Running a restaurant today means more than serving great food; you also need systems in place to attract guests, keep them coming back, and drive revenue growth quarter after quarter.
The world’s most successful quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands use digital promotions as a lever for growth—and for good reason. At Tillster, we’ve seen coupon and loyalty programs increase digital sales by 15%, save QSR brands up to 30% on customer reactivation for dormant customers, and reduce cart abandonment by more than 20%.
Tillster’s marketing programs have such a huge impact because we think of promotions as a strategic way to incentivize beneficial guest behavior, rather than quick one-off tactics to drive volume.
The right promotion at the right time can encourage first-time visitors to try your app, motivate loyal customers to spend more, or prompt guests to return sooner than they would have otherwise. From limited-time deals to personalized rewards, when implemented strategically, promotions fill seats, build loyalty, and increase average order value over time.
In this blog, we show you how QSR and fast-casual brands can use digital promotions like coupons and promo codes to boost sales, engage guests, and stand out in a competitive market.
Why digital coupons and promotions work for QSR and fast-casual restaurants
Digital coupons and promotions tap into powerful psychological and behavioral triggers that drive action. Guests are more likely to try a new restaurant, order more items, or come back sooner when they feel they’re getting extra value. These offers also provide restaurants with flexibility, as they can be tailored for new customer acquisition, loyalty rewards, upselling, or even encouraging guests to use a preferred ordering channel.
For restaurants, the benefits go beyond immediate sales:
Increased guest engagement: Promotions encourage repeat visits and brand interaction. This means guests stay connected with your restaurant, increasing lifetime value and word-of-mouth referrals.
Data-driven insights: Tracking coupon redemptions provides valuable information on guest preferences and campaign performance. You can learn which offers resonate, which channels perform best, and optimize future promotions to maximize revenue.
Scalable growth: Integrated marketing platforms like Tillster make it easy to launch, test, and adjust promotions quickly across multiple channels—whether in-store, through email, or your mobile app.
How to use digital coupons and promotions for your restaurant
Not all promotions are created equal, and neither are the ways you deliver them. A 20% discount or a BOGO deal can look very different depending on how it reaches your guests.
While promo codes are easy to distribute, they’re also easy to leak or misuse. That’s why leading brands increasingly rely on coupon wallets as the conduit for targeted promotions.
Unlike simple promo codes, which can be copied, leaked, or used multiple times, wallet coupons live inside a guest’s digital account or app. That means each coupon is unique, secure, and trackable—tied to a specific guest profile. For restaurants, this provides control over redemption, prevents wasted discounts, and opens the door to deeper personalization, like sending different offers based on spend history, visit frequency, or channel preference.
With the right delivery method in place, restaurants can confidently run a wide variety of promotions that drive spend, frequency, and loyalty without sacrificing margin:
Percentage discounts
A classic approach—“Get 20% off your order.” Percentage discounts are simple, familiar, and effective for attracting new guests or encouraging trial of higher-ticket menu items. When used strategically, they can also nudge guests to spend more than usual or try a new ordering channel.
Tillster Tip: Pair percentage discounts with higher-margin items or combos to protect profitability and deliver them through secure coupon wallets to ensure they reach the right guests without being shared or leaked.
Dollar-value discounts
Offers like “$5 off when you spend $25” encourage upselling by setting a minimum spend. Beyond driving larger checks, these discounts can motivate guests to try new items or add-ons they might otherwise skip. By thoughtfully targeting who sees the offer and when, restaurants can maximize impact while avoiding wasted discounts on guests who already spend above the threshold.
By using personalized, spend-threshold coupons powered by unified guest data, our clients have driven a 50% increase in mobile order adoption, tripled repurchase rates for key menu items, and consistently lifted average order values across campaigns. For a deeper look at how we achieved these results, check out our full story with Twilio Segment.
Tillster Tip: Use coupon wallets or unique codes to ensure each offer is personalized and trackable. Segment based on guests’ typical spend or purchase behavior—e.g., reward occasional buyers with a modest threshold discount to nudge higher checks, or incentivize frequent customers with add-on upsells.
BOGO (buy one, get one)
BOGO deals or bundled promotions are ideal for introducing new menu items, boosting volume, and creating urgency through limited-time offers. Beyond simply increasing sales, these promotions can encourage guests to try items they haven’t ordered before and help restaurants identify which offerings generate the most repeat interest.
