We briefly note the following tidbits regarding Burger King (owned by Restaurant Brands International [QSR; Not Rated]), Applebee’s (owned by Dine Brands [DIN; Buy]), and Starbucks (SBUX; Neutral):
On its January 24th conference call, Starbucks (SBUX; Neutral) management commented that “Starbucks Rewards continues to be a powerful enabler of loyalty and we are thoughtfully evolving the program to provide greater choice and flexibility for Rewards members. We will enhance the program this spring to enable loyalty customers to earn and redeem more quickly and redeem those awards across a broader range of items in our stores.” In this report, we report on what we hear will be the changes to the loyalty program (timing likely to be April or May).
We briefly note the following tidbits regarding privately-held Subway, privately-held Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks (SBUX; Neutral), and Pizza Hut (owned by Yum Brands [YUM; Buy]):