How to Cash in on the 2016 Restaurant Gift Card Craze

3 Min Read By AJ Beltis

Are you making the most of your gift card program? If your restaurant only sells gift cards in December, sees low redemption values, and doesn’t promote gift cards, your response should be “no.”

Recently released in the Toast Restaurant Management Blog, The 2016 Restaurant Gift Card Study compiles gift card data from over 500 restaurants and sheds light on the truth about restaurant gift cards - when they’re purchased, how much is spent per card, and what types of restaurants sell the most gift cards.

Here are the highlights of the report - and the results may surprise you.

Gift Card Holders Spend More Than OthersIf you operate a full service restaurant (FSR), this might be the best news you hear all day. Guests with gift cards tend to spend much more on the check, especially at full service restaurants. At FSRs, guests spend 72 percent more with gift cards. Diners, bakeries, and cafe/delis see a slight dip in purchase amounts when paying with gift cards, but this isn’t…