Ichor Restaurant Group, a multi-brand operator and franchisor of 13 restaurants throughout Ohio with an additional restaurant opening in Michigan, will be the first Ohio-based chain to employ the Punchh mobile CRM suite throughout its concepts, Old Carolina Barbecue Company, Baja Pizzafish, Smoke the Burger Joint, and Wedge.
“In partnering with Ichor Restaurant Group, we will be working with a creative and dynamic restaurant concept creator that recognizes the benefit of engaging customers through their mobile devices,” says Jitendra Gupta, founder and CEO of Punchh. “Ichor’s use of Punchh’s mobile CRM technology will help it drive solid increases in same-store sales and profitability, while giving its customers a remarkably easy and convenient way to interact with these fantastic brands.”
Punchh’s brand-specific mobile apps allow brands to engage customers in and out of the store with loyalty programs, reviews, referrals, ordering, gift cards, payments, games, and surveys. Its cloud-based platform integrates with restaurants’ POS systems to track highly detailed customer purchasing data and brand-relevant social media activity. Using customers’ individual preferences, purchasing history, and demographic data, operators can tailor offers to patrons that bring them back along with their friends.
“With our mobile apps, we make the dining experience fun for consumers while automating it for operators. That simplicity leaves them free to focus on their business and their guests’ dining experiences,” Gupta says. “By helping those brands increase loyal customer frequency and new customer referrals, our partners realize unparalleled return on their marketing investments.”
Ichor CEO and co-founder Brian Bailey says he sees Punchh’s platform as an integral component of his plans to expand his young concepts throughout the U.S. Ichor, founded by Brian Bailey and Tim Hug, continues to boost its portfolio with the addition of more concepts in the fast causal segment. Ichor Restaurant Group is the umbrella company for Midwest brands Old Carolina Barbecue Company and Baja Pizzafish. The newest addition to the Ichor family is called Smoke the Burger Joint, a burger concept that offers smoked patties, which recently opened its first two units.
“Our brands appeal to demographics that are heavy users of mobile devices, and we recognize our operators’ need to engage those customers through that channel,” Bailey says. “We’re banking on the Punchh platform to increase same-store sales and profitability, and we look forward to getting to know our customers better.”
