Tavern in the Square Scores with Paytronix Promo
Tavern in the Square opened its first location in Cambridge, Mass., in 2004, and it now has more than 20 “polished casual” restaurants and bars across New England. Tavern in the Square’s parent company, Broadway Hospitality Group, also operates such celebrated concept dining outlets as Boston’s the Broadway, Worcester’s the Mercantile, and New York City’s the Playwright.
Over the years, Tavern in the Square has differentiated itself by offering a complete dining experience across every occasion to the communities it serves. It is known for excellent food made daily in its scratch kitchens, a broad selection of craft beers and specialty cocktails, and a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Tavern in the Square had seen steady growth, but heading into the fall of 2025, the restaurateur wanted to renew its football season relevance and engagement without alienating the guest base it has amassed. In particular, it wanted to hold on to the robust weekend brunch guests, who were not necessarily driven to visit purely for sports.
At the same time, sports, especially New England Patriots football, has been a huge source of business for Tavern in the Square. “Our commitment to the New England community is a cornerstone of our brand,” says Elisse Ciollo, vice president of strategy and analytics at Broadway Hospitality Group. “Patriots fans are among the most passionate and devoted in the country; we’re happy to be supporting our local fans and bringing them value.”
The desire to bring that value to patrons led Tavern in the Square to launch a unique Patriots-themed loyalty promotion with Paytronix, its guest engagement solutions for restaurants and convenience stores.
Called “The Winner’s Circle,” the promotion was tied to the company’s Paytronix-powered Insider loyalty program, which it launched in February 2016. Tavern in the Square uses the Paytronix customer engagement platform to power its “Tavern Insider” loyalty program. The integrated system manages loyalty points, mobile engagement, and special gamified campaigns.
The “Winner’s Circle” loyalty campaign gave Insider loyalty program members the opportunity ahead of the first Sunday of each month to predict the winner of each Patriots game. Insiders who guessed correctly were targeted, celebrated, and rewarded with a special motivating offer to bring them to a Tavern in the Square location during the week that followed. Each month, the offers grew in perceived value and richness and were communicated via site, social, and loyalty channels to drive anticipation, new registrations, and participation.
Riding the energy of fan expectations for a strong Patriots regular season and eventual Super Bowl run (they lost in the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks, 29-13), the Winner’s Circle campaign grew Tavern in the Square’s loyalty membership and drove more customers into its restaurants throughout the football season. It also caused an increase in seasonal traffic as participants returned to redeem their rewards for additional meals.
“The program was a major opportunity to build interest, grow registration, and drive incremental sales, and we achieved all three,” Ciollo said.
The results hit paydirt: New registrations in the days leading up to the pool grew 86 percent and accounted for 46 percent of all registrations in the weeks the campaign was run. Over the course of the program, correct respondents per campaign grew 509 percent, with the campaign gaining momentum as the Patriots’ season prospects improved. Redeemer-driven sales grew 548 percent as more Tavern Insiders participated, were rewarded, and redeemed offers. Redemption rates among winners reached 54 percent by the end of the campaign.
The Payoff
The Tavern in the Square’s Winner’s Circle campaign with Paytronix yielded the following results:
- an 86 percent increase in loyalty program registrations;
- a 548 percent increase in redeemer-driven sales; and
- a 54 percent redemption rate for special offers tied to the campaign.