Paytronix Systems, Inc., a leading provider of reward program solutions to restaurants and retailers, announced that Uncle Julio’s is the winner of its 2017 Paytronix Loyaltees Award for Real Impact. By turning the typical loyalty model upside down, Uncle Julio’s focused upon internal employees with a unique loyalty membership drive that resulted in an average of 2000 new members per store and more than 50 percent increase in total membership.
Uncle Julio’s offers a unique culinary experience of savory, made from scratch Mexican favorites created from the high quality of ingredients. Uncle Julio’s Corporation currently operates 27 restaurants in seven states: Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.
Having seen the initial success of its new Paytronix loyalty program and its ability to encourage large group visits—with corresponding large check totals—the management at Uncle Julio’s designed a new loyalty campaign to boost enrollment and membership. The program was designed to bring large parties into the store for loyalty redemptions, such as Appetizer Buffets.
The loyalty rewards were a big hit with guests, so Uncle Julio’s turned the focus of its membership drive campaign to its internal employees. Special incentives were designed to motivate servers and the front of house staff, so those employees interacting with guests became the driving force of the membership drive.
“At Uncle Julio’s, we know exactly how the loyalty program is performing, thanks to a data warehouse developed to combine loyalty and point of sale data in a consolidated reporting environment,” says Paul Marrero, system administrator, Uncle Julio’s. “With Paytronix, we have access to data for each cashier ID, detailing loyalty signups, check-level sales detail and more. Having real-time data and accountability down to the level of each server was the key to being successful with guest signups.”
“Uncle Julio’s is well on its way to getting north of a 15 percent loyalty penetration rate. We know that’s where brands begin to see exceptional results from loyalty programs,” says Michelle Tempesta, head of product for Paytronix System, Inc. “When restaurants see 5—7 percent of checks with member IDs, they’ve motivated their best guests to join the program. When the brands reach more than 15 percent penetration, that’s when the real program impact happens and c-suites take notice. There’s no question that with the level of excitement Uncle Julio’s has generated for its program—the program will continue to deliver increasing incremental sales for the brand.”
Uncle Julio’s offers a unique culinary experience of savory, made-from-scratch Mexican favorites created from the highest quality of ingredients. The difference in Uncle Julio’s authentic Mexican food is in the taste, from fresh meats grilled over Mesquite wood to signature salsa made from the freshest herbs and vegetables.
“We take the authenticity of our food very seriously,” says Tom Vogel, CEO of Uncle Julio’s. “Our guests will enjoy made-from-scratch freshness and the high quality ingredients that we use. That’s what sets Uncle Julio’s apart: Our entire menu is made from scratch.”
Uncle Julio’s is known for its fajitas and Traditional Tex-Mex favorites. Tortillas are made fresh, in-house and by hand. Desserts include an Uncle Julio’s signature: a Chocolate Piñata, filled with homemade mini churros, fresh fruit and berries. Crack open the chocolate delicacy with a small wooden hammer and dip its contents in a raspberry, chocolate, caramel sauce and house-made whipped cream.
