May of 2008 was a big month for Starbucks; it was also a big month for those of us who like to drop off four bucks at the local Starbucks each morning on the way to work.  That’s when Starbucks introduced their loyalty rewards program. Shortly thereafter, we introduced a “Buy 10 Buns, Get One Free” punch card at Big Buns.

Looking back, our decision was pretty simple, “if Starbucks does it, shouldn’t we?”  This past fall we did away with our punch cards, and began to explore different rewards programs hoping that we could find one that is a better fit for truly awesome fans.

With the help of some awesome new technology, we think we found it!

Three days ago we enrolled Big Buns in a new loyalty rewards program offered by a new technology startup called Womply.  In a nutshell, consumers link their credit card(s) to their Womply account.  The business creates a loyalty plan that rewards customers for visiting their business three times in a given month and meeting a minimum purchase per visit.  For example, if you visit Big Buns three times in one month and spend $10 each visit, you will receive $6 off your third visit.  Womply will automatically credit your linked credit card when you make the third purchase. 

Womply has a lot of other great features that we like and think you will too, such as; the ability to offer loyalty members exclusive deals and even send a special something to a guest on his or her birthday.

You can sign up for Womply here (https://womply.com), and be sure to “Follow Us” (@eatbigbuns) on Twitter or “Like Us” on Facebook so you know when Big Buns is up and running. 

If you are business owner or have a friend who owns a business you can learn more about the business side of Womply, here (http://restrepreneur.com/why-rewards-rule/).

 

          It’s been nearly five years since we went on our 2006 U.S. “Burger Tour” in search of the perfect bun.  I can still remember eating burgers for lunch and dinner each day and overnighting an extra bun back to our bakery in Virginia to examine a specific bun feature that we liked.

         When our quest to find the perfect bun was over, we were stuck somewhere between brioche and a traditional egg wash brushed white flour bun.  For those of you who frequent Big Buns enough, you know that we went with the latter; there was just something about that glossy, light brown finish from the egg wash. 

         This week, some 350,000 buns later, we have decided to shift gears.  We will be moving away from our egg wash finished bun of old and moving towards a classic white flour bun lightly topped with sesame seeds.

         We know, we know, we didn’t change much- while that may be true, it is important to us that we take into consideration every detail when making a change that will affect each and every one of our guests.  We believe that our new bun will please everybody who enjoyed our old bun.  The flavor profile is still spot on, however, we do think that the new bun will be more enjoyable to a number of our awesome guests who at times felt that our bun was, for lack of better words, “too bready.” 

         We vigorously sampled our new bun and were lucky enough to have a few of our regulars taste it before committing to the switch.  (Please don’t be offended if you consider yourself a regular and were not included, this was a “right place at the right time” kind of thing).  The new bun is soft to the touch; it will compliment the meat and assorted toppings nicely, not overwhelm them.  The new bun will hold together nicely as long as you don’t go too crazy on toppings, and it will be a little lighter on the inside while retaining its slightly toasted, slightly flakey outside (don't forget the sesame seeds). 

         The next time you find yourself at Big Buns, please let us know what you think!  We are excited about rolling out our new bun this week and hope that you will like it as much as we do.