Press Release

Award Comes on The Tail of Banner Year For Company

PITTSBURGH (March 30, 2021) – For the second year in a row, Newsweek recognized Bruster’s Real Ice Cream’s Sweet Rewards on America’s Best Loyalty Program [will this link out to the newsweek page rankings in the Catering, Restaurants and Leisure: Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores category. Bruster’s secured an overall score that was 6% higher from 2021.

“We have seen stellar growth over the past eight years, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without our loyal customers,” said CEO Jim Sahene. “Across all franchises in 2021, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream saw a 17% increase in same store sales. Over the past eight years, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream has seen a cumulative 66% increase in same store sales. Our franchisees work tirelessly to ensure that all customers receive a scoop above the rest experience and the Sweet Rewards program allows our patrons to share in our success. We are honored that Newsweek has again recognized Sweet Rewards as one of America’s Best Loyalty Programs.”

With recent updates made to the Sweet Rewards App, customers have an even better experience with their rewards and can now access online ordering for pick-up right from the Sweet Rewards dashboard. They can also add points using their receipt if their account wasn’t used during their visit. This was launched in tandem with a brand new Brusters.com website. Launched in February 2018, Sweet Rewards offers customers a variety of perks including a $3 reward for signing up, one point per dollar spent and a $5 reward for every $50 spent. Additionally, customers can redeem a birthday offer, alongside regularly offered surprise perks.

“Our franchisees live and work in the communities they serve, and their customers aren’t just customers, but friends, neighbors and classmates. At Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, it’s vital that we thank our customers for allowing Bruster’s to serve up smiles in the community and be a part of their celebrations and special moments. Sweet Rewards allows us to stay engaged with customers throughout the year and reward them for their continued support,” said Vice President, Marketing, Jennifer Brinker.

In addition to its national recognition and growing sales, Bruster’s has been busy in the kitchen with Limited Time Offers that are Caught In The Cookie Jar. Stop by any Bruster’s location during the month of March to try Coconut Caramel Cookie, bursting with our iconic flavors like creamy coconut Ice cream chunks of vanilla wafers, caramel ripples and chocolate flakes. Or Mint OREO^®, Homemade mint ice cream blended with OREO® Cookies pieces.

Newsweek’s 2022 ranking of America’s Best Loyalty Programs was compiled based on the results of an independent survey of more than 4,000 U.S. customers who are members of loyalty programs of retailers or service providers in the United States. Customers were given the opportunity to evaluate their loyalty programs: in total around 20,000 evaluations were collected. The survey period ran from October to November 2021. Loyalty programs are defined as all reward programs that provided the customer with a benefit when purchasing or using the products or services of the associated brands. The survey was conducted on retailers and service providers from 36 categories, providing results for a broad spectrum of loyalty programs in traditional retail, online retail, and service segments. The awarded loyalty programs each received an above average overall score.

ABOUT BRUSTER’S REAL ICE CREAM

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream features 150 flavors of premium, handcrafted ice cream, yogurt, Italian ice and sorbet. Starting with a proprietary, home-style mix delivered fresh from its dairy, Certified Ice Cream Makers in each shop craft at least 24 flavors every day. There are nearly 200 independently owned locations in 22 states, Guyana and South Korea.