Restaurant
A simple loyalty card for your restaurant
The lunchtime regular and the couple who come back for an anniversary do not become loyal in the same way. The AnkorCard card is set up according to the customers you most want to bring back.
Wallet
The regulars
Maison Aubrac
Customer
Marie D.
Why
Why build loyalty in a restaurant
A restaurant lives off two sets of customers. The lunch crowd comes back every week, sometimes several times, and compares you with the brasserie next door. The evening and weekend crowd comes less often, spends more, and picks a place they know when the occasion arises.
In both cases, what brings people back is being recognised, and having a concrete reason to choose your table rather than another. A card in the phone helps in two ways: it rewards coming back, and it lets you get back in touch when a customer stops coming.
The rule
Points or visits?
Per visit: the stamp card
Suited to lunch, when the amount changes little from one visit to the next. One visit is worth one stamp, and the customer understands without explanation. Watch out for shared bills: a table of four paying in one go credits only one card.
Per amount: points per euro
Suited to evenings and groups, when the bill varies a lot. The customer who treats six people earns more than the one dining alone. The staff member enters the bill amount when crediting.
A card carries a single rule: choose the one for the customers who matter most. Points per euro cover a restaurant with both crowds best, since they penalise neither the small nor the large bill.
Example
Per-visit programme, for lunch
- 1 lunch
- 1 stamp
- 10 stamps
- A free lunch menu
Example settings. You set the tiers and rewards yourself.
Example
Per-amount programme, for the evening
- €1 on the bill
- 1 point
- 100 points
- A free dessert
- 250 points
- A free main course
Example settings. You set the tiers and rewards yourself.
Rewards
Examples of rewards that work
- A free dessert or coffee: inexpensive, and consumed on site, so with a bill around it.
- A free lunch menu on the tenth visit, for the office crowd.
- A voucher in the customer's name for their birthday, sent automatically a few days before the date.
- A voucher handed over to apologise for a wait or a wrong order.
Write the reward as the customer should read it: "a free dessert" rather than "a surprise". Tiers, vouchers and customer levels are detailed on the points and rewards page.
Sign-up
How to sign up a customer
The right moment is when the bill arrives: the phone is already out to pay. Put the sign-up QR code where the bill arrives, on a table tent or next to the card terminal, and mention it out loud. A QR code left alone on a table is rarely scanned.
- On a table tent, for table service.
- At the takeaway counter.
- On your Google profile and in your Instagram bio, for those who book online.
The customer enters their first name and email, then adds the card to their Wallet. So that they leave with a reason to come back, credit the first stamp right away.
At the till
How to credit points
The scanner opens from the till's tablet or phone. The staff member points at the card's QR code, credits the stamp or enters the bill amount, and that is it. No integration with your till software is needed, or possible today: the scanner works alongside.
On the floor, a waiter can credit from their own account: the history shows who credited what. A customer forgot their phone? Their profile can be found by name in the Customers tab. The details of access are on the staff management page.
Offers
How to send an offer
From the Campaigns tab, a short message arrives on your customers' card and on their iPhone lock screen. A few uses specific to restaurants:
- Announce the new menu or the dish of the day for a usually quiet service.
- Write to customers who have not come for two months, with the Pro plan.
- Give notice of an exceptional closure or holidays.
- Double the points during an off-peak slot, and announce it automatically on the chosen days.
Follow-up
How to follow your regular customers
The best customers list shows your regulars, ranked by balance and then by number of visits. It is useful beyond the card: a head waiter who knows the names of the ten most loyal customers welcomes them differently.
Each profile shows the visits, the last visit and the rewards claimed. The dashboard follows new customers and visits by week, by month or over the year. See loyalty statistics.
Questions from restaurant owners
How do I convince my customers to sign up?
Offer it at the moment of paying, when the phone is already in hand, and give an immediate reason: a first stamp free on signing up, or a reward reachable in three or four visits. A card that starts at zero and promises a reward in ten visits makes nobody want it.
Stamps or points: which should I choose?
If in doubt, start with stamps: it is what your customers understand without explanation.
| Stamp card | Points per euro | |
|---|---|---|
| When to choose it | Regular basket, repeated purchase | Baskets that vary a lot from one customer to another |
| Example | A coffee, a haircut, a lunch menu | A shop, a beauty salon, a wine shop |
| What the customer understands | Immediately | After an explanation |
| What it rewards | How often they visit | How much they spend |
How do I fill my quiet hours?
With a points multiplier on the quiet time slot, for example double points between 2pm and 5pm. Credits made during the slot are multiplied automatically, and the customer has a concrete reason to come at 3pm rather than at 1pm.
Can I credit a customer without scanning their card?
Yes. In the Clients tab, you look the person up by name or email and credit from their profile. That is what you need when a customer has forgotten their phone, calls you about an order, or when you catch up on a day without network.
Does Ankor integrate with my till software?
No, there is no integration with till software today: the scanner works alongside, on a separate device or in another tab. That is also what lets you start without touching your existing setup or calling in your till provider.
All the answers are in the frequently asked questions about the digital loyalty card.
Read next
- Loyalty programme for restaurants
The complete guide to calibrating the card for your services.
- Coffee shop loyalty card
When visits are daily and the bill smaller.
- Customer QR code
The gesture at the till, step by step.
- Pricing
Two fixed-price plans, free trial.
Launch your restaurant's card
Set up the card in a few minutes and print the QR code for the next service.