Five Secrets to Gift Card Season at Texas Roadhouse!

'Tis the season to be jolly and buy gift cards! Five questions (and answers) about how Texas Roadhouse drives Gift Card Season.

Texas Roadhouse has seen a year over increase in Gift Card Sales, even through the pandemic. Let me tell you a few of my marketing secrets to hosting a great season.

Gift Card Season at Texas Roadhouse is eight weeks long, in November and December, and usually consumes my every thought!

1. Why Not Promote Gift Cards All Year?

Everything is about timing! During the holiday season, our guests are more willing to spend than during off-peak seasons. If we can time our promotions just right to make our guests want to buy our gift cards, that is a huge win! We want our guests to buy gift cards because it helps us bring back sales at the beginning of the year. We see roughly 75% of gift cards sold during Gift Card Season return within the first quarter of the following year. Therefore, when we sell more during the season, we will see an increase in sales in Q1 and Q2.

2. Why Incentivize Gift Cards to Guests?

While some of our guests are die-hard fans of Texas Roadhouse, others need a bit more convincing. I have found that guests love to get a bonus! The incentive can be as small as a Free Appetizer coupon or $5 off coupon for their next visit. We do this for two reasons:

1. It builds loyalty

2. It brings our guests BACK!

We want to see these same guests back in the building next month. We're hoping that by WOWing them with a Free Appetizer bonus on their first visit and making their second visit special, we can turn these guests into regular VIPs of Texas Roadhouse.

3. What are CoBranded Gift Cards and Why are They Special?

CoBranded Gift Cards are specially customized gift cards with a business logo, team picture, family photo, or any picture of your choosing. These are great as Christmas cards, employee gifts, customer incentives, fundraisers, and more.

The best part is customization is free and you can host a Cobranded Gift Card Fundraiser to raise money for your charity cause!

4. Does Every Texas Roadhouse Offer the Same Incentives?

The short answer is no. Each Roadhouse is as unique as the managers, marketers, and employees that work there. Even though Texas Roadhouse is a chain, each store is given the freedom to make decisions on PR and special promotion related things such as Gift Card Season and community outreach.

5. What is a Hero Tree?

The "Hero Tree" is a fundraiser Texas Roadhouse nationally runs to support local military active duty and veterans. Depending on the Roadhouse, guests can either round up their bill or purchase and donate a gift card to the Hero Tree Fund.

Two years ago, my store decided to create calendars. The calendar was filled with pictures of what makes up our town and we included important dates for Texas Roadhouse (early openings or closes, special promotion days, etc.). The calendars were sold for $35 and 100% of the proceeds went to our Hero Tree Fund. We were able to raise $5,800 - setting a record for our store!

Gift Card Season changes for me each year. The bare bones are the same but the wrapping paper on the outside looks different every time. I love my job and the adventure that is Texas Roadhouse marketing!