How to Increase Guest Count and Revenue with Apps like inKind
In the competitive world of hospitality, new customers and higher check averages are gold. Many operators focus on menu tweaks, promotions, and marketing campaigns—but one of the fastest-growing strategies involves leveraging specialized apps and platforms that drive traffic and deepen engagement. One such example is inKind, which offers an innovative model that can help you attract new guests, increase spend and build loyalty.
What inKind Does & Why It Matters
On its website, inKind explains that it provides funding to restaurants by purchasing food & beverage credit from operators, then uses its app and network to drive guest visits and spending.
Some of the key benefits highlighted:
Upfront capital for your business without giving up equity or taking traditional debt.
Guest acquisition through the inKind app—with consumers earning rewards or bonuses for dining at participating venues.
A data-driven marketplace of restaurants which helps with visibility and discoverability.
In short: inKind and apps like it give you both a capital injection and a marketing channel—two of the hardest things to tackle at once in hospitality.
How This Drives Real Revenue & Guest Growth
From our vantage point working with restaurants and hotel food & beverage operations, here’s how this kind of model can drive growth practically:
New Guests, Higher Frequency
Because the app markets your restaurant to its user-base, you get exposure to diners who might not have visited otherwise. More eyeballs = more bookings.
Also, with incentives (e.g., bonus credit, app offers) those guests tend to spend more or return more often.Improved Check Averages
When a guest is incentivized—via bonus credit, special perks—they often stay longer, order more, or choose premium items. That raises your average check.
The inKind site mentions that guests “visit more often and spend more per visit.”Visibility & Brand Lift
Being part of the app’s curated network can position you as a “must-dine” spot. That can help with word of mouth, social media shares, and overall brand credibility.
The more buzz you create, the more new guests follow.Data & Insights
Apps like this often provide additional guest data, behavior analytics, and redemption tracking. That helps you understand who your guests are, what they spend, and how to adjust offers accordingly.
Key Considerations (and What to Watch For)
Of course, no system is magic. There are important things you should evaluate before jumping in:
Cost vs Benefit: Even with incentives driving guests, you must ensure the incremental spend and frequency justify the discounted or bonus‐driven visits.
Guest Quality: Are these guests high‐value or are they driven solely by discount? You want both new and repeat visits, not one‐time promo chasers.
Operational Load: More guests can create stress on your service team. Make sure your operations are ready to deliver a high‐quality experience to convert them into loyal fans.
Integration & Tracking: You’ll want to ensure the new guest visits, data and spend are properly tracked and can be compared with your existing guest base and KPIs.
Our Take
From our consulting perspective, platforms like inKind should be seen as strategic levers, not quick fixes. If you already have fundamentals in place—solid service, trained staff, consistent operations—then adding a guest-acquisition platform can accelerate growth.
If you’re still struggling with foundational issues (e.g., service bottlenecks, cost overruns, inconsistent guest experience), then fix those first—because new guests won’t stick around if the experience falls short.
In essence:
Ensure your operations are guest-ready.
Use apps like inKind to drive new traffic.
Leverage the data to turn those visits into repeat business and higher spend.
Monitor cost vs benefit, and keep refining your offer and experience.
Final Thought
At the end of the day, increasing guest count and revenue is about driving the right kind of traffic and making each guest’s experience count. Apps like inKind present an innovative way to boost both—but only if you align it with a strong operational base and purposeful strategy. Use it as part of your growth toolkit, then back it up with excellent operations, smart cost controls, and an unrelenting focus on guest experience.
If you’d like help evaluating how such a platform could work for your business (and how to integrate it into your broader strategy for cost, operations and guest experience), we’d be happy to assist.
