Chains aim to boost traffic with pay-upfront passes

Au Bon Pain is the latest restaurant brand to unveil an endless pass of sorts, giving customers unlimited coffee refills in 2018 with the purchase of a pricier-than-normal coffee mug. Read on for this and other pay-upfront deals recently rolled out by chains.

Au Bon Pain this week launched its Endless Coffee Mug, giving diners the chance to pay $199 for a reusable mug to receive free refills throughout 2018. The chain claims that customers who typically purchase five coffees weekly would save up to $300 during the year. Diners can buy the mugs through Jan. 8.

Smashburger last month revealed its latest holiday play: a $54 pass allowing guests to purchase one entree daily for just $1. The pass remains usable from Nov. 15 to Jan. 9.

For the second year running, Olive Garden sold out of its Never Ending Pasta Pass in the span of one second. The chain this year offered two versions of the popular pass: The $100 version entitled customers to unlimited pasta from Sept. 25 to Nov. 19, while the $200 one (of which only 50 were offered) also included an eight-day trip to Italy.