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Cheba Hut, a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in submarine sandwiches, has launched a mobile app that supports ordering, payments, and a loyalty program. Developed with loyalty platform provider Thanx Inc., the app is intended to streamline both ordering and payment and encourage repeat visits. Ordering capabilities through the app are powered by restaurant software provider Olo Inc.
App users can link a credit or debit card to their account for payment. The app also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay. Consumers downloading the app are automatically enrolled in the loyalty program, dubbed the Munchie Mob, and earn 10 rewards points for every dollar spent. New app users are rewarded with 420 rewards points, which Cheba Hut calls Coin, at sign-up.
To activate the loyalty program when making a purchase, users open the app. Once opened, the app tracks purchases in the background, a feature Cheba Hut and Thanx say makes it easier to earn rewards by eliminating the need to enter a phone number or scan a barcode to track purchases. In the event a purchase is not automatically tracked, users can take a photo of their receipt within the app to continue earning rewards. Rewards can be redeemed for menu items but can be used only once per visit.
Compared to a previous loyalty program the chain had used, loyalty transactions have more than doubled and signups are six times that of the prior program, Cheba Hut says.
“Our Munchie Mob launch underscores how tech can simplify life on all sides,” Adam Porter, senior director of marketing for Cheba Hut, says in a statement. “For guests, it’s one link and done. For our crews, it removes the scanning headaches at the counter. And for our brand, it delivers the kind of accurate, reliable data that fuels smarter growth. That’s the kind of win we’re chasing.”
To give the app and loyalty program more pizazz, Cheba Hut has created a series of characters that it says “bring a laid-back but purposeful tone to menus, app, and in-store moments.”
As of October 2024, Cheba Hut had 69 locations in 18 states.
