NEW YORK, Nov. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bikky, the customer data platform built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants, announced its partnership with Sonny’s BBQ. Known for expertly crafted, authentic barbecue, Sonny’s is working with Bikky to better understand guest behavior, evaluate menu performance, and drive more personalized marketing.

Sonny’s opened its first barbecue restaurant in 1968, serving slow-smoked meats rooted in southern tradition. Today, the brand operates 90 restaurants across eight Southeastern states, combining casual dining with the convenience of a drive-through.

Before Bikky, Sonny’s had limited visibility into the people behind their sales transactions. “We knew what was selling, but not who was buying it,” said Katelyn Moré, Director of Marketing. “We were able to see sales traffic and the number of items sold, but we couldn’t get to the guest behavior underneath.”

That gap became more apparent as Sonny’s focused on growing their share of younger guests. “We had three defined personas to go after,” said Katie Love, Chief Marketing Officer. “We spent a lot of time and money on demographic research but had no idea if we were gaining any traction.”

With Bikky, Sonny’s can see the impact of their marketing initiatives on different demographics. When Sonny’s rolled out a seasonal menu expecting it to appeal to a younger audience, the data showed the opposite. Seasonal innovation performed better with the brand’s core audience, while an $11.99 bowl promo was bringing in younger guests.

“We had just always assumed that younger guests wanted new flavors and seasonal trends,” said Moré. “Now we know price point is the lever that’s actually driving younger customers versus the LTOs we were running.”

Bikky AI turns Sonny’s data into action, working directly from the brand’s own sales, menu, and guest data to dig into complex questions without manual reporting.

“I am in the chat all day long. I use Bikky as my source of truth and it's a good pulse check against our internal reporting.” said Moré.

Katelyn uses Bikky AI for location-level analysis and year-over-year holiday comparisons that previously took hours. “Being able to look at Labor Day over Labor Day last year through Bikky is so seamless,” said Moré. “Prior to Bikky, I’d have to pull four sets of data to compare that.”

Sonny’s is also catching menu wins earlier. When its smoked wings began gaining traction during a recent promotion, Bikky AI Recommendations flagged the trend within days. “That’s something I wouldn’t have realized until month-end,” said Love. “When you have that information 3 days into a promotion, you can adjust the rest of the campaign while it’s still running.”

Looking ahead, Sonny’s plans to expand its use of guest data throughout the organization. The brand and its agency partner are using Bikky to rethink loyalty tiers ahead of a new website launch. “We can see that our highest-tier guests aren’t coming to us for discounts,” said Moré. “Instead, we can offer them rewards and experiences that feel more valuable.”

Data from Bikky will also inform the November Feast menu, custom dashboards for franchisees, and more tailored communications across media, SMS, and email. “Bikky has been a huge unlock for us. We’re equipped with much better data, and it’s finally telling the story versus us having to fill in the gaps,” said Love.

“The Sonny’s team is one of the best we have worked with. They are relentless in how they think about making this beloved, nearly 60 year old brand relevant to the next generation of consumers,” said Abhinav Kapur, CEO of Bikky. “We are proud to support them in that journey, empowering them with the data, insights, and AI tools needed to ensure the brand continues to endure for decades to come.”

Today’s fastest-growing, most innovative restaurants use Bikky to understand how their decisions impact key metrics like frequency and traffic. Sonny’s BBQ joins a growing roster of brands, including Dave’s Hot Chicken, Mellow Mushroom, and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, that rely on Bikky’s guest data and analytics platform.

Contact:

Abhinav Kapur, Founder & CEO, Bikky
Abhinav@bikky.com