Armed with “a significant amount of consumer research,”The Cheesecake Factory plans to focus through the remainder of 2021 on development of a loyalty program tailored to the chain and its hardcore customers, company President David Gordon told investors Tuesday.
The effort is part of a larger marketing overhaul for the brand. The recast includes a shift of the company’s database to a new customer-relations management (CRM) platform and a changeover to a “a more commerce-forward” website that’s expected to turn more casual visitors into order-placers, Gordon said.
The high-end chain’s marketing message is also being refocused “to raise the profile of The Cheesecake Factory brand,” Gordon told financial analysts during a discussion of the company’s second-quarter financial results.
“The success we had driving sales and frequency through targeted campaigns during COVID reinforced our view that now is the right time to move forward with these initiatives,” he noted.
Gordon indicated that the new loyalty program will be a key part of the marketing revamp. The extensive research was conducted to ensure the new program is “on-brand for The Cheesecake Factory and our guests,” he explained. The initiative should be ready for adoption the Cheesecake chain next year, Gordon added.
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