Tillster Tip: Use segmentation to target guests who are most likely to engage, such as loyal customers for new items or occasional visitors for high-margin bundles. Deliver BOGO or bundled offers via coupon wallets or unique codes to maintain control and prevent sharing.
Free item promotions
Offers like “Free fries with your burger” or “Free dessert with any entrée” add value without heavily cutting into revenue. Free item promotions have immediate appeal and can encourage trial of new or underperforming menu items, increase check size, and enhance guest satisfaction—which boosts the likelihood of repeat visits.
Tillster Tip: Use free item promotions to drive trial of new or underperforming menu items, or to increase check size among targeted segments like lapsed or infrequent guests. Make sure to use coupon wallets for higher-value items where secure redemptions are critical to protect margin.
Loyalty rewards and exclusive codes
Personalized rewards for loyal guests or exclusive offers for specific segments strengthen relationships and encourage long-term retention. These promotions make guests feel recognized and valued, which can drive more frequent visits and higher spend over time.
Tillster Tip: Segment offers based on loyalty tier, visit frequency, or past purchase behavior to ensure each guest receives the most relevant and motivating reward.
Time-sensitive or daypart-specific offers
Flash sales, breakfast deals, or “lunchtime only” offers can drive traffic during slower periods while creating a sense of urgency. Beyond filling seats, these promotions encourage guests to try new menu items or order at times they might typically skip, helping to smooth out traffic and boost overall revenue.
Tillster Tip: Instead of blanket flash sales, identify guests who habitually skip certain dayparts (e.g., late breakfast or mid-afternoon) and target them with small, dollar-value incentives to nudge trial without eroding margin.
Channel-specific promotions
Promotions targeted to mobile app users, online orders, or in-store kiosks can guide guests toward your preferred ordering channels. These offers can help you collect more data about how guests use your channels and encourage repeat engagement in the channels that are most profitable or strategic (e.g., in-store vs. delivery).
Tillster Tip: Use segmentation to target users based on their current channel behavior—for example, incentivize app adoption for web-only customers or promote kiosk use to reduce in-store wait times—while tracking performance to refine future campaigns.
Using an integrated restaurant marketing platform to power your coupons and promotions
Running promotions across multiple channels can quickly become complex. Between mobile apps, kiosks, websites, and third-party delivery partners, it’s easy to lose visibility, over-discount, or miss opportunities to influence guest behavior. That’s where an integrated restaurant marketing platform, paired with expert guidance, makes all the difference.
By centralizing promotions, loyalty, and ordering into the Tillster ecosystem, restaurants gain control, insight, and flexibility, allowing them to drive spend, frequency, and channel adoption all while optimizing campaigns in real time.
Consistent and controlled guest experiences
Whether a guest orders via mobile app, kiosk, or website, promotions are applied seamlessly and securely. Using wallet coupons and unique codes ensures offers reach the intended recipients, preventing leakage and over-discounting. By centralizing campaigns in one platform, restaurants maintain consistent messaging and branding across all touchpoints—while still tailoring offers to individual guest behaviors.
Personalization at scale
Use guest profiles, loyalty data, and behavioral insights to deliver tailored offers that resonate with individuals. By leveraging secure coupon wallets and segmentation, restaurants can incentivize specific actions—like trying a new channel, increasing spend, or visiting more frequently—without being intrusive. Combined with Tillster’s managed services, brands receive guidance on how to design, test, and adjust personalized campaigns for maximum impact.
Smarter campaign management
Run targeted campaigns across all channels from a single dashboard, without duplicating efforts. Beyond convenience, this allows restaurants to quickly adjust promotions in response to guest behavior, seasonal trends, or competitor activity. Combined with Tillster’s managed services, brands receive expert guidance on campaign strategy, ensuring offers are optimized for spend, frequency, and channel adoption while minimizing wasted discounts.
Data-driven insights
Track coupon redemptions, guest behaviors, and revenue impact in real time to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Beyond basic reporting, Tillster’s Data & Analytics team can integrate data from multiple sources, uncover patterns, and recommend adjustments to maximize results. This combination of platform and expertise helps restaurants optimize promotions and make decisions based on actionable insights rather than guesswork.
See how the world’s biggest brands use Tillster to scale marketing and rewards programs.
