Desert De Oro Foods launches full rollout with Upside after successful pilot

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 13, 2026 – Upside has deepened its presence in the restaurant industry through a full partnership with Desert De Oro Foods (DDO), a major Yum! Brands franchisee operating roughly 350 Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and full-service restaurant locations across Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.

After a six-month pilot, DDO expanded Upside across its 350 locations, spanning key markets including Phoenix and San Antonio, where early results showed strong customer engagement and repeat visits.

“We began with a small test of 71 locations and quickly saw how Upside could reach new local customers and deliver real profit,” said Fred Bendel, VP of Operations at Desert De Oro Foods. “Once we validated the results internally, expanding the program across our full portfolio was an easy decision.”

DDO partnered with Upside to boost customer frequency, repeat visits, and acquisition of new or lapsed guests—and saw measurable gains across all fronts. During the pilot that began in May 2025, the program delivered:

• 60% ROI
• 4.4x lift in monthly transactions from new and existing customers
• 55% reorder rate
• 76% of participants were new or infrequent customers, demonstrating Upside’s ability to attract new audiences while re-engaging past patrons.

“Desert De Oro’s full rollout shows that Upside drives real, sustained growth for multi-brand operators,” said Mike McNamee, Senior Director of Account Management at Upside. “It’s proof that our model delivers measurable results at scale, across different restaurant types and regions.”

Upside partners with more than 100,000 restaurants, grocery, fuel, and convenience stores nationwide. Its two-sided marketplace connects consumers earning cash back on everyday purchases with retailers gaining incremental profit. This self-reinforcing cycle has delivered over $1 billion in cash back to consumers and $2.2 billion in incremental profit to retailers.

Learn more at upside.com/business/restaurant. 

ABOUT UPSIDE

Upside is a digital marketplace that connects millions of consumers with brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide. Since 2016, Upside’s personalized offers have empowered individuals to gain greater purchasing power for their essential needs while helping businesses achieve measurable profits. Billions of dollars in commerce run through the Upside platform annually, directly benefiting retailers, consumers, and sustainability initiatives. For more information, visit www.upside.com.

ABOUT DESERT DE ORO FOODS

Desert de Oro Foods, Inc. (DDO Foods) is a multi-concept restaurant company operating full-service and quick-service brands in Arizona, and across the country. The company operates a diverse portfolio of nationally recognized and locally beloved dining concepts, with a strong focus on hospitality, community involvement, and team development. For more information, visit www.ddofoods.com.

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