Lunchbox and Mistplay partner to help restaurant brands reactivate lapsed loyalty members with LoyaltyPlay

Every loyalty program has a dormant member problem, and the restaurant industry is no different. 

According to the 2026 Phygital Index Report, restaurant churn is at a record high, with 45% of diners saying their favorite restaurant chain changed in the past year – a significant increase over the 33% in 2025.¹ That means brands in the restaurant industry are spending significant resources on acquiring new diners, only to watch them lapse before they become regulars. 

Through our new partnership with Lunchbox – the enterprise restaurant technology platform powering loyalty, ordering, and CRM for brands like Firehouse Subs and Pei Wei Asian Kitchen – LoyaltyPlay will help restaurant brands solve this challenge by putting the world’s leading digital habit to work in re-engaging their lapsed guests.

Why the Mistplay and Lunchbox partnership

Lunchbox is the premier restaurant technology solution for enterprise brands, powering the full tech stack for brands to scale their digital presence efficiently. With a suite of products specializing in ordering, guest engagement, marketing, and more, Lunchbox empowers over 5,000+ restaurant locations across the United States. 

While these brands have large loyalty member databases, a common challenge is re-engaging dormant members without significant cost or operational lift. That’s where LoyaltyPlay comes in.  

For Lunchbox clients, LoyaltyPlay activates on top of what's already running and introduces a new type of offer that rewards guests with relevant, brand-related incentives for gameplay. The game-linked offers plug into the brand’s existing owned channel strategy through SMS, email, or in-app, while Mistplay funds the reward, making it a reactivation lever that requires zero lift and carries zero financial risk for the brand.

Together, the companies are introducing a new approach for enterprise restaurants to reactivating and engaging guests in a low-lift, no-cost way to improve member loyalty and maintain healthy margins.

“We're always looking for ways to extend the value of the Lunchbox platform for our clients, and this partnership does exactly that. Dormant loyalty members are an untapped asset for every restaurant brand we work with. Giving them a performance-based, zero-cost way to reactivate that audience was an easy decision.” – James Walker, CEO

How LoyaltyPlay re-engages loyalty members

LoyaltyPlay introduces a compelling new reason for members to re-engage with a restaurant by tying dining rewards to mobile gaming. 

The mechanic is simple: 

• Enrolled members receive a game-linked offer from your brand, delivered through your owned channels specially curated to match the unique look and feel of your brand
• When the guest acts on the offer, they earn the reward you specify – such as a discount, free item, or loyalty points
• Your brand gets a re-engaged guest back to your restaurant to redeem the reward and further engage

As Mistplay covers the cost of the reward, the brand gets fully-funded rewards to drive users back in-store without the costs normally incurred by traditional reactivation campaigns. 

With 67% of US adults (18-54) playing mobile games once a week,² and 35% of mobile gamers eating fast food at least once a week,³ the overlap is clear – diners are playing games, gamers are dining out, and this partnership is built on that overlap to drive value for everyone. Guests get more rewards, and restaurants reactivate lapsed guests without having to pay out-of-pocket.

What brands are seeing

Restaurant brands using LoyaltyPlay to re-engage their lapsed loyalty members are seeing up to 54% re-engagement from guests who haven't visited in 90+ days, 2.5x more frequent visits after the first redemption, and up to 35x higher redemption rate versus standard loyalty offers.  

For restaurant brands across QSR, fast casual, and full service, frequency is a core loyalty metric, meaning those numbers translate directly to measurable revenue impact.

“The restaurant industry is at an inflection point, with operators being asked to grow revenue, deepen guest relationships, and protect margin all at once. Lunchbox has set the bar for what modern restaurant tech should look like, and operators have noticed. We’re proud to plug LoyaltyPlay into a platform they already trust, giving brands a clean way to win back dormant guests without burning margin." – Anthony Gartung, Sr Business Development Manager for Restaurants, Mistplay

“Restaurant brands have invested heavily in building their loyalty programs, which means the member base is already there. But powering a loyalty program is expensive on its own, and stacking discounts on top to re-engage members only compounds the pressure in an industry known for its razor-thin margins. That's exactly the gap that LoyaltyPlay is designed to fill, and the Lunchbox partnership puts it directly in the hands of the brands that need it most – all while delighting their guests in a new and compelling way.” – Jennifer Taylor-Glick, Director of Customer Success, Mistplay

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👀 Related reading: Driving 54% re-engagement for Checkers & Rally’s with LoyaltyPlay

Turn lapsed guests into loyal regulars with the Loyaltyplay and Lunchbox partnership

If your brand runs on Lunchbox, LoyaltyPlay is available to you today. Reach out to your Lunchbox account manager, and our team will be in touch with the next steps. There's no new infrastructure, no new technology stack, and no new budget required. LoyaltyPlay runs as a gaming-powered engagement layer on top of your existing program to reach dormant enrolled members through the channels you already own. 

If you’re not a Lunchbox client, but interested in leveraging gaming for your restaurant brand, contact us today to get started, or check out out page to further explore LoyaltyPlay for restaurants.

Sources: 

1. 2026 Phygital Index Report, Tillster, 2026
2. Statista, 2024
3. AdColony’s Mobile Trends in QSR report

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