Blackbird allows customers to win points, or $ fly, in local restaurants. | Blackbird graceful photo
Blackbird, the loyalty of high -tech restaurants created by the founder of Eater and Resy, is launching a new way for restaurants to treat payments and reward customers.
Last week, Blackbird unveiled Flynet, which he called a “network of transactions specially designed for the catering industry”.
Flynet is built at the top of the blockchain, which is essentially a digital transaction database. Blackbird said that giving restaurants this alternative network for loyalty and payments will allow them to reduce costs and further control their data.
Blackbird, founded in 2022 by Ben Leventhal, is a mobile application that consumers can use to register and earn points and other advantages in a variety of local restaurants. They can also use the application to pay and divide the invoice.
Network restaurants have access to customer profiles that allow them to offer personalized rewards and a more VIP experience. The idea is to help local restaurants attract more customers and develop their business.
Flynet relies on this strategy in several ways. Given that it removes traditional payment processors, it may charge restaurants lower than transactions, with regard to 2%, or approximately 1.5% lower than the standard.
Operators can also keep all data on Flynet transactions, which gives them more understanding of their customers.
And this makes payment more transparent. Customers will even have the opportunity to pay with their BlackBird, or $ Fly loyalty points.
(Read more: why Blackbird wants to put mom and pop on the blockchain.)
And this is not the only thing they can do with their points. Because it is based on the blockchain, $ fly looks more like a cryptocurrency than traditional loyalty points, which have no value outside a given reward program.
$ Fly, however, can be used in any restaurant that uses Blackbird. It can also be exchanged for USD in some cases. Currently, a $ fly is equal to a penny, but Blackbird has said that the rate will change over time.
Customers can win $ fly when they provide “contributions to the catering economy”, such as paying their bill or sharing their contact details with the restaurant. When they reach certain $ Fly thresholds, they will have access to the exclusive advantages of restaurants and even the fins of $ blackbird flies.
The amount of $ fly that a customer has accumulated or spent also acts as a measure of their value within the Blackbird network.
Restaurants also gain $ fly, which they can then issue to customers or sell in Blackbird for USD. In the future, restaurants will be able to pay for their black birds with $ fly if they wish.
Employees can also win $ fly by taking useful measures, such as adding customer preferences to their profile.
The idea is that the circulation of $ fly will encourage customers to engage more with restaurants and stimulate the growth of the entire Blackbird ecosystem.
In the future, $ fly could potentially be used in other companies outside restaurants due to the open architecture of the blockchain, said the company. The company encourages developers To create new programs on the network using data and the payment infrastructure it provides.
Blackbird is currently live in more than 500 restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Charleston, in South Carolina. Last year, he distributed more than $ 242 million to more than 107,000 digital portfolios.
The company based in New York is supported by an investment of 24 million dollars from Andreen Horowitz, Amex Ventures and other investors.
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