Burgerville launches rewards program

Vancouver-based Burgerville entered the rewards program arena Tuesday with the launch of its new Burgerville Card.

Designed to entice patrons to spend money in exchange for points ($1 equals one point), the card can be used at any of the chain’s 39 restaurants in Washington and Oregon. Burgerville is one of the nation’s first fast-food chains to offer such a program, according to a company press release.

However, the rewards concept is not new among retailers, who use it to draw customers with discounts or free goods while gathering data about clientele. Grocery chains such as Safeway and Fred Meyer have used suchprograms for years.

Burgerville Card members can elect to be profiled by registering their card online and receiving five bonus points.

Membership in the program is free and offers a variety of benefits, such as a free birthday milkshake or smoothie. Ten reward points buys a coffee or soft drink and 30 points gets a jar of Burgerville spread. Members can exchange 40 points for the Tillamook cheeseburger or the Yukon and white bean basil burger. In addition to redeeming points for food, with 100 points, card members can choose to make a $10 donation to one of Burgerville’s charities.

Burgerville, which operates in Washington and Oregon, has long marketed socially responsible policies, such as buying locally grown and produced ingredients and efforts to compost and recycle food and packaging waste.