, Friday regulars)
- Individualization for the 1:1 moments that really move the needle
Payments Are a Key to Seamless (and Secure) Personalization
- Recognizing and rewarding guests at checkout
- Creating frictionless, secure checkout experiences
- Identifying patterns of fraud before they hurt your bottom line
Loyalty Is Moving From Points to Personal Touches
Today’s best loyalty programs go beyond “earn and burn.” Instead, brands are tapping into challenges, streaks, and behavior-based rewards to make the experience more fun, personal, and sticky.
Think Duolingo-style streaks, LTO exploration badges, or flavor-based perks. Whether it’s celebrating a guest who always orders the same thing or encouraging a new visit during a slow daypart, it’s all about making customers feel seen.
As Cole Baker from Bounteous put it: “We don’t always need a huge discount. We just want to feel like the brand knows us, and appreciates us.”
You Don’t Need an App to Build Loyalty
App fatigue is real—and younger generations are especially over it. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when it comes to guest engagement.
By leveraging digital wallets (like Apple or Google Wallet) and tokenized payments, brands can identify and reward guests even without a formal app download or loyalty signup. These “shadow profiles” let you build relationships with returning guests and eventually invite them to join your program when the time is right.
As Josh put it: “Loyalty isn’t defined by whether someone signed up for your program. You can have loyal guests who just haven’t opted in—yet.”
Identity Stitching Is Critical for Unified Guest Profiles
One challenge restaurants often overlook? Disconnected data. If a customer uses a phone number in-store but an email online, brands can struggle to create a complete profile.
Schoonmaker emphasized the importance of identity stitching—combining various guest identifiers across channels—to power more effective personalization, prevent fraud, and streamline operations. Payments offer a reliable thread to tie it all together.
Measure What Matters: Loyalty That Proves Incrementality
- How behavior changes once a guest joins the program
- Increases in frequency, AOV, and satisfaction over time
- True incremental impact vs. baseline spend
Match Rewards to Brand Experience
Not every loyalty program needs to look the same—and it shouldn’t. For fine-dining or high-touch brands, loyalty might mean special access, personalized service, or exclusive perks rather than discounts.
Especially in premium dining, not every loyalty program should rely on discounts. For white-tablecloth restaurants, Cole and Josh suggested offering:
- Exclusive reservations
- Priority access to rare menu items or spirits
- Personalized table service and recognition
Final Thought: Loyalty isn’t just about points, it’s about connection.
And payments? They’re the one thing every guest does, every time. Together, they can create smarter, more meaningful experiences that keep guests coming back, whether they’re in your app, at your kiosk, or tapping their phone at the counter.
