The quick service restaurant industry has not been traditionally known for being at the forefront of digital technologies, but in the post pandemic world, consumer dining habits and the way they want to interact with brands have changed. Guest demands for a more personalized experience, coupled with fast moving lives, means that brands that have doubled down on providing an enhanced digital experience are at the forefront of a major growth opportunity. MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, a 90-plus-unit “better burger” franchise, is one of those digital trailblazers. By listening to Franchise Owner and Guest feedback and re-tooling their touchpoints for Guests, like their ordering platform, app and loyalty program, MOOYAH is providing an enhanced digital experience for their Franchise Owners that has already seen success.
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“We really listened to our Guests and the feedback we were getting from owners on what we needed to do to improve the overall experience, and it kicked off a year and a half of digital transformation for us, with even more to come,” said Sarah Beddoe, VP of Marketing for the brand. “We are thrilled with the feedback we’ve already had and are excited to keep this momentum going.”
New Digital Ordering Platform Yielding Bigger Revenue
MOOYAH’S first step forward was their new online ordering system built on the industry-leading Koala platform, launched in the fall of 2022. “The mobile ordering platform is the center of our digital rebirth, so we wanted to make sure we got it right. We did a lot of pilot testing and user experience testing to make sure we had the right build and ensure our Guests were really going to enjoy interacting with it,” Beddoe said. “Almost immediately after launch, we were seeing much larger check averages and basket conversions than before.”
In addition to a much more robust mobile ordering platform, the brand answered the call of Franchise Owners who wanted to provide a singular experience for their Guests with dedicated location specific pages. “Daily menu offerings and specials differ across our franchises, and we want to ensure that our Guests are seeing the correct menu for their location. These should all be completed by summer of 2023,” said Beddoe.
A New App That Delivers Personalized Progress
Feedback from Franchise Owners was a major catalyst in the rebirth of the new and improved MOOYAH app. “The conversations we were having with our Franchise Owners was that they were looking for new ways to engage with their Guests, and that they thought we were getting a little sleepy in that regard,” said Beddoe. “One thing we heard a lot from Franchise Owners was that they felt we were giving discounts away, not experiences. With the new app and loyalty program, we aimed to change that.”
Moving away from simply offering discounts that got Guests in the door but didn’t keep them coming back, the app now offers a much more personalized loyalty program, including a switch from the straightforward banked dollars to discounts system to an accrual structure where Guests unlock free menu items in exchange for earned points. Guests also receive offers like free menu items, birthday specials and access to new menu items.
“We had a lot of conversations with Franchise Owners about how we could make the app better for everyone. Of course, their goal is to be more engaged with their Guests, but they also want to see profitability, and we wanted to make sure our Franchise Owners would see a similar ROI with the app that they did with the new ordering system,” said Beddoe. “With these changes, they might be giving a little bit more away in burger, but they’re going to see a more frequent user that is aiming to get that top reward.”
Improving the Kiosk Experience
MOOYAH is also working with their kiosk provider Byte to enhance and expand the user experience at autonomous locations. “Our focus with Byte is about how we get our Guests to engage with the loyalty program at the remote level,” said Beddoe. “Byte has been working on how they can capture loyalty information and Guest data earlier in the user experience so that Guests don’t have to get frustrated by fighting with it at checkout. Since locations who receive kiosk orders see as much as 40-60% of their orders originating from this touchpoint, it’s understandably a major focus point for the brand. With those kinds of numbers, it’s really important that we capture those loyalty guests and continue to engage with them even if they are a kiosk Guest.”
Drive-Thru Is in Their Future
On the horizon, MOOYAH is working on a drive-thru model, and with their renewed focus on digital, they want to ensure that the digital Guest has a seamless experience through this new model. “We are really excited about drive-thru being part of our new pipeline, and right now we are working through how that is going to look for the digital Guest. We want it to be in keeping with this next level overall digital experience,” said Beddoe.
