case study

How Bottleneck Grew Signups for Three Straight Months and Boosted YTD Revenue

Thanx helps drive high-margin growth

200%

increase in signups each month over a 90-day period

$335k

more in rewards member revenue YTD

38%

lift in first purchase tracking vs. last year

About

Bottleneck: Revenue rose through easier signup and smarter, low-effort execution.

Bottleneck Management Restaurant Group, an 8-brand, 13-location casual dining operator, knew its loyalty program could be stronger. Despite loyal fans at their flagship sports bar concepts, City Works and Old Town Pour House, too many guests were leaving without ever joining the rewards program. With Thanx, they uncovered the capture rate problem, implemented a frictionless, app-less signup, and transformed guest engagement. In just 90 days, Bottleneck achieved 200% month-over-month growth in signups for three consecutive months and $335,000 more in revenue from rewards members year-to-date.

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The results were explosive — revenue YTD from our Rewards members is up 24% higher than it was last year at this time. For us, that's about $335,000 in revenue growth this year. That's real money. And best of all, the data shows these new members are becoming habitual customers.

Angela Zoiss, CMO

Bottleneck

We used Thanx’s app-less loyalty experience by adding a QR code right on our menu. Customers could join instantly with one scan and be rewarded during that visit.

Angela Zoiss, CMO

Bottleneck

It's great to have a partner like Thanx who quite literally scheduled an office hours session with us to talk about our data. That was not something I even asked for. The value of that type of partnership is hard to overstate.

Angela Zoiss, CMO

Bottleneck

RESULTS

Saw immediate results

YoY reward member spend

24%

Increase in first-purchase tracking

38%

Increase in loyalty signups

200%

Bottleneck’s Recipe for Success

The app less experience removed all download barriers, allowing guests to join instantly and be rewarded in the moment.

Seamless In-Store Signup

Bottleneck used Thanx’s app-less loyalty experience linked via a QR code on the menu. By embedding a QR code directly into their menus—designed as a Bar Bites “menu item”—guests could scan and join instantly, then redeem a free Bar Bite that same visit. The whole signup experience is just a few clicks – no lengthy forms or app download required.

Immediate Gratification Offers

The incentive changed from a generic “$10 off” to a “Free Bar Bite Today.” Guests didn’t have to wait to use their reward—creating urgency and excitement.

Habit-Building Activation

Not only did new members join at higher rates, but data showed they were coming back. Third purchase tracking is up YoY, proving that these members weren’t one-and-done but were becoming loyal regulars.

Guest engagement for every segment.

Thanx made this data actionable through lifecycle insights, A/B testing, automated campaigns, and recommendations.