Loyalty moves from programs to personality
Joe Yetter, general manager of PAR Engagement at PAR Technology, said the biggest loyalty wins won’t come from points or punch cards; they’ll come from personality. Guests are done with cookie-cutter offers,” Yetter said. “They want loyalty that reflects who they are and how they live. We’re already seeing brands use AI to create personalized offers, participation challenges and even tones of voice that match the guest. The next evolution is emotional connection, or loyalty that feels alive. Think gamified experiences, social tie-ins and dynamic rewards that react to each customer’s habits in real time. The restaurants that act more like a friend than a brand will dominate loyalty next year.”
Integration over experimentation
Oli Ostertag, general manager of PAR’s Operator Cloud, said we’ll see restaurant operators prioritize integration over feature experimentation when it comes to their POS systems.
“As margins continue to be squeezed and the macro environment remains challenging, brands are looking to consolidate their tech stacks rather than test flashy point solutions with tenuous ROI or shaky rollout track records” Ostertag said. “The winners will be the POS providers that can deliver rock-solid stability, seamless data integrations across the entire tech stack, and AI-powered operational insights that move from reactive to prescriptive. Operators require systems that provide full visibility into critical KPIs, including speed of service, inventory optimization, and labor forecasting. The POS systems that can help operators trim costs while maintaining quality through better data utilization and operational efficiency will come out on top.”
