Rewards Overhaul

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is relaunching its loyalty program on Aug. 19 with a broader rewards catalog and a new personalized-challenges feature — moves that reflect the chain's push to deepen engagement across its more than 1,000 locations in 24 markets. The revamped Coffee Bean Rewards shifts from four redemption options to more than eight, including dollar-off discounts, size upgrades, and free beverages and food items. Members earn five points per dollar spent and gain early access to seasonal menu launches.

The program's headline addition is Challenges — a feature that serves members tailored earn opportunities based on their purchase history and preferences. Rather than a blanket bonus-points offer, the mechanic nudges members toward seasonal LTOs and under-tried menu categories. New member sign-ups receive a complimentary beverage at enrollment. For c-store operators tracking dispensed beverage and loyalty trends, the Coffee Bean model illustrates how specialty coffee chains are raising the personalization bar that independent and chain forecourt cafés now compete against.

Fall Beverage Lineup

Pumpkin returns Aug. 5 as an early-access exclusive for loyalty members before going broad — a sequenced rollout that rewards program enrollment. The seasonal roster includes a Pumpkin Iced Latte with Cream Cap, a Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano, and a Pumpkin Extreme Ice Blended® Drink, all built around the chain's L.A. espresso base and French Deluxe™ vanilla powder. All pumpkin and hojicha items run through Nov. 3.

The more strategically notable addition is hojicha. Launching Aug. 19, the low-roasted Japanese green tea is naturally lower in caffeine and carries a nutty, roasted profile that differentiates it from matcha — currently the dominant "premium tea" SKU in specialty coffee. The hojicha lineup includes an Iced Pumpkin Hojicha Latte, an Iced Hojicha Latte, and a Hojicha Ice Blended® Drink, all built on a white chocolate powder base. A second limited window — Ghost (espresso) and Goblin (matcha) iced lattes — runs Sept. 16 through Oct. 31.

"This fall, we're giving guests more ways to find their flavor, whether that's discovering a new favorite beverage or enjoying a more personalized rewards experience," said Dana Castaneda, Vice President, Head of Marketing Americas, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Operator Takeaway

The Coffee Bean's structured early-access loyalty strategy — previewing seasonal items for members before general release — is a tactic gaining traction across the broader foodservice channel and is increasingly relevant to c-store foodservice programs that operate proprietary coffee bars. Chains including Wawa and Casey's have used loyalty-first LTO windows to drive app downloads and frequency; Coffee Bean's expanded redemption catalog and challenges feature raise the engagement benchmark. With the chain ranked No. 2 on Newsweek's 2026 Best Coffee Chain in America list and backed by the Jollibee Group, its program evolution is worth tracking for any operator competing in the dispensed and specialty coffee daypart.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.