Restaurant FAQ

The questions restaurants ask before they start, in one page. Each answer links to the guide that covers it in full.

What is AskFoodie?

A loyalty programme your diners join with a tap. They hold their phone near an AskFoodie tag at your counter or table, and your punch card opens on their phone with the stamp already on it. No app to download, no phone number to give, and nothing for your staff to do.

Do diners need to download an app?

No. A tap opens a web page. Diners sign in once with an email code or Google, and only when they want to keep or use what they've earned — a diner who isn't signed in still gets the stamp, held on their phone until they do.

Do diners have to give us their phone number?

No, and that's the point. Diners join without handing a number to anyone, which is why they're willing to join at all.

What if a diner's phone can't tap?

They open your restaurant's page (your QR code takes them there) and show staff a 4-digit code from the check-in card. Staff type it in and the stamp lands. See Check diners in.

Does it connect to our POS?

No. AskFoodie doesn't touch your POS or your till, so there is nothing to integrate and your staff keep their current workflow.

What do my staff have to do?

Nothing for a tap. For a phone that can't tap, they type in the diner's 4-digit code. When a diner wants to use a reward, they show it on their phone, staff agree, and the diner confirms it themselves.

Can a diner cheat?

Not easily. Every tap is signed by the chip in the tag, so a photo or a copied link doesn't earn anything. A diner earns at most one stamp every 6 hours, can use at most one reward per visit, and a reward is only used once the diner confirms it on their own phone. See Set up your tap tags.

What keeps diners coming back?

• A punch card they can see fill up — your reward, your number of visits. See Loyalty punch-cards.
• Points and tiers — every visit earns points, and regulars rise through Bronze, Silver and Gold. You choose a perk for each tier.
• Receipt points — diners can photograph their bill within 7 days of a visit, so points follow what they spend, not just how often they come.
• Prize draws — every visit during a draw is a free entry.
• Expiry reminders — diners are emailed before a reward they've earned runs out, so rewards get used.

How do we reach our diners?

Post an update or an offer. Every diner who earns a stamp follows you, so your posts appear in their feed. Diners who chose the weekly email get it there too, and diners who turned on alerts get a notification — at most one a day and two a week from you, so they don't switch you off. See Followers & alerts.

Do we get our diners' names and contact details?

No. You see how your programme is doing — members, tiers, followers and diners close to losing their points — not a contact list. Keeping contact details private is what makes diners comfortable joining, and it's why your offers reach them through AskFoodie rather than through a list.

Will our diners see other restaurants?

Your tap page and your punch card show only you. Separately, diners can browse deals near you, which lists offers from restaurants nearby — including yours, to diners who have never visited. That traffic runs both ways, and it's how new diners find you.

We have more than one location. Does it work?

Yes. Put tags at every location and one card works across all of them: stamps count, and rewards can be used, at any of your locations. Each tag carries its location, so diners see where they checked in and you see visits, repeat rate, and new versus returning diners for each location separately. Get in touch to set up a group of restaurants.

What happens if we stop?

New stamps stop. Rewards your diners have already earned stay valid until they expire, so no diner is let down.

How do we start?

Tap your phone on an unclaimed AskFoodie tag and follow the steps — see Activate your card.