Answers / AI & data

    What RFM thresholds should I use for an F&B loyalty program?

    Written by PEKO Team.Last updated: 05/24/2026.

    For cafés and casual restaurants, use Recency bands of 0–14 / 15–45 / 46–90 / 90+ days, Frequency bands of 1 / 2–4 / 5–11 / 12+ visits in 90 days, and Monetary bands set at the 50th / 80th / 95th percentile of 90-day spend.

    Published: 05/24/2026

    RFM scores every guest 1–4 on Recency (how recently), Frequency (how often), and Monetary (how much). The 64 combinations collapse into 8 actionable segments: Champions, Loyal, Potential Loyalist, New, Promising, Needs Attention, At Risk, Lost.

    Thresholds matter more than the framework. The mistake operators make is copying B2B SaaS thresholds (Recency in months, Frequency in years) into F&B where a 'regular' visits weekly and a guest is at risk after 6 weeks of silence.

    Recency bands (days)

    0–14 = active, 15–45 = slipping, 46–90 = at risk, 90+ = lost. Lost guests below day 180 are recoverable; beyond that, treat as cold leads.

    Frequency bands (90-day window)

    1 visit = new, 2–4 = casual, 5–11 = regular, 12+ = champion. Always use a 90-day window for F&B — annual frequency hides recent behaviour change.

    Monetary bands

    Don't use absolute money. Compute the 50th / 80th / 95th percentile of 90-day spend across your active base, then bucket. Bands move with your menu prices automatically.

    FAQ

    How often should RFM scores recompute?

    Nightly is the right cadence. Real-time is overkill and creates jitter; weekly misses fast-moving segments.

    Does PEKO bucket guests into RFM automatically?

    Yes. The RFM segmentation dashboard rebuilds nightly with the percentile-based monetary bands described above, and every workflow can filter by segment without manual list-building.

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