Rewards Network is a restaurant marketing company that provides restaurants with access to 3.4 million frequent diners who belong to various dining rewards programs. Over 10,000 restaurants currently take advantage of Rewards Network marketing services, which include email campaigns; mobile access via an app compatible with the major brands of smartphones; and individual dining websites. Rewards Network also provides restaurants secret shopper like diner feedback, diner traffic analysis, and access to funding.

E-mail

Rewards Network sends their network of diners geo-targeted emails promoting network restaurants. This email marketing features network restaurant listings, new network restaurants, special offers, and promotional incentives that encourage increased dining activity.

Mobile App

Rewards network has developed a downloadable mobile app that works on BlackBerry

BlackBerry

BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...

®, Android (operating system)™ and iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

®. The app gives users immediate access to menus, descriptions, reviews, directions and photo slide shows for network restaurants. This mobile app uses proximity targeting, which means any participating network restaurant around their current location will display on their smartphone.

Websites

Rewards Network provides network restaurants with a web presence on each of the dining program websites that is accessible to respective program diners through emails, an online directory, banner ads, mobile apps and a dining search engines. Each web presence contains a restaurant description; ratings and reviews; hours of operation and directions; menus, features and specials; a calendar of rewards availability for diners; and a photo slide show.

Diner Feedback

Program diners who have eaten at a network restaurant can provide feedback on that restaurant. Rewards Network emails a survey to diners after network restaurant visits. The survey includes questions about food quality, service, and restaurant ambiance. This review is shared with the network restaurant and other program diners, and gives network restaurants the ability to respond directly to that diner. The program diner is like a secret shopper because network restaurants have no indication they have visited until after seeing the review. The surveys also give program diners an opportunity to post their reviews on their Facebook page, furthering the reach of that review.

Analysis

Rewards Network provides restaurants with detailed performance reports, summaries and statements analyzing program diner visits and spend. Network restaurants can use the data to learn the geographical origin of program diners that have visited; evaluate program diner spend against other diners; measure new and repeat business; and track their performance against other local and national Rewards Network restaurants.

Funding

Member restaurants have an opportunity to qualify for funding from Rewards Network. They provide qualifying restaurants funding based on a wholesale purchase of food and drink. Network restaurants can receive payment for menu items before they have made a dish or served a customer. Qualifying restaurants can use the funds for expansion, improvements or however they see fit.

The Dining Programs

Rewards Network's program diners come from dining rewards programs that provide incentives such as airline miles, points on hotel stays, and college savings for dining at network restaurants.

Airline Miles

Program diners can earn airline miles for dollars spent in network restaurants.

Mileage Plan Dining (Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://mileageplan.rewardsnetwork.com/join.htm

AAdvantage DiningSM (American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://aa.rewardsnetwork.com/join.htm

SkyMiles Dining (Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://skymiles.rewardsnetwork.com/join.htm

Rapid Rewards Dining (Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://www.rapidrewardsdining.com/join.htm

Mileage Plus DiningSM (United Airlines

United Airlines

United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://mpdining.rewardsnetwork.com/

Dividend Miles Dining (US Airways

US Airways

US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....

)- A Rewards Network airline miles program
http://usairways.rewardsnetwork.com/join.htm

Retail Points

Program diners receive points that they can use toward retail merchandise such as electronics, movies and music for every dollar they spend in network restaurants.

Rewardzone Dining (Best Buy

Best Buy

Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...

)- A Rewards Network retail points program
https://www.rewardzonedining.com/join.htm

Hotel Points

Program diners receive points they can use at major hotels for every dollar they spend at network restaurants.

HHonors Dining (Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...

) - A Rewards Network hotel points program
https://www.hhonorsdining.com/join.htm

Priority Club Rewards Dining (InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group plc is a global hotels company headquartered in Denham, United Kingdom. It is the largest hotels company in the world measured by rooms , and has over 4,500 hotels across over 100 countries...

) - A Rewards Network hotel points program
https://priorityclub.rewardsnetwork.com/join.htm

Reward Cards

Program diners can receive up to 15% back on their bill when dining at network restaurants. Once benefits accumulate to a minimum of $20, diners are reimbursed with American Express Rewards cards.

IDine (American Express

American Express

American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...

) - A Rewards Network hotel points program
https://www.idine.com/join.htm

Community Fund Raising

Program diners can contribute a portion of their bills to their favorite community groups when dining out at network restaurants.

Escrip Dining - A Rewards Network community fund raising program

College Savings Programs

Program diners can have a portion of their bill put into a college savings program when dining out at network restaurants.

UPromise Dining - A Rewards Network college savings program
http://www.upromise.com/welcome/how-it-works

History

Mel Chasen founded rewards Network in September 1984 as Transmedia Network Inc in New York City. Mr. Chasen – an entrepreneur and former president of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas – identified an untapped opportunity to introduce diners to restaurants through a unique media barter platform that offered "advertising–for–services" exchanges between radio stations, magazines, and restaurant owners. The company started with 41 restaurants and 225 members. They soon grew to a reported $1 million in sales revenues by 1987. Within five years the roster had grown to 500 restaurants and 25 thousand members with sales of $33 million. By the year 2000, Transmedia was the worlds largest dining rewards program with over 2 million members and 8,000 restaurants. In 2002, Transmedia changed its name to iDine Rewards Network. At that time, sales where at $285 million with 2.3 million active members and 9,500 participating restaurants. In 2003, they shortened the name to Rewards Network. Today Rewards Network has over 3.4 million members that in 2010, spent over $600,000,000 dollars in network restaurants.

External links

• Rewards Network
• Rewards Network Investor Relations & Corporate Profile
• DishKebab, Rewards Network's dining blog
• Rewards Network Mobile Apps
• iDine, Rewards Network's Reward Card dining program
• iDine Deals