Dive Brief:
- Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings added seven new menu items, updated its Bite Club Rewards and launched a new campaign “It’s the Hot That Counts” this week, the company said in a Thursday press release.
- The 850-unit chain said the updates were made in response to convenience becoming a bigger influence on how customers choose to eat.
- Charleys has been expanding beyond mall food courts, and has locations in strip centers, standalone locations and select Walmart locations. It has also opened locations in convenience stores and gas stations, including locations with drive-thrus.
Dive Insight:
Charleys said the consumer trend to choose convenience over healthfulness creates an opportunity for the chain to offer more meal choices that are hot and made to order. Adding more variety could persuade consumers away from picking a cold grab-and-go item.
“This campaign is about reminding people that a quick meal can still be a really good one,” Dee Hadley, Charleys chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
Charleys also updated its loyalty program with a new rewards store that allows members to redeem items starting with 25 points. The program also has five redemption tiers, allowing members more choice on how to redeem their points. Members continue to earn one point for every dollar spent on the brand’s app, website or in restaurants. This move is in line with other brands moving toward tiers of different rewards options instead of static points-based rewards programs.
These changes will also appeal to a broader base of consumers, particularly as the chain rapidly grows. Per its franchise disclosure document, Charleys went from 672 units at the start of 2023 to 826 units at the end of 2025. This year, the brand is projected to open 50 units, per its FDD. The chain has average unit volumes of over $845,000, with mall food courts and airports boasting over $1 million in AUVs.
