Gamification-powered loyalty program: A new growth engine for restaurant marketing

In today’s competitive QSR market, traditional loyalty tactics fall short. Price wars cut margins, aggregators own the customer relationship, and digital-native consumers want more than discounts — they crave engaging experiences. That’s why many brands turn to a gamification loyalty program for restaurants
to stand out, build deeper connections, and drive growth.

So, what fuels real growth beyond competing on price? A fully gamified, emotionally engaging, app-first customer journey that turns everyday orders into memorable brand experiences.

This award-winning case study — honored with a Platinum Award for Customer Loyalty Transformation and a Gold Award for Excellence in Gamification at the 2025 Loyalty360 Awards — reveals the five key innovations behind the success. You’ll discover the measurable business impact and how forward-thinking restaurant brands can replicate the model to fuel long-term growth.

Market challenges

• Deep discounting wars have made it hard for brands to stand out based on quality or loyalty alone.
• Aggregator platforms are launching their own loyalty programs, making it harder for restaurants to build direct relationships with their customers.
• Gen Z now drives much of the category’s growth, and they expect gamified, immersive, and mobile-first brand experiences.

To succeed, Papa Johns knew it needed more than just a loyalty program.

It required a fully integrated digital ecosystem — one built on emotional connection, a seamless customer journey, and gamification at every step to make each interaction with the brand enjoyable and memorable.

Our response to market challenges: a fully gamified customer journey

In partnership with Papa Johns, we reimagined the entire customer lifecycle — from first interaction to repeat purchase — using game mechanics, personalized engagement, and smart automation. The result: a journey that’s not only seamless but genuinely fun and memorable at every touchpoint.

1. Gamified tiered loyalty program that feels like a real game

Papa Johns reimagined its loyalty structure to mirror the mechanics of a mobile game. Instead of static points, users move through dynamic tiers with:

• Progress bars
• Achievement badges
• Exclusive perks (e.g., VIP events, platinum pizza box stickers)

Even onboarding was gamified: new users received step-by-step guidance on how to progress and unlock rewards, turning the app into a space of recognition, challenge, and belonging.

Impact: This game-style progression encourages more frequent ordering and boosts Average Order Value (AOV) from the very first purchase.

2. Authentic engagement through mini-games that actually work

To launch Shawarma Pizza, Papa Johns introduced a skill-based mini-game — think Fruit Ninja meets QSR. Players sliced virtual ingredients to win a free pizza, not as a giveaway but as a reward for completing a challenge.

The primary goal? Drive product awareness and boost sales of the new menu item — all through a format that felt native to Gen Z’s digital behavior.

By turning product promotion into an interactive experience, Papa Johns combined entertainment with real incentives. It wasn’t just about visibility — it was about sparking curiosity, encouraging product discovery, and creating a sense of achievement that made the reward feel earned and valuable.

Key results:

• 12,951 unique players
• 35,614 game sessions
• 420+ total hours of user attention
• 20.2% of users unlocked Pro Mode, indicating high engagement and replay value

The game wasn’t just a gimmick. It resonated with Gen Z users who said it felt familiar, fun, and relevant to their gaming habits. Influencers amplified the campaign, and organic sharing drove further reach.

3. Gamified menu discovery: A new way to try new products

What if discovering a new product was not only fun, but also educational?

To break through banner blindness, Papa Johns transformed product launches into interactive adventures. Instead of static in-app banners or generic promotions, users explored new items through mini-games that combined storytelling with play.

In The Game of Crusts, customers completed a challenge to learn about four new crust types. In Cheddar Space Game, they navigated a cheesy galaxy to unlock the new Grilled Cheddar Pizza.

Results:

• +7% share of paid crusts after The Game of Crusts
• +58% cheddar product orders after the Cheddar Space Game

4. Seamless sharing and referral that spreads like a game

Unlike typical QSR promotions that rely on manual code entry or multi-step processes, Papa Johns embedded referral into the heart of a gamified customer journey — making it feel like a reward-driven experience, not a transaction.

With our smart deep-linking and QR-powered activations, users simply scan, tap, and play. 

• Smart landing pages adapt based on device
• Rewards are auto-applied — even if the app needs to be downloaded first
• Friends are welcomed with a landing page that promises a reward (like a free pizza) the moment they install and open the app

No codes. No confusion. Just instant gratification and viral reach.

What’s more, this isn’t a one-off tactic. Every LoyaltyPlant-powered referral is part of a consistent, gamified journey — a system where every interaction triggers the next.

5. A scalable gamified Product Launch Framework

Papa Johns shifted from one-time promotions to a scalable, repeatable launch model designed to consistently drive product awareness, customer engagement, and repeat purchases. Each launch was built around a structured customer journey, activated through a series of gamified and incentive-driven touchpoints.

• A dedicated New Product section on the app’s main screen for maximum visibility
• Product reveal videos on YouTube to build anticipation
• Mini-games that rewarded users with in-app gifts via promo codes
• A double loyalty points campaign for ordering the new item
• A referral program that rewarded both the inviter and the new user with bonus points and a gift upon first order
• A promo code campaign with shareable codes that unlocked in-app rewards
• Multichannel communication, including smart push notifications and WhatsApp messages to guide users through the journey

Strategic value: each product launch transformed into a seamless customer flow — from awareness to first order to repeat purchase — all while deepening engagement and maximizing ROI through owned channels.

Win a Million: turning every order into a million-dirham dream

In spring 2025, Papa Johns launched Win a Million — its most ambitious gamified campaign yet. Integrated directly into the app, this three-month initiative rewarded users with digital tickets for every 100 AED spent. From vibrant pop-ups to real-time counters showing how many players were competing, the app created a powerful sense of competition, urgency, and excitement.

Each ticket entered customers into a prize draw that included:

• Guaranteed rewards
• iPhones
• A grand prize of 1 million AED (approx. $272,000)

As a business, our goals were clear: increase average check size, grow the number of new customers installing the Papa Johns branded app, generate massive PR buzz, and capture new market share in the QSR segment.

The campaign wasn’t just clever — it was effective. During the Win a Million period, validated app installs surged by over 150% compared to the same months in 2024. Nearly 50% of those installs came through employee referrals, thanks to a smart incentive program that turned staff into the campaign’s most passionate ambassadors.

Business results:

• +150% app install growth vs. 2024
• +32.5% AOV among engaged users
• 31.82% first-week user retention after install.
• Repeat users placed 2+ additional orders on average.
• App revenue significantly outperformed forecast levels.
• Strong uplift in short-term retention and repeat order rates.

The ROI of gamification: tangible growth metrics

The numbers speak for themselves. 

• Retention & LTV +57% increase in 3rd-month retention for new users after implementing gamified loyalty 
• +17% growth in first-month app LTV — rising from 112 AED to 131 AED

Gamification is more than a trend — it’s a growth engine

In a market where everyone is chasing discounts, aggregators, and short-term gains, Papa Johns built something different — a digital ecosystem that taps into emotion, motivation, and momentum.

Gamification turned loyalty into a reason to come back. It made trying new products an experience, not a transaction. It made sharing effortless. And most importantly, it moved the needle — on retention, AOV and LTV.

Watch this exclusive presentation from the Loyalty360 Awards 2025 in Orlando, where Karim Chaanine, CMO of Papa Johns (UAE, KSA, Jordan), shares how Papa Johns UAE built a customer experience that redefined the QSR playbook.

Want to turn your restaurant app into a growth machine?

Book a meeting with LoyaltyPlant — and let’s build a customer journey that your users won’t want to leave.