Blaze Pizza is rolling out a new app and loyalty program, teaming up with customer engagement platform Thanx to make it happen.
The updated app and rewards platform were designed to address some of the most persistent challenges restaurants face when managing digital loyalty: steep operating costs, fragmented tech systems, and lackluster user experiences. For Blaze, the goal was to replace a clunky and costly system with something more nimble, efficient, and customer-friendly.
The chain’s previous platform—custom-built and difficult to maintain—had become a burden. CMO Christian Kuhn says the proprietary setup required extensive upkeep that diverted time and resources away from core business needs.
“We had an older platform for our web and app that was very custom,” he says. “It took us forever to make changes and we couldn’t act in real time.”
Blaze now has an app and loyalty program that “actually evolves,” Kuhn adds. Rather than relying on a costly, inflexible custom-built system, the new platform supports regular updates, added features, and a more sustainable long-term investment. Tasks that once required months of development can now be completed in a matter of days, giving Blaze the ability to move faster and continuously improve its digital experience.
“The programs that have been around for decades are very robust,” says Thanx CEO Zach Goldstein. “The ability to do a wide range of things with those is not where they have fallen off. It’s the ability to do them with a small, lean team—and quickly—where those platforms are lacking heavily.”
That might’ve been OK when marketing teams were larger and campaigns were mapped out a year in advance, with few surprises or changes along the way. But today’s landscape looks very different. Restaurant marketing teams are running lean, and they’re expected to respond in real time—especially on fast-moving channels like social media that demand speed and agility.
“Now, what you plan to do 12 months from now is likely going out the window,” Goldstein says. “You’ve got to adapt. You’ve got to move. And if the platforms you work with are just too difficult to do that with, you’ll get caught flat footed.”
The new app and loyalty program are the latest in a string of initiatives aimed at modernizing Blaze’s business. Over the past year, the brand has revamped its menu, updated its store design, launched a fresh marketing approach, and sharpened its operational focus around speed of service.
“We are at a place where we’ve got to start driving change for this organization,” says Kuhn, noting that about 35 percent of Blaze’s traffic is digital today, with ambitions to grow that number to 50 percent or higher. “To do that, we need to find a partner that’s going to provide for us an infrastructure that allows us in real time to make changes, to understand data and what people are doing, to update things, and to create something that will grow with us.”
Blaze has migrated more than 5 million rewards members to the new platform. The process took less than four months—an unusually fast turnaround in the restaurant space, where tech rollouts often span nine months to two years.
“That’s just not the pace restaurants operate at anymore,” Goldstein says. “It’s just not an acceptable way to innovate.”
He adds that the short timeline was made possible by using standardized integrations and a simplified, scalable software model—rather than relying on custom-built connections that tend to bog down the process and introduce risk.
“That friction creates lock in,” Goldstein says. “It’s one of the age-old ways that technology companies selling to restaurants have kept themselves in business. They make it really painful. We’ve taken the very opposite approach. We believe that modern technology for restaurants requires that you make yourself easy to put in. We’ve done that. Three and a half months is impressive. It means we’re easy to rip out too. And that means the second piece is that we have to deliver results. It can’t just be something that’s nice to have anymore.”
Kuhn says the new system is designed to eliminate friction at every touchpoint, creating a more intuitive experience for both guests and staff. It’s easier than ever for customers to engage with the brand, and the streamlined setup supports franchisees by helping drive traffic and revenue.
One of the most notable upgrades is in-store functionality. Guests can now link credit cards to their accounts, allowing them to check out without scanning receipts or entering promo codes—and still automatically earn rewards.
“If a customer comes in and has an experience with us, and I don’t reward him because he forgot to pull up his app or he forgot to scan his receipt, that’s not the greatest customer experience in the world,” Kuhn says. “I sure would rather reward somebody that came in and spent money with me, even if they forgot, because I’m hoping that’s going to make that experience even better for the next time and the next time and the next time.”
Blaze also expects the new platform to strengthen its first-party digital ordering, giving the brand more control over guest relationships and supporting higher-margin transactions. Additionally, the system allows for more personalized messaging and offers without placing extra work on operators—something that could prove especially useful for a build-your-own pizza concept.
“That’s particularly important for Blaze because it’s in their DNA,” Goldstein says. “How crazy would it be if you’re regularly ordering pizza with pickles on it, but they’re only talking to you about cheese pizza? I’m excited for this next chapter for Blaze to use their loyalty program and use their data to say, ‘Hey, you’re a taste innovator. We’ve got some new ideas to help you push the boundaries, and we haven’t even told anyone about it yet.’ Or they could say, ‘You’re just focused on value and feeding your family, so we’re going to talk to you differently.’”
Blaze also can now deliver a broader mix of benefits—like app-only exclusives, VIP access, and other flexible perks—that go beyond traditional point-based discounts. This deeper level of engagement helps create stronger brand connections while also offering restaurants more control over how perceived value is delivered and what it actually costs.
In a landscape where operators are rethinking the ROI of custom-built apps and weighing every tech investment more carefully, Kuhn and Goldstein say the Blaze-Thanx partnership shows how simplifying technology can reduce costs while improving functionality. Crucially, they add, it doesn’t have to be a slow or painful transition.
“I see brands that are snake bitten from having had bad technology implementations over the last decade, and the conclusion that they make is that any change in technology—even if the current solution is not working—is just going to be too onerous,” Goldstein says. “I think that’s a trap of their own making, and it does a real disservice to the restaurant industry, because that’s not how technology changes have to be these days. It’s freeing if restaurants stop feeling locked in and know that making the right decision for their brand doesn’t have to be painful.”
