The subscription service represents a move into the
customer-loyalty space for the chain as fast-food restaurants
compete for flatlining foot traffic. Visitors to quick-service
restaurants increased just 1 percent in 2018, according to the NPD
Group, a market research firm.
Coffee chains including Starbucks and Dunkin' offer programs
that reward customers with points toward free drinks. But Burger
King's flat-rate model is unusual for a major brand and shows the
chain's desire to generate repeat business.
Mail-order subscription coffee services have gained traction in
recent years, but in-store versions haven't caught on.
Burger King's move is an attempt to get more people through the
doors and capitalize on a 2 percent increase in coffees ordered at
quick-service chains in 2018, says David Portalatin, VP, food
industry advisor at NPD Group.
"Any excitement or innovation a quick service chain introduces
to incent more customer visits is a welcomed opportunity," he
says.
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The $5 monthly coffee fix is the latest attempt from the Home of
the Whopper to get people to download and use its app. In late 2018
it offered 1-cent Whoppers if people ordered them while in or near
a McDonald's restaurant.