Why restaurants run loyalty programs
Your regulars already exist. A program makes them come back sooner.
A restaurant lives on repeat visits: the couple that comes every Friday, the office crew that orders lunch twice a week, the student who buys the same latte every morning. A loyalty program gives them a concrete reason to pick you again instead of the place next door, and it gives you something a busy dining room never does on its own: a list of who those regulars are and how often they come.
The catch is friction. Guests will not download yet another restaurant app for a free dessert, and a paper card ends up in the wrong jacket. Bonuxo puts the card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet: one QR scan at the table or the register, and it is on the phone for good.
Which program fits
Restaurant and coffee shop loyalty program ideas
Full-service restaurant
Points by spend (Plus)Guests earn points on every check and trade them for rewards from your catalog: a dessert, an appetizer, a bottle of wine. A table of six and a solo lunch both earn fairly.
Coffee shop
Stamps (all plans)The classic "buy 9 coffees, get the 10th free". It is quick at the counter and every regular already knows how it works.
Pizzeria or burger joint
Stamps or pointsStamps if most orders are similar; points if family orders and single slices mix. Add a coupon for slow weeknights.
Bakery or juice bar
Stamps or cashback (Plus)Stamps for the morning regular; cashback when baskets vary and you want the reward to feel like money back.
Example rewards only. Work out the reward on what it costs you, not on the menu price: a coffee that costs you cents to make is a generous-feeling reward with a small real cost.
Coffee shops
A coffee shop loyalty program in five minutes
- Create a stamp card: for example 9 stamps and the 10th coffee is on the house. Stamps are on every plan, including Lite.
- Add your logo and color, and preview it the way it looks in the wallet.
- Print the counter card with your sign-up QR, from the signage section of the dashboard.
- Stamp at the register with the Scanner: find the guest by name, phone or the QR on their card and tap once. If the internet drops, it keeps recording and syncs later.
Beyond the free dessert
What brings guests back between visits
"We miss you" messages
After a stretch without visits, the card sends a notice on its own, so a lapsed regular hears from you before they forget you.
Birthday gift (Plus)
Points or a reward once a year, automatically, on the guest's birthday. A classic reason to book a table.
Targeted campaigns (Plus)
Send an offer only to guests who have not come in a while, or to those close to a reward, and schedule it for your slow nights.
Guest tiers
Two to six levels with a points multiplier, so your best regulars earn faster and see their level on the card.
Coupons and prize wheel
A coupon with a reminder before it expires, and an optional prize wheel right after a guest joins. On every plan.
Program health (Plus)
See who came back, who cooled off and who saved the card, plus visits, redemptions and top rewards.
Your POS
Works next to the register you already have
You do not need to change your POS to start. Staff add points or stamps from the Scanner, a light app for the counter, in a couple of taps. There are no ready-made integrations with US point-of-sale systems yet; if you want checks to add points on their own, a developer can connect your POS through the Bonuxo POS API, which records each sale with its ticket number so a retry never counts twice, and handles refunds. The API is part of Plus and above.
Pricing in the United States
US$25, US$45 and from US$70 per month
Lite (US$25/month) covers one location with a stamp card for up to 300 guests, the right size for a coffee shop starting out. Plus (US$45/month) adds points, cashback, the birthday gift, targeted campaigns and analytics, which is what most restaurants want. Enterprise (from US$70/month) includes two locations and a multi-location panel. Paying for the year gives you 2 months free. Prices in US dollars; online payment is not available yet. Payment is coordinated with our team at the end of the trial.
Good to know
What is not available yet
- Online payment for the subscription is not available yet. During the trial there is nothing to pay, and at the end of it payment is coordinated with our team.
- The privacy policy, terms, cookie notice and data deletion page are available in English, but they are general texts. Legal texts specific to your country are not available yet.
- Marketing emails to your customers are not available in English yet. Notifications to your customers go to the wallet card.
- There is no SMS or WhatsApp channel to your customers.
- There are no ready-made integrations with point-of-sale systems used in your country yet. A developer can connect any POS or register through the POS API and signed webhooks.
More for US businesses: Digital punch card for small business · Free punch card template · Bonuxo in the United States.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the best loyalty program for a restaurant?
The one your guests understand in five seconds and your staff can run during a rush. For most full-service restaurants that is points by spend, because checks vary a lot from table to table. For a coffee shop or a counter-service spot with a similar ticket every visit, a punch card (stamps) is simpler and works just as well.
Do guests need to download a restaurant app?
No. With Bonuxo they scan a QR code at the table or the register and save the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Nothing to install.
How much does a restaurant loyalty program cost with Bonuxo?
Lite is US$25/month (stamps only), Plus is US$45/month (points, cashback, tiers, birthday gift and targeted campaigns) and Enterprise is from US$70/month with two locations included. Prices in US dollars, 14-day free trial. Online payment is not available yet. Payment is coordinated with our team at the end of the trial.
Does it connect to my restaurant POS?
Not with a ready-made integration for US point-of-sale systems yet. Your staff can add points from the Scanner app, which takes seconds, or a developer can connect your POS through the Bonuxo POS API and signed webhooks (Plus and above).
Can I run it in more than one location?
Yes. Enterprise includes two locations and a multi-location panel, and extra locations are an add-on on any plan.
Does Bonuxo send text messages to my guests?
No. Reminders and offers arrive as notifications on the wallet card, so there is no SMS cost and no extra opt-in.