This month’s newsletter explores how QSR brands are leveraging seasonal flavors and loyalty-driven promotions to capture holiday traffic and deepen customer engagement. Plus, one fan-favorite QSR launches its flagship loyalty program and adopts technology on the storefront.
Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, and McDonald’s are rolling out festive menu items to capture holiday buzz and drive incremental visits. From Baja Blast Pie to peppermint shakes and the nostalgic McRib, these brands are betting on seasonal flavors to spark engagement.
Seasonal Menu Innovation
This holiday push is more than a menu tweak; it’s a cultural alignment strategy. Taco Bell’s Friendsgiving-inspired Baja Blast Pie taps into social rituals, while Chick-fil-A’s peppermint drinks and McDonald’s Holiday Pie evoke nostalgia and comfort. These limited-time offerings (LTOs) create urgency and shareability, positioning QSRs as part of holiday traditions rather than just meal solutions.
The timing is critical. With consumer spending tightening, novelty-driven menus offer a cost-efficient way to boost frequency and brand relevance without major operational disruption. For marketers, this illustrates how seasonal storytelling can amplify emotional connection and drive traffic during competitive holiday windows. It’s not just about flavor; it’s about creating moments that feel special and worth sharing.
Source: Convenience.org
Playa Bowls is introducing a “Winter Specials” menu featuring festive flavors like North Pole Acai Bowl and Peppermint Cold Brew, paired with loyalty discounts to deepen engagement.
Festive LTO Meets Loyalty Strategy
Playa Bowls demonstrates how seasonal innovation can coexist with brand authenticity. By infusing holiday cues into health-forward offerings, the brand appeals to festive cravings without compromising its wellness positioning. The loyalty tie-in, a $3 discount for members, turns seasonal excitement into measurable app engagement, reinforcing digital-first behavior.
This approach signals a broader trend: holiday menus as loyalty accelerators. Instead of chasing indulgence alone, Playa Bowls uses personalization and rewards to strengthen retention. For marketers, this is a great blueprint for how niche QSRs can leverage seasonality to drive both emotional and transactional value, proving that festive doesn’t have to mean unhealthy.
Source: QSR Magazine
7-Eleven is using Thanksgiving as a loyalty activation event, offering BOGO chicken sandwiches, $5 pizzas, and $20 off delivery orders for rewards members.
Loyalty-First Holiday Play
This strategy reflects a major shift in QSR holiday marketing: from mass promotions to personalized, app-first experiences. By tying deals to membership, 7-Eleven converts seasonal traffic into long-term loyalty and data capture. These offers, spanning in-store and delivery, position convenience as a competitive advantage during peak travel and family gatherings.
For marketers, this is a case study in how digital ecosystems and value-based incentives can outperform traditional discounting. It’s not just about Thanksgiving deals; it’s about building repeat behavior and deepening engagement through exclusive rewards. In a crowded holiday market, loyalty-driven promotions are emerging as the most sustainable growth lever.
Source: QSRweb
Culver’s launches its long-awaited Delicious Rewards loyalty program, pairing simple point-based perks with upgraded tech to deliver a more personalized, hospitality-driven guest experience.
A QSR Luddite Leans into a Tech-Forward Future
The popular midwestern burger chain Culver’s has officially launched its new Delicious Rewards loyalty program, a long-anticipated move that aligns with its core values of hospitality and community. CEO Julie Fussner acknowledges that while the brand may feel “late” to the loyalty party, Culver’s purposely took its time to build a thoughtful, guest-centered program rather than rushing something that didn’t reflect its identity. To support this launch, Culver’s rebuilt its technology infrastructure, including a modern POS system, so it can scale a loyalty system in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, its in-restaurant experience.
Source: QSR Magazine
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