Case Study

How Bloomin’ Brands Inc. Drove $2.9M in Revenue and Increased Visit Frequency with Targeted Punch Card Campaigns

Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. is one of the largest casual dining restaurant companies in the world with a portfolio of leading, differentiated restaurant concepts. The company’s restaurant portfolio includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. The company owns, operates, or franchises more than 1,450 restaurants in 46 states and 13 countries. Bloomin' Brands partnered with Zeta Loyalty to transform occasional diners into loyal guests.

The Results

When generic promotions weren’t moving the needle, Bloomin’ Brands partnered with Zeta Loyalty to launch data-driven punch card campaigns that transformed occasional diners into loyal guests, generating $2.9M in attributed revenue and a 29.4% lift in average order value.

29.4%

lift in average order value for Outback Steakhouse

2.9M

in attributed revenue for Outback Steakhouse

67%

YOY increase in visits for Carrabba s Italian Grill

The Challenge

Breaking the One-Visit Barrier

Despite having a substantial loyalty program database, Bloomin' Brands struggled with low visit frequency among members. Many customers would dine once or twice a year, never becoming the regular guests the company needed to drive sustainable growth.

The company had previously relied on generic promotions like "$10 off $50" offers that failed to drive meaningful behavior change. For this first promotion, they wanted to keep it simple, looking for a solution that would:

Increase customer visit frequency from 1–2 visits per year to 3–4
Drive incremental revenue without eroding margins
Create ongoing engagement that would shift occasional diners to loyal regulars
Prove ROI to gain internal finance team support

Additionally, Outback Steakhouse, their largest brand by footprint, had held back on punch card initiatives due to liability concerns, leaving a massive opportunity untapped.

"The team always keeps our goals front and center. We feel supported at every step — strategy, execution, technical support. For the punch cards specifically, we had no idea how to set them up at first. Zeta guided us through the process, shared best practices, and helped tailor it to our brands with no creative limits."

Dr. Jennifer Laws

Loyalty Manager, Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.

The Solution

Strategic, Targeted Punch Card Campaigns

Bloomin’ Brands partnered with Zeta Loyalty to develop and implement a sophisticated punch card loyalty program, starting with a pilot at Carrabba’s Italian Grill before expanding to their flagship Outback Steakhouse brand.

The Zeta Loyalty team worked collaboratively with Bloomin’ Brands to:

Develop the program structure
Created a simple, compelling offer: $10 off after completing two punches (entrée purchases). Aligned the reward value with take-home entrées (all priced around $10) for easy execution. Allowed flexibility to apply the $10 toward other qualifying purchases.
Implement strategic segmentation
At Carrabba’s: Targeted nearly the full 800K email audience to maximize reach. At Outback: Applied sophisticated suppression logic to exclude high-frequency guests (eight or more visits per year) to protect margins. Focused on mid-tier guests with the highest growth potential.
Enable technical excellence
Guided Bloomin’ Brands through the entire setup process, from strategy to execution. Provided best practices and technical support at every step. Offered unlimited creative flexibility to tailor campaigns to each brand’s unique identity.
Drive cross-brand learning
Leveraged insights from Carrabba’s pilot to optimize the Outback rollout. Analyzed guest frequency levels and reward tier progression. Answered the critical question: "Can we shift the cadence of visits?"

"We’re seeing stronger return business and a deeper understanding of how to move guests from occasional to loyal. Our goal is to shift guests from 1-2 visits a year to 3-4, then from 4 to 8. We’re focused on capturing more share of wallet by becoming their go-to dining option."

Dr. Jennifer Laws

Loyalty Manager, Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.

The punch card campaigns delivered measurable financial impact by turning occasional guests into more frequent, higher-value customers. At Outback Steakhouse alone, the program generated $2.9M in attributed revenue and drove a 29.4% lift in average order value compared to control groups. More than 70% of participating members redeemed their earned $10 reward, contributing an additional $190K in incremental revenue and outperforming previous generic “$10 off $50” promotions.

Beyond revenue, the campaigns delivered clear behavioral change. Guests shifted from 1–2 visits to 3–4 visits over the campaign period, creating sustained engagement and long-term value. At Carrabba’s, 75% of members recorded two or more visits in Q2, up from 67% year over year. Outback Steakhouse saw even stronger gains, with 46% of members doubling their visit frequency in Q2, compared to just 15% the previous year.

The success prompted rapid program expansion across Bloomin’ Brands, with multiple punch card campaigns launched in the following quarters. The results also secured strong internal buy-in. The finance team became strong supporters because the program demonstrated clear ROI through increased customer frequency and lifetime value.

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