A points programme for your restaurant: what a reward really costs, and what it must bring back
Most owners thinking about a points programme ask one question: if I let guests earn a reward, how much do I lose? It is a fair question, and it has an answer in arithmetic, not in feeling.
The cost formula
The Casualty Actuarial Society prices loyalty programmes like this: cost = rewards earned × the share redeemed × cost per reward. Two things to notice. The cost is what the reward costs you to make, not its menu price. And not every reward is claimed.
An example, not a measurement
Say a free drink costs you EGP 30 to make. Say 200 rewards are earned in a month and 60% are redeemed. The cost is 200 × 0.6 × 30 = EGP 3,600 a month. Change all three numbers to yours.
The other side: what comes back
Circana's June 2025 study of receipts from four large US restaurant loyalty schemes found members make 22% more visits a year, and give 8% of their visits to the brand they joined against 4% for non-members. It is observational and publishes no spend figure. Members visit more, but it does not prove the scheme is the cause. At Costa, transactions grew 16% after the programme was simplified; that is the company's and its agency's figure.
No independent Egyptian figure exists yet, so AhlanMate does not tell you "you will earn X". It gives one line you can check yourself.
The break-even line
At EGP 790 a month, with an average ticket of EGP 140 and a 65% margin, each extra visit brings EGP 91 of margin. About 9 extra visits a month cover the price. Replace 140 and 65% with your own; the trial measures your real visits.
Rules that protect your margin
- A reward that costs you less than its price.
- A minimum card age or a redemption day, if you want one, from the settings.
- See on your dashboard who came back and who has been away for 21 days, and send a web or Wallet notice.
- No prize draws: the reward is earned.
Why a near reward beats a far one
The researchers behind the first study found that distance from the reward lowers the drive, and the nearer it gets the sooner the guest returns. That is why Costa simplified and shortened the road to the free drink. A far reward looks cheaper on paper, but it also earns less.
Start small and measure
Run one card with one drink for a month. At the end, read your dashboard: how many cards were completed, how many rewards were redeemed, how many guests came back. Change the stamp count or the reward in the settings without printing anything, and compare. The decision rests on your venue's numbers, not on a guess.
Mistakes that cost you margin
- A reward with a high price and a high cost, such as a whole meal. Start with a drink or a dessert.
- A reward with no time limit, so they pile up. Set a redemption day or window if you like.
- No watching: if redemptions run higher than you expected, you change the settings in a minute.
And the guests who stop coming?
The dashboard shows who used to come and has been away for 21 days. You send one notice on the web or in the Wallet, with a message you like. There is no phone call and no text message, because AhlanMate reaches a guest only by the web or the app.
Who decides the numbers?
You do. Every number in this post, from the reward's cost to the share redeemed to the ticket, sits in your settings and can change at any time. The 30-day free trial is enough to read a full month of your visits before you pay a pound.
One sentence for the cashier
When a guest asks about the card, the cashier says: "Every 8 drinks, the ninth is on us". One sentence, and the system does the rest, with no paper and no notebook.