Yaniv Calif is the non-vegetarian male half of the couple that owns the building where my new office is located. Before I moved in (and on short notice), he painted the office, fixed all the lights and ceiling, moved out extra furniture I didn’t need (I brought my own from my home office), helped me assemble two chairs, and helped locate and hang several pictures. He frequently checks to see that all is well.
As a thank you, I’m taking Yaniv out to a special “Patz & Hall Dinner” at Lawry’s The Prime Rib on East Flamingo.
Before you think I’m a wonderful guy, here’s how I’m paying for it. Two dinners (including entrée, mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, corn, spinach, dessert) cost $140. Now subtract $40 extra gift-card bonuses and a $25 point redemption earned at past dinners and the bill will come to $75, plus $6 tax (figured on the net amount) and $28 tip (figured on the gross amount). So my total saving is approximately $70 (39%), plus I earn $7.50 in comp dollars toward future visits. As Anthony Curtis says, “Sweet!”
In putting this together, I combined three common methods that restaurants use to reward regular customers: frequency club, gift-card promotion, and email marketing.
Frequency Clubs
A frequency club, whether it’s from a restaurant, airline, or casino, is when an establishment gives you points or credits based on some measure of patronage, such as dollars spent, dollars played, or miles flown. The points can later be redeemed for free meals, free flights, or in the case of casinos, free play.
While many large restaurant chains I patronize (Outback, Einstein’s) have had frequency clubs for some time, I now find them at two nearby single-store operations: MadHouse Coffee and Fukuburger. One nice development with all these clubs is that the use of plastic cards is vanishing in favor of a phone app or simply using your phone number.
In most cases, joining the club is free (and there may be a signup point bonus). Lawry’s VIP charges $25, but that’s given back to you as a food credit. Whatever the case, as you would with a players club, learn the ins and outs of the restaurant club. How exactly do you earn points or credits? What is the percentage of the rebate? How many hoops do you have to jump through to get rewards? Are there double bonus periods? Is the club tiered? Do you earn any privileges at other restaurants owned by the same company? Are there other benefits (discount on coffee beans? free refills?) that come with the club?
Gift-Card Promotions
Usually around the holidays (though Lawry’s did it in August), restaurants offer gift cards with additional bonus cards for the purchaser. For example, for every $100 in gift cards I bought from Lawry’s, I received a $20 bonus card as well.
While gift cards can pretty much be used anytime anywhere by anyone (including the purchaser), bonus cards do have 30- to 60-day time restrictions, as well as a limit on how many can be used per visit.
There are several ways to get discounted restaurant gift cards through third parties, including websites, warehouse clubs and casino giveaways, which I will discuss in another post.
Email Marketing
How did I find out about Lawry’s gift-card promotion and the special Patz & Hall Dinner (which is a good deal all by itself without the discounts)? I went to their website and gave them my email address. I realize that many complain about too much email, but most restaurants with email programs limit what they send you and give recipients options, and you can always easily unsubscribe. I make it a rule to always give my email address to any business I frequent or want to frequent more.
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