Case Study: Sonny’s BBQ drives higher-margin growth with Thanx

Sonny's BBQ boosts digital revenue 15% with Thanx

Sonny's BBQ, a nearly 100-location barbecue chain, faced challenges with rising fraud, declining margins, and franchisee demand for digital tools after 55 years without a formal loyalty program. To achieve higher-margin growth and modernize customer engagement, the brand partnered with Thanx to implement its modern loyalty platform.

Thanx provided a mobile-first, points-based loyalty program with tiered rewards, enabling targeted campaigns instead of mass marketing. This solution reduced the effective discount rate from roughly 10% to 1%, grew the base of habitual guests by 42%, and increased redemption rates by 4x. Additionally, Sonny's BBQ saw a 15% lift in digital revenue, all while simplifying rollout for franchisees and gaining precise control over marketing spend.

Sonny's BBQ

Katie Love

VP of Marketing