What Diners Want: The New Rules of Loyalty in Hospitality

Tech on Toast, The Hospitality Tech Podcast

In this special episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast 🎙️, brought to you in partnership with Zonal, we dig into one of hospitality’s most overused — and misunderstood — buzzwords: loyalty.

Host Chris Fletcher is joined by:

• John Sills 📖 – Author of The Human Experience, who argues loyalty doesn’t really exist — usefulness does.

• Ruth Carpenter 🍕 – Head of Marketing at Pizza Pilgrims, sharing how guest feedback, authenticity, and joy drive repeat visits.

• Gillian Nicholson 💡 – Sales Director at Zonal, bringing insights from 17,000+ hospitality customers and the tech powering their guest experiences.

They explore:

• 🔍 Has “loyalty” been replaced by usefulness?

• 📉 How the cost-of-living crisis is reshaping dining habits — from earlier booking times to lighter menu choices.

• 🤝 Keeping the human touch when tech runs in the background.

• 📦 Subscription models — convenience or commercial trap?

• ♿ The growing demand for accessibility, sustainability, and purpose-driven brands.

• 📨 Why personalisation might be overhyped — and what really drives engagement.

Expect candid stories about burnt pizzas, stolen deliveries, subscription fatigue, and the surprising social trends — from sleep habits to bottomless brunches — shaping hospitality in 2025.

Whether you’re an operator, marketer, or tech provider, this episode blends data, humour, and hard truths about what it really takes to keep guests coming back.