Velvet Taco creates backdoor menu

Velvet Taco, a Dallas-based fast casual restaurant, has collaborated with Thanx, a provider of guest engagement technology, to create six secret menu items for the chain’s loyalty app. The menu, dubbed the Backdoor Secret Menu, features tacos like Nashville Hot Chicken and the Hangover Burger, according to a company press release.

The Velvet Room, Velvet Taco’s loyalty program which launched in November 2021, offers a tiered, visit-based program that rewards guests with offerings and VIP experiences without leaning into traditional discounts. The program also plays a vital role in guest data capture, which gives leadership a complete picture of their guest’s behaviors and spending habits.

“From the name of our program to the experiences we provide as part of our incentives, The Velvet Room is distinctively tailored and personalized to our guests,” Cassie Cooper, Velvet Taco’s director of marketing. “We are excited about the additional loyalty perks we can now offer our fans through the mobile app, which has proved successful especially in locations with drive-thru or pick-up window locations by allowing them to order off-menu without having to come inside.”

Customers won’t find the secret menu on third-party platforms as it’s a perk only for dine-in and The Velvet Room mobile app users.

Additionally, the menu allows Velvet Taco’s fans to earn rewards in a way that both engages and incentivizes guests to order directly, instead of using bottom line-disrupting third-party services. Guests may also earn a chance for an all-paid trip to Dallas to participate in a taco tasting — the more points earned through The Velvet Room, the better the chances.

“We found a partner in Thanx because they were equally as passionate about building a program that improved our bottom line without relying on traditional discounts and instead moving towards offering exclusivity and access to our guests,” Cooper said in the release.

Founded in 2011, Velvet Taco has over 30 locations in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Oklahoma.