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Recognition for Food & Retail Teams

Boost appreciation in the service industry

Cut turnover, increase motivation, and improve satisfaction in the service industry, from food service to retail.

Why Awardco?

Features that fuel the frontlines

 
AwardCodes™
 
External Recognition
 
Customized Incentives
 
Milestone Celebrations

Employee Health & Wellbeing

Reduce stress and burnout with wellness programs

Build custom wellness incentives or introduce wellbeing benefits to empower holisitic employee health.

ROI of Recognition

Tailored solutions to solve unique challenges

Food service and retail face turnover rates as high as 75%. Recognition flips the script.

Productivity
Smiling barista using tablet while preparing coffee in cafe
50
%
increase in productivity
50
%
increase in productivity

Drive greater performance with desirable rewards

One Awardco client in the retail space saw a 50% increase in productivity after implementation.

Productivity
Retention
Worker in red apron preparing takeout bag near chalkboard
20
%
reduction in turnover rate
20
%
reduction in turnover rate

Keep top talent with more appreciation

One Awardco client in the car wash industry saw their turnover drop by 20% after implementing rewards and recognition.

Retention
Satisfaction
Chef in white uniform takes notes in professional kitchen with stacked bowls
24
%
boost to employee happiness
24
%
boost to employee happiness

Increase happiness with meaningful support

Recognition leads to greater employee happiness no matter the industry.

Satisfaction

only from awardco

A-Pay™ cards for flexible rewards

Load points to a digital or physical card to be used nearly anywhere for dining out, retail shopping, online subscriptions, and much more.

success stories

What our customers say

Young woman with long brown hair smiling against a solid pink background.
Crumbl
Beyond birthdays and anniversaries, Awardco gives us a meaningful way to recognize our values, which is honestly my favorite part of the program. Every company has values and a mission statement, but they can be easy to forget in the day-to-day. Awardco helps keep our values top of mind by tying them directly to recognition.
Shannon Martell
Employee Experience Specialist
Greenfield Global
Feeling seen and feeling valued… That's one thing that keeps me going every day. We all try to strive for the best and try to help one another. We have a great management system here and everybody is seen and heard.
Aisha Ariyo
Export Logistics Coordinator
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, white top, and black blazer in a modern office setting.
BPM
We really like the redemption options and how Awardco integrates with Amazon — the platform's ease-of-use has empowered us to handle our growing employee population.
Monica Delgado
Senior Manager of Total Rewards
I like the SWAG store—I get to choose what and when I want to order, without waiting on a company-wide group order.
Verified User
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ARUP Laboratories
Soon after our implementation we created a financial recognition program through Awardco for managers and supervisors to recognize their employees for extra efforts. Now our managers and supervisors have their own budgeted amount to use at their discretion to award their employees at any time, and they don't have to wait for approval to do so.
Cheryl Vincent
Talent Development Manager
Smiling woman with dark curly hair wearing a lavender blouse and white earrings against black background.
Lockton
Awardco is not just a recognition tool—it’s a risk mitigation solution. Our tax and payroll teams love that we can now accurately track and report gifting, with proper IRS compliance.
Selia Wood
AVP, Talent & Engagement
Smiling woman with blonde hair wearing a black blazer and green top against a white background.
PMG
Companies that invest in recognition are seen as people-centric. When people feel appreciated for their contributions and are truly engaged, they’re more innovative, more creative, and more willing to think beyond the status quo. This elevates work, fuels stronger business outcomes and can foster deeper customer relationships.
Monica Gunderson
Talent Management Lead
PMG
Positive recognition is contagious, and myKudos [Awardco] serves as an incredible platform to uplift others, celebrate their wins, and inspire everyone to give their best to PMG and our clients.
Melodie Cottingham
Convergent Video/Audio Director
 
 

Integrations & Security

Serving up secure and seamless workflows

Integrations

Connect with HRIS, communication, and other tools to keep recognition and rewards simple and effective.

Security

Enjoy peace of mind with SOC 2 Type II compliance and airtight data security protocols.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What can food and retail organizations use Awardco for?
 

Organizations can configure programs for service anniversaries, onboarding, birthdays, peer recognition, manager recognition, spot awards, nominations, sales contests, performance goals, safety or quality behaviors, training, wellness, and other approved initiatives.

A restaurant or store operator might recognize an employee after a first shift, celebrate a service milestone, reward a team for meeting a sales or customer-service goal, or recognize an employee for living a company value. A food manufacturer, distributor, or grocery organization might also use programs across production, warehouse, delivery, store, and corporate teams.

Programs can be monetary, nonmonetary, automated, peer-led, manager-led, store-based, or combined. The available program types and criteria depend on the enabled products and organization configuration.

What reward options are useful for food and retail employees?
 

Depending on the available marketplace and program, employees may receive or choose from restaurant and grocery gift cards, other digital gift cards, virtual prepaid cards, merchandise, company swag, experiences, travel-related options, charitable giving, or a restricted custom catalog.

Organizations can offer broad employee choice or align rewards to a store, campaign, location, brand, service milestone, onboarding kit, or budget. Local reward options may be especially relevant for employees who shop or dine in their own communities.

Availability, country coverage, currency, provider, catalog, fulfillment, taxes, point value, and employee eligibility vary. Organizations should validate the current reward catalog and avoid promising that every employee will see the same brands, denominations, products, or redemption methods.

Can Awardco support manager, peer, team, and performance recognition?
 

Yes, where the relevant programs are enabled, managers and peers can recognize employees for contributions, values, customer service, teamwork, performance, or other approved behaviors. Organizations can also configure nominations, contests, challenges, or other programs around defined goals.

A company may use nonmonetary recognition for everyday appreciation and points or another reward for selected achievements. Performance programs can be designed around individual, team, store, department, or campaign criteria.

Organizations should define eligibility, measurement, approval, budget ownership, timing, and communication rules before launching a performance or sales-related program. Recognition should complement, not replace, required compensation, commission, incentive, or employment policies.

Can organizations manage recognition across stores, brands, regions, and departments?
 

Organizations can design programs around stores, restaurants, regions, brands, departments, job types, employee groups, or other approved organizational data where supported.

Administrators may use different budgets, eligibility rules, reward values, catalogs, approval paths, or reporting views for store managers, regional teams, corporate employees, or other groups. A central program can provide consistency while allowing local leaders to recognize employees within defined rules.

The available segmentation, permissions, hierarchy, franchise or ownership boundaries, and data mappings depend on the organization’s operating model and connected systems. Organizations should define how employees who transfer locations, work across stores, or change roles are handled.

How can Awardco reach hourly, store, restaurant, and deskless employees?
 

Employees can access recognition through a mobile app, web experience, text or email notifications, collaboration tools, QR codes, award codes, printed cards, or other configured channels.

Award codes can give managers a physical way to recognize an employee at the store, restaurant, warehouse, or worksite. Depending on the setup, an employee can use the code to claim points that are associated with their Awardco account.

The available channels, identity requirements, device access, personal contact information, language options, and account-recovery process vary by program. Organizations should validate access for employees who do not have a company email, work on shared devices, work varied shifts, or do not use the platform every day.

Boost appreciation, one act of service at a time

Celebrate the everyday wins of retail and service employees to improve engagement, increase wellness, and reduce burnout.

Diverse team of colleagues collaborating and smiling in modern office