The owners of Giannina’s Pizza & Catering joined Rewards Network® with their first restaurant more than 35 years ago making it one of the longest-standing relationships on the program. This wood-fired pizza eatery and catering company was opened in 2014 by the Cicciarella family in Cypress, Texas. To this day, the restaurant is still a family affair with father, Chef Salvatore, and mother/cook, Francesca, working six days a week, eight hours a day to bring real, homemade Italian food to Texas. Along with their two children, Giovanna and Arcangelo, the family enjoys sharing the tastes of S ..read more

May is AAPI Heritage Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the history, culture, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. To honor this occasion, we are highlighting some of our incredible AAPI-owned restaurant partners. These restaurants are owned and operated by talented entrepreneurs who have poured their hearts and souls into their establishments, bringing the authentic and diverse flavors of their culture to their communities. Join us in celebrating AAPI Heritage Month by learning more about some of our remarkable AAPI-owned restaurants from the owners themselves in t ..read more

In honor of Black History Month, Rewards Network® is celebrating some of our astounding restaurant partners. If you want to succeed in the restaurant industry it takes diligence, resilience, determination, and a love for food and your community. After learning more about some of our Black-owned restaurant partners, we found each restaurant had two things in common, a desire to serve their community delicious food that is near and dear to their hearts and the ability to maintain a hopeful, positive attitude despite the many challenges restaurant owners face. Check out our Q&A below to learn ..read more

Teamwork is the cornerstone of many businesses and is an especially important component of a successful restaurant. By ensuring that all team members are working toward a common goal, both staff and customers will have a more optimal experience. Effective teamwork involves careful planning and ongoing team training that focuses on using each person’s individual strengths to further the restaurant’s business goals. By investing in teamwork initiatives, your restaurant can benefit from increased staff morale, lower turnover rates, and employees that genuinely are motivated to do well at their jo ..read more

Starting a new business requires lots of careful planning, hard work, and savvy decision making. This is especially true when your new business is a restaurant. First, it’s important to define your restaurant’s concept and how it will stand out among competitors. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of sharing your family’s favorite recipes with the world. Or, perhaps, you have a unique design in mind for a new type of dining experience. No matter your concept, it should be reflected in every aspect of your business. Having a clear vision is only one piece of the puzzle, you’ll also need to have the st ..read more

It’s no mystery that owning and operating a restaurant is difficult, especially over the past two years. In fact, according to Restaurant Engine, 60% of businesses fail in the first year. So, what can your restaurant do to avoid this? Are there certain pitfalls that pop up again and again that you should be on the lookout for? While there may be more than three problems you’ll face, we believe that staffing, expenses, and reaching new customers are major hurdles that, with work and knowledge, can be overcome. Let’s take a deeper look: Obstacle one: Quality of staff and retention Even before CO ..read more

Customer reviews can be the cornerstone of a restaurant’s success or the downfall of its reputation. With 94% of U.S. diners claiming they’re influenced by online restaurant reviews, it’s important for restaurant owners to understand how to best manage, respond, and showcase their establishment’s reviews. This type of feedback can help to bring consumer pain points to light, providing you with insight on areas of your business that can be improved. By leveraging this data, restaurant operators can continually optimize their business processes and the customer experience, which in turn can posi ..read more

As we see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, restaurant owners are clamoring for guests to make up for lost time and revenue. While things may be getting back to normal, our consumer survey results show that habits and expectations have changed, so restaurants will need to be adaptable as we transition back to life as usual. We recently surveyed our members and received over 1,700 responses, to uncover their expected dining activity during this spring/summer and what they expect from restaurants. Below, you can read about what they have to say and see how consumer sentiment compares ..read more

With states easing COVID restrictions and restaurant occupancy rules relaxing, many owners and operators are looking to build, or rebuild, their staff to accommodate renewed and increasing demand from patrons. Hiring in the restaurant industry has become a challenge, and regardless of reason—higher unemployment benefits or increased hiring in competing industries—it’s important to take a close look at your current staff and needs to find the best, qualified individuals. Whether you’re looking to fill a single server position or 50, hiring practices are shifting in the wake of COVID—here’s a lo ..read more

There’s no denying it, COVID-19 has been tough on the restaurant industry. In December of last year, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) estimated that about 17% of the nation’s restaurants, or 110,000 establishments, closed their doors permanently. Whether you remained open or shuttered temporarily, you’ve most likely weathered state-mandated shutdowns and are currently navigating cautious, phased re-openings. Much can be said of the ingenuity and savvy of restaurant owners like yourself who are riding the waves of COVID restaurant trends. In the whirlwind that was last year, we saw tak ..read more