February 10, 2021: Burger King is about to test a loyalty program in five U.S. markets as part of a broader push to expand customers’ digital experience.

The Restaurant Brands International chain is the latest restaurant chain to look to rewards programs to drive sales.

The Burger King’s Royal Perks test was introduced after the announcement of archrival McDonald’s entering the next phase of its loyalty program tests on Wednesday.

“It’s been something that we’ve been working on for a while, that we’ve had in several different versions of beta tests,” said Burger King’s North American Chief Marketing Officer Ellie Doty.

Restaurant Brands CEO Jose Cil said that Royal Perks would help Burger King move away from a promotion-driven approach to offering deals and low prices daily for customers.

Customers of Burger King in Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island will earn rewards points for what they spend.

Members can also get points for orders from its website or app. The program’s testing right now is primarily in the burger chain’s digital channels, according to Doty.

Burger King’s loyalty program will also dish out free daily perks, such as upsizing members’ drinks or fries and award double points in the member’s birthday month.

The chain plans on bringing the program to more markets the entire year. However, Burger King isn’t committing yet to a nationwide launch in 2021, and the current format isn’t set in stone, said Doty.

Shares of parent company Restaurant Brands have fallen 6% from last year, giving it a $27.6 billion market value.

Burger King’s sister chain Tim Hortons has taken longer to bounce back from the pandemic as more consumers brew their coffee at home.

 The Restaurant Brands is expected to share its fourth-quarter results before the bell on Thursday.