Today in Food Commerce: IHOP Prepares for Loyalty Launch; Dutch Bros Looks to Stored Value

Today in food commerce, Applebee’s parent company Dine Brands invests in on- and off-premise digital technologies, and Dutch Bros. looks to maximize value from its rewards program members. Plus, Gopuff expands its presence in France.

Dine Brands Gears up for IHOP Loyalty Launch With Tech Investments

“The key investment areas for capex is on-premise and off-premise technology to improve guest experience and operation efficiency,” Dine Brands Chief Financial Officer Vance Chang told analysts on a call discussing the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 earnings results. “We’re spending money on loyalty [programs, customer relationship management (CRM) and] infrastructure.”

Dutch Bros Aims to Leverage Stored-Value Payments to Drive Loyalty

As Dutch Bros. looks to convert its regular customers into super fans, the company is leveraging stored-value features to remove friction from the experience. The Grant Pass, Oregon-based drive-thru coffee shop chain, which has over 500 locations across 13 states, is turning its focus to driving adoption of this payment method, company executives told analysts during a call discussing the brand’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings results.

GoPuff Expands Across France With 24/7 Delivery Service

Delivery startup Gopuff is launching expansion efforts into France and is currently serving all of Paris, most of Île-de-France, and parts of Marseille, Lille and Toulouse, with plans to branch across the entire country. Yakir Gola, co-founder and co-CEO of Gopuff, said the company is “truly committed to being part of the French community” and is focused on being a great partner to all of the communities it serves.

First-Party Fulfillment Enables Positive Unit Economics for eGrocer

“We actually own our own inventory in a fulfillment center, [which] drives a much better customer experience because we know exactly what we have available, and we don’t make a lot of mistakes when it gets to our customer,” Vineet Mehra, chief growth, product and CX officer at eGrocer Good Eggs, told PYMNTS in an interview.