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Jul 11, 2025
Restaurants are benefiting from the lessons learned in games & apps
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At Konvoy we believe that games continue to bleed into all areas of our lives. We have invested at the cross section of games and defense, education, regulation and more, and the distinction will only become more blurred across verticals and industries.
This week we want to dive into how games and gamification has bled into the restaurant industry, how it is helping solve some of their hardest problems, and see what may be next.
We have written in the past about how games are not for everyone. Creating a game for an online platform like LinkedIn or Netflix can be complex, and the company must ensure that the type of game it introduces aligns with existing user behavior and that the value of playing the game aligns with the company's core value proposition. However, this is just table stakes for the decision. Companies need to also consider IP risk, development costs, and the fact that making a game is exceptionally difficult.
That being said, the allure of games is strong. Games can be used as an extension of your intellectual property, a way to engage a new or existing part of your user base, or as a retention tool to keep them engaged.
The restaurant industry also noticed this, and in 2006 one of the more famous restaurant games was released. Sneak King, a stealth food-delivery themed game developed in partnership with Burger King, was one of three games sold by Burger King for $3.99 on top of the price of a kids meal. Despite receiving a 5.5/10 from IMDb, the series sold 2.7M copies and still lives on in different forms in pop culture today.
However, Burger King was neither the first nor last restaurant chain to dip their toes into gaming, and over time, each example was met with varying degrees of success. In 2019, KFC launched I Love You, Colonel Sanders! (very positive reviews on steam), and Wendy’s launched a tabletop roleplaying game called Feast of Legends, which they had featured on Critical Role (and was met with intense fan backlash).
Over time, and as narratives have shifted away from games and the “metaverse”, there have been fewer restaurants attempting to use games as a means to reach customers; however, they have not given it up entirely.
The restaurant industry is fiercely competitive, especially at the highest levels where margins are thin and customer loyalty is hard-won. To stand out and drive repeat business, restaurants are constantly experimenting with new strategies. Meanwhile, game companies have long grappled with similar challenges around user acquisition (UA) and retention, and they have developed sophisticated solutions. Rather than creating games outright, restaurants have been adopting principles of gamification to enhance customer engagement and foster loyalty in fresh, compelling ways. Gamification is application of game-design elements and principles like points, levels, challenges, rewards, trophies and rewards, to non-game contexts in order to increase engagement, and retention.
Social Features & Trophies:
Rewards:
Leaderboards:
Late Adopters:
New innovations on the cutting edge of UA for gaming and broader consumer applications are likely to continue to trickle down into other industries. Some of the trends at the cutting edge of UA and retention that we think could benefit restaurants are:
Takeaway: As the line between games and everyday life continues to blur, restaurants are following in the path of games and apps. While early efforts to break into gaming were largely a publicity stunt, the real opportunity lies in adopting the proven retention and engagement strategies from the gaming world. From rewards and leaderboards to AI-driven personalization, the tools that keep players hooked can help restaurants build deeper customer loyalty and unlock a competitive edge in an industry where every visit counts.