Restaurant loyalty sign-ups are up almost 15 percent over the past year. Guests are downloading the app, punching in their phone number at the drive-thru, and opting in at checkout in real numbers. Loyalty transactions grew 28 percent year over year while anonymous transactions fell nearly 7 percent, according to PAR’s
2026 QSR Operational Index. For the first time, loyalty members are outspending anonymous guests per visit.
That’s the easy part. What happens after they join is where most programs lose momentum.
Most guests actively manage no more than five loyalty programs at once, and nearly a quarter want just one or two. Roughly half compare offers before deciding where to eat. They are auditing what they belong to and cutting what isn’t worth it. A sign-up is not a relationship. It’s an audition.
So what makes a guest decide the program is worth keeping?
