Across casual dining, brands are right to invest in loyalty to drive frequency, retention, and lifetime value. But even the strongest programs face two persistent gaps:

• Acquiring net-new guests who haven’t joined loyalty
• Re-engaging lapsed members who’ve fallen out of habit

Bridging those gaps requires delivering the right value at the right time, without compromising margin or brand integrity.

The loyalty gap

While traditional loyalty programs excel at retention, they struggle to change the behavior of uncommitted customers — the diners rotating between multiple restaurants based on occasion, convenience, and perceived value.

This customer segment represents an opportunity for meaningful growth; winning them requires a different lever.

Upside complements loyalty — it doesn’t compete

Upside is designed to work alongside and in support of loyalty. Unlike traditional loyalty programs, Upside drives visits from guests you’re not already reaching, helping them choose your brand over competitors in moments where the decision is still up for grabs. 

In fact, one restaurant franchisee found that 52% of the customers delivered by Upside were new-to-site, and after five months on the platform they realized a 1.5% lift in total sales.

The combination of Upside and loyalty is valuable in other ways, too. More visits generate more first-party customer data, strengthening loyalty-driven insights and personalization capabilities. And for loyalty + Upside users, rewards stack — reinforcing value. (Read more about how Upside ensures stacked rewards remain margin friendly)

Loyalty remains the destination, while Upside serves as an on-ramp.

Personalization at scale, without CRM friction

Upside’s personalization engine operates independently of brands’ internal CRM systems:

• No need to pre-segment audiences
• No need to overhaul existing tech stacks
• No reliance on declared preferences or enrollment status

Instead, Upside offers adapt dynamically based on observed behavior, visit history, and spend. The platform learns which guests need a nudge and which don’t, ensuring value is deployed precisely and profitably — all within predetermined margin limits.

Performance data then feeds back into loyalty, analytics, and insights teams with clear, actionable signals:

• Who was acquired
• Who was reactivated
• Who increased frequency and spend over time

Loyalty + Upside creates a winning formula

The strongest loyalty relationships start with a great experience, reinforced by value that feels personal, fair, and timely. That personalized value builds habits, and habits over time create real loyalty that sticks.

Upside helps brands grow loyalty by winning the first visit, strengthening engagement over time, and turning uncommitted diners into repeat guests — all while preserving profitability and brand integrity.

Learn more about how Upside drives measurable growth.