The goal: a fun “food fight” vote to crown the crowd favorite. The surprise? Which medium guests used to scan the code told a bigger story than which cookie won. “When we tracked engagement,” says Brand Activation Manager Keane Amdahl, “we saw the mobile QR code beat the poster display by a landslide.” Learning how guests move through a given space is important, Amdahl explains. “Hospitality is about meeting people where they are, and data helps us see where that really is.”
Across Bon Appétit, the activation team is using digital tools in exactly this way — illuminating habits, rhythms, and preferences that aren’t always obvious in the moment. These insights help operations teams anticipate needs and design experiences that feel warm, personal, and responsive.
Where Engagement Begins
For many accounts, early insights come from direct feedback and app- or POS-based ordering patterns. But not every location starts with robust digital engagement. Sometimes the first challenge is sparking it.
At Exelixis, in Alameda, CA, the team approached that challenge with hospitality-forward creativity. They launched a “Show Off Your App” campaign, inviting guests who’d downloaded the Café Bon App mobile app to enter a drawing for an autographed cookbook by Michelin-starred chef Scott Clark. The drawing drove a 75% jump in app usage — proof that participation grows when the invitation feels fun, not forced.
Elsewhere, teams lean on data to meet guests where they already are. In San Mateo, CA, when a gaming company’s café noticed kiosk ordering far outpaced mobile ordering, they used exclusivity as a hospitality-driven incentive. During a grand re-opening, the team offered certain dishes only through the mobile app, leveraging curiosity about exclusive menu options to drive new technology adoption without removing historical preferences.
As Regional Director of Activation Cara Brechler notes, the intersection of hospitality and data is a “powerful driver of engagement, adoption, and insights that can drive storytelling.”
In public restaurants and corporate cafés alike, Instagram has become an extension of our dining spaces. “Social media can be one of our best digital tools for hospitality engagement,” says Laura Donovan, Public Restaurant PR & Marketing Manager. “It lets us meet guests where they already are and offer the same warmth and attentiveness they’d receive in person.”
Extending Hospitality Beyond the Four Walls
In Palo Alto, CA, Sand Hill Sundeck offers a clear example. Collaborations with local influencers helped the restaurant tell its story to a wider community, including one reel that drew over 36,000 views and boosted follower growth. Boosted posts for events like Mother’s Day brunch strengthened awareness and drove higher bookings. Public Restaurant PR & Marketing Manager Diana Diaz uses data from social media to “tell us what’s resonating. Those insights guide everything from menu highlights to programming.”
“Each touchpoint gives us a chance to understand guests better,” Diana adds. “The tools help, but it’s what we do with the information that strengthens hospitality.”
“The tools help, but it’s what we do with the information that strengthens hospitality.”
Turning Metrics into Meaning
When an activation wraps, the numbers begin their second life as teams translate engagement into story, highlighting participation, guest comments, revenue impact, and the moments that defined the experience.
These reports help accounts understand what worked, what opportunities exist, and how guests received the event. They fuel client conversations, inform planning efforts for future activations, and offer transparent insight into guest behavior. “Snapshots aren’t just a recap,” Regional Director of Activation Jennifer McGann noted. “They help us evolve. We see patterns emerge and can make better choices next time.”
This reflection isn’t just operational. Rather, it reshapes how teams talk about hospitality itself. Instead of focusing solely on numbers, Snapshots capture the feelings behind the metrics — what sparked joy, what earned a return visit, or what left something to be desired.
Seeing Guests More Clearly
Across campuses, offices, and public venues, digital tools give Bon Appétit teams a sharper view of what guests value. A cookie tasting revealed how a simple detail — QR code placement — can reshape an experience. Hospitality has always relied on noticing (and acting on) details and trends. Today’s tools help teams notice more: more preferences, more patterns, more opportunities to exceed expectations.
Technology can feel like a barrier to connection, but in practice it often brings us closer. Used with intention, these tools help us see what guests care about and respond in ways that feel personal and immediate.
