A restaurant loyalty program built into your online ordering

How restaurant loyalty programs work on your own website

Restaurant loyalty programs rest on a simple idea: give regulars a reason to come back to you rather than to the place next door. The real question is where that loyalty lives. On a delivery app, much of it lives with the app: its account, its membership, its perks. Your customer ends up loyal to the platform as much as to your kitchen.

Dineora puts the program on your own ordering page. Customers earn points when they order on your website and use their rewards when they order online. The relationship, the order history and the contact details stay with your restaurant, and none of those orders carries a commission on your meals.

That matters most for the customers you already have. Regulars order often, and each of their orders on your own site is one that doesn't go through a marketplace.

Points, tiers, a welcome bonus and rewards

You switch the program on and set it up from your dashboard. It's built from familiar pieces:

Points

Customers collect points on their online orders. Points are the backbone of the program: easy to understand for customers, easy to follow for you. They're recorded with each online order, so nobody has to stamp a card or remember to bring one.

Tiers

Tiers recognize your most frequent customers and give regulars something to aim for beyond the next reward, which keeps the program interesting after the first few orders.

Welcome bonus

A welcome bonus gives new members a head start, which is often what convinces someone to join in the first place.

Rewards

Rewards are what points turn into, and customers use them when they order online. You choose rewards that make sense for your menu and your margins.

Restaurant loyalty program software vs a paper punch card

Many restaurants start with a paper punch card. It's cheap and familiar, but cards get lost, and you learn nothing about who actually comes back. Here's how the options compare:

A paper card can still live alongside the program for walk-in guests who never order online. But restaurant loyalty program software is only worth having if customers use it, so the next sections cover what Dineora's needs and how to set it up well.

What it needs

• Online ordering on your site. Points are earned on orders placed on your website, so the program sits on top of your ordering page.
• A confirmed menu. Online ordering opens once you've checked and confirmed your menu, so that comes first, before anyone can earn a point.
• Your go-ahead. The program is off by default; nothing changes on your site until you switch it on.
• Nothing to install. Customers don't download anything: the program lives on your website, where they already order.

Tips for a loyalty program regulars actually use

• Make the first reward reachable. If earning anything feels out of reach, few people will try; a first reward within a handful of orders keeps them interested.
• Use the welcome bonus. A small head start turns “maybe later” into “I'll join now”.
• Pick rewards that fit your margins. A reward should feel generous to the customer and still make sense on your numbers.
• Tell people about it. Mention it on your flyers, your social profiles, your takeout bags and at the counter, next to the ordering QR code.
• Watch your numbers. Dineora's analytics show your ordering funnel, top dishes and peak hours, so you can see how orders move after you launch.

More ways to bring customers back

• Your customer base: contacts, consents and history, exportable as CSV at any time.
• Push notifications to customers who subscribed on your website.
• SMS and WhatsApp campaigns to customers who opted in, with an automatic unsubscribe link (optional).
• Promo codes you create, applied at checkout, for one-off offers alongside the program.
• A Google review QR code, plus review requests after the visit as an option.

Each of these works on its own, and together they give regulars more reasons to order direct. See all the restaurant marketing tools, or how online ordering works.

How it works

1. Create your account. Online ordering is part of every Dineora website, and the loyalty program works on top of it.
2. Enter your restaurant's name and preferences. Dineora finds your Google listing. Confirm your address and phone number, and answer a few questions about bookings, delivery and your addresses.
3. Dineora builds your site from your Google listing, menu and photos. Your menu is rebuilt from its photos, and your opening hours, address and photos are added for you.
4. Check your menu and go live. Confirm your dishes and prices and publish your site. Then switch on the loyalty program from your dashboard and set up its points, tiers, welcome bonus and rewards.

Frequently asked questions

What is a restaurant loyalty program?

It's a way to reward repeat customers, usually with points that turn into rewards. With Dineora, the program runs on your own ordering page, so the customers and their orders stay with your restaurant.

Where does Dineora's loyalty program work?

On your own ordering page. Customers earn points when they order on your website and use their rewards on a later online order.

Do customers need to download an app?

No. The program lives on your restaurant's website, where customers already order, so there's nothing to install.

Is the loyalty program on by default?

No. It stays off until you switch it on from your dashboard, so you decide when to launch it.

Can I message my loyalty members?

You can send push notifications to customers who subscribed on your website, and SMS or WhatsApp campaigns to customers who opted in, as an option. Every campaign includes an automatic unsubscribe link.

Can I export my customer list?

Yes. Your customer base, with contacts, consents and history, can be exported as a CSV file at any time.

Does Dineora take a commission on loyalty orders?

No. Like every order on your website, they carry no commission on your meals.