---
title: "How Penn Station is winning over Gen Z without discounting"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/096e644c-e6a8-4581-85e8-a4817b3ba51b
source: "FastCasual"
original_url: https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/how-penn-station-is-winning-over-gen-z-without-discounting/
category: "Sandwich & sub"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Sandwich & sub"
published: 2026-09-11T10:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-09-11T13:30:29.390Z
image: https://nmgprod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/file/33/95/107dd088e49a2ed8001fe3d4c7e6/cover_image__wIUxuKoS__culture-war-gen-z-fc.jpg
---

# How Penn Station is winning over Gen Z without discounting

**TL;DR:** Penn Station East Coast Subs is leveraging digital training and AI-driven personalization to engage Gen Z consumers and employees without relying on traditional discounting. The 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z customers and employees through local authenticity, digital training, AI-driven personalization and a rejection of old-school discount marketing.

*originally published in FastCasual on 2026-09-11. [Read the original](https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/how-penn-station-is-winning-over-gen-z-without-discounting/).*

## Story

Test Link CONTINUE TO SITE » or wait 15 seconds Fast Casual Nation How Penn Station is winning over Gen Z without discounting Penn Station President Lance Vaught and Curion's Thomas Gilbert join Fast Casual Nation to break down how the 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z customers and employees through local authenticity, digital training, AI-driven personalization and a rejection of old-school discount marketing. September 11, 2026 Play on Spotify The Culture Wars: Gen Z Takes Over · Fast Casual Nation Penn Station President Lance Vaught and Curion Insight's Thomas Gilbert join Fast Casual Nation to break down how the 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z customers and employees through local authenticity, digital training, AI-driven personalization and a rejection of old-school discount marketing. YouTube Business Strategy and Profitability Franchising Operations Curion Insights Fast Casual More From Fast Casual Nation More Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ How restaurant real estate is being rewritten — and what operators need to know Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ Dave's Hot Chicken CMO reveals when and when NOT to use AI\\ \\ Presented by Mountaire Farms Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ How Bonchon is using AI to enhance operations, increase profit Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ How FiiZ Drinks is turning a viral beverage trend into a scalable brand\\ \\ Presented by Instant Financial Related Media News\\ \\ Penn Station rebrands, updates menu as franchise expansion accelerates Article\\ \\ How 1 Penn Station franchise is turning teen hires into tomorrow's leaders News\\ \\ Penn Station partners with Barstool, Virtual Dining Concepts on LTO Podcast\\ \\ Marketing experts weigh in: Winning Gen Z, millennials in uncertain times Podcast\\ \\ Slim Chickens CEO: Gen Z, AI driving industry change Podcast\\ \\ Chipotle marketing VP reveals strategy to win back Gen Z ©2026 Connect Media, All rights reserved.

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## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- FastCasual (publication)
- Penn Station East Coast Subs (company)
- Lance Vaught (person)
- Fast Casual Nation (company)
- digital training (topic)
- gen z engagement (topic)
- local authenticity (topic)
- Thomas Gilbert (person)
- Curion Insights (company)
- ai-driven personalization (topic)
- discount marketing (topic)

---
Originally reported by FastCasual (https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/how-penn-station-is-winning-over-gen-z-without-discounting/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/096e644c-e6a8-4581-85e8-a4817b3ba51b).