How De Troubadour got 1639 active users in their app within 6 months

Grand Café – Restaurant De Troubadour in Hardenberg is not just a place to eat or drink. It is a modern grand café where gastronomy, atmosphere and experience come together. Guests don’t simply visit for a meal. They come for themed evenings, curated events and a sense of belonging.

From the start, De Troubadour positioned itself as more than a hospitality venue. It actively builds relationships. The question was how to extend that relationship beyond the physical space.

Six months ago, the team launched their own branded loyalty app with Authic to strengthen that connection digitally.

The outcome speaks for itself:

• 1.639 active loyalty members

• 109 new Google reviews

• 678 new Instagram followers

• 540 new TikTok followers

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

The Challenge: From Visitors to Community

Hospitality is competitive. Guests often decide where to go spontaneously. A coffee, dinner or drinks choice is made in seconds. For De Troubadour, the goal was not simply attracting more first-time guests. It was building deeper relationships with the ones already walking through the door.

They wanted to:

• Stay relevant between visits

• Strengthen loyalty without relying on discounts

• Increase online visibility organically

• Create a structured system to engage and notify their guests

As the owner, Romy Berkhof, explains:

“The app helps us strengthen the relationship with our regular guests, instead of constantly focusing on attracting new ones. We stay easily and directly connected with our community and can quickly respond to moments when they are making a choice, for example when they decide to grab a coffee outside the house. In those moments, we want to be top of mind, so they consciously choose De Troubadour. In this way, we encourage repeat visits naturally, while keeping the contact personal and accessible.”

That shift in mindset is important. Instead of chasing new traffic, De Troubadour focused on nurturing its existing community.

Extending the Experience Beyond the Venue

Inside De Troubadour, guests experience warmth, personality and attention. Events and arrangements create moments that feel special. The loyalty app was designed to reflect that same experience digitally.

Guests use the app to:

• Collect points for visits

• Stay informed about upcoming events

• Join in-app challenges

• Feel part of the De Troubadour story

The goal was not to create a marketing tool, but a digital extension of the in-house atmosphere.

1.639 Active Members in 6 Months

Within six months, 1.639 guests became active users of the app.

For a local hospitality venue, that is a substantial portion of the returning guest base now digitally connected to the brand.

What surprised the team most was the level of involvement.

As Romy shares:

“What surprised us most is that you only truly realize how important loyalty is once you start actively working on it. We saw how engaged people feel when they belong to something and like to stay informed. Guests are not just looking for discounts, but for the feeling that they are part of the story.

By filling the app with fun and relevant content that genuinely adds value, such as updates, special offers or small extras, you notice that people keep checking in and responding. The contact feels more personal, and the bond with our guests becomes stronger.”

That philosophy guided the entire loyalty strategy.

Guests remember to bring their receipts. They ask staff about their points. They check the app regularly. Engagement became part of the visit itself.

Loyalty turned from a concept into behaviour.

Turning Engagement into Visibility

The loyalty strategy also delivered measurable visibility growth.

Through structured in-app triggers, De Troubadour generated:

• 109 new Google reviews in 6 months

For hospitality businesses, reviews influence local search ranking and first impressions. Instead of relying on manual reminders, review generation became part of the guest journey.

The app also powered social growth through challenges and incentives:

• 678 new Instagram followers

• 540 new TikTok followers

These were not cold followers. They were engaged guests deepening their relationship with the brand.

Why the Partnership Worked

De Troubadour chose Authic because of the strong alignment from day one.

Romy highlights the collaboration:

"We deliberately chose Authic because there was a strong connection from the very first moment. Authic is a driven company with a lot of ambition, and that mindset aligns perfectly with how we work at De Troubadour: thinking ahead, continuously improving, and not being afraid to try new things.

The communication is smooth and clear. Things move quickly, and there is always room to think along with us about adjustments or new features we need. Ideas are taken seriously and often translated into real improvements within the platform."

Features were adjusted, feedback was implemented and development moved quickly. For a hospitality concept that values innovation, that flexibility mattered.

A Stronger Sense of Belonging

Perhaps the most important result is not captured in numbers.

The loyalty app reinforced the feeling that guests are part of something.

Updates feel personal. Challenges feel fun. Rewards feel earned. The communication is not intrusive but relevant.

“It doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like something extra for our guests.”

That difference is what turns a restaurant into a community.