How to start a restaurant loyalty program that people actually use
Updated 20 October 2026
A good restaurant loyalty program can be understood in ten seconds: you earn a point on every visit that counts, and after a few visits there's a reward worth having. It works when customers can see their points, when the first reward comes soon, and when nobody on your team has to remember to stamp anything. Here's how to build one.
Telaio: a restaurant loyalty program, ready in your own app
Your own app, with your restaurant’s name, logo and colours, on your customers’ phones. They install it by scanning the QR code on the table: ten seconds, no App Store, no account.
- A digital menu with the 14 allergens required by law and diets, changed from your phone whenever you like
- Offers, plus two automatic ones: «Welcome» and «Come back and see us»
- A digital punch card: one point for every offer used, rewards you decide
- Notifications, scheduled if you like, to people who said yes: theme night lands on their phone
- A button to call you with one tap, and eight languages for tourists
€59 a month · no setup fee · no commission · cancel any time
Founder code: a reserved price for twelve paid months, plus one month free · 47 of 50 left · Get it ›
What to reward
Reward the thing you want more of: coming back. The simplest way is to tie the point to an offer used at the bill, so the point only arrives when the customer is really there. That's how Telaio works: every offer used from the app earns a point, once per phone.
How many points, and which rewards
- Put the first reward close: 3–5 visits. If the first milestone is far away, nobody reaches it.
- Rewards that cost little and mean a lot: dessert, a bottle of the house wine, a starter for the table.
- One big milestone for your regulars, then start again: with Telaio, the card resets by itself after the last reward.
With Telaio: you set the rewards and points from your phone, and the card resets by itself after the last reward.
Why a paper punch card isn't enough
Paper cards get left at home, lost, or faked with a matching stamp, and they ask your staff to remember them at the busiest moment of the night. A digital punch card lives on the phone, counts by itself, and always shows the customer how far they are from the next reward.
With Telaio: the digital punch card is already inside the app, with your restaurant’s name.
How it works at the table
The customer opens the app, picks the offer and slides it in front of your staff: a moving green receipt appears on screen, with the exact time. Your staff only check that, and the point arrives by itself. No name, no email: the card belongs to the phone, and if the customer changes phone, their own code brings it back.
How to tell if it's working
Look at how many offers get used, on which days and at what time, and how many customers reach a reward. If nobody reaches the first one, it's too far; if everyone does at once, the reward costs too much. You can adjust it in a minute from your phone.
With Telaio: your statistics show the offers used and the rewards claimed, updated in real time.
Who already uses it
Locanda Al Capriolo in Farra d’Alpago and IlCortivo in Vittorio Veneto, in north-east Italy, each have their own app with their own name, and a welcome gift for anyone who opens it the first time: the first step of any restaurant loyalty program.
Want to create your own app?
Your own app, with your restaurant's name and a digital loyalty card built in. €59 a month, no commission.
Even better: ask for your Founder code. With the Founder code you get a reserved price for your first twelve paid months, plus one month free.
50 Founder codes for each model: they last while there are free ones.
On WhatsApp, or write to [email protected] · See how it works ›
More guides: How to fill a restaurant on quiet nights · How to get repeat customers at your restaurant: six things that work · How much does it cost to build a restaurant app? · All guides ›