Cava on Thursday added tiers of membership to its loyalty program, a move designed to entice guests to earn rewards faster.
And guests who don’t want to take all that time (and money) climbing to the top tier—or “Sun” status—have an opportunity to become top dog right off the bat. All they have to do is show Cava they are a top-tier loyalty member of some other brand, like, say, an airline, hotel or even another restaurant chain.
It's called “status matching,” and it’s something seen in the travel industry. But Andy Rebhun, Cava’s chief experience officer, said it hasn’t been done before in the restaurant world.
Fundamentally, he said, “People who are fans of the brand want more rewards. And those that have top status, who are visiting us frequently, will have the opportunity to do that.”
The ability to match your status, or essentially jump right to the top tier, is a limited time offer, available between Oct. 13 and Nov. 23. Those who take that route can earn a higher status through the end of the year. (But guests who earn top status the hard way, by earning points, can keep their Sun status for the next calendar year.)
Confused? It is a bit complicated.
To earn a status match, guests have to fill out a form online showing their premium status with another loyalty program. Just uploading an image that shows the loyalty membership status will do, said Rebhun.
(Guests don’t earn points at Cava for spending at, say, a Hilton hotel. It’s just about achieving that top-level status and the associated perks.)
Once the image is submitted, Cava then has to review and approve it. And, if it passes the test, the guest’s upgraded status will be reflected in their account.
Rebhun said Cava expects to “lean into the spirit of generosity” when reviewing submissions.
In fact, Cava will even match the status of loyalty programs from other restaurant chains.
A guest with more than 300 Stars (or a legacy Gold card) from Starbucks, for example, could immediately achieve Sun status at Cava.
So could being a premier loyalty member at Noodles & Company; a One Red, Signature member at Chick-fil-A; or a Boss-level member at Potbelly—any of those would be matched with Cava’s Sun tier.
And what do Cava Sun members get?
That top tier, which is typically unlocked after earning 4,500 points, allows guests to earn points faster (12 points for every dollar spent), as well as $0 delivery fee, half off a bowl or pita as a birthday gift, various surprise offers and challenges, as well as “multiplier events,” when they can earn even more rewards.
Cava offers two other tiers, each with various (lesser) perks:
“Sand” status is earned at 1,500 points, and guests earn 11 points for every $1 spent, as well as other discounts.
And the initial membership tier is “Sea,” when guests earn 10 points for every dollar spent, with a few other perks.
Loyalty programs are table stakes for restaurant chains now, and Rebhun said the challenge is creating a program that stands out without cheapening the brand, and while listening to guests.
“We wanted to do something that would show up with our brand ethos and do it in a way that didn’t feel cheap,” he said.
“Some of the new rewards that we have here are very industry-first, and you’ll see more of that soon,” he added. “We’re really trying to create a new path.”
Whether or not loyalty programs really drive traffic is a matter of debate. Guests can be fickle.
Tiered programs can offer a gamification effect, perhaps prompting guests to visit more often to achieve that coveted next level.
But giving loyalty members more hoops to jump through can also have a negative impact.
Sweetgreen, for example, abandoned its tiered loyalty program earlier this year, which involved paid subscriptions. Company officials said the plan didn’t really move the needle.
Sweetgreen moved instead to a more traditional points-earned-by-spending plan, without tiers.
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