Restaurants are trying to guarantee a consistent income stream through monthly subscription services, reports NPR.
The average American had 6.7 subscriptions in 2022, up from 4.2 in 2019, according to Rocket Money, a personal finance company. Large chains, like Panera, as well as smaller eateries, and even Michelin-star establishments, are looking to take advantage of the trend.
One such Washington-based Michelin-star restaurant, Gravitas, is offering a subscription service that allows users to get a three-course meal for two for $130 per month.
"This is just another way for customers to provide a level of support and joy and love for our offerings," said Matt Baker, the chef at Gravitas.
P.F. Chang’s, a Chinese restaurant chain, also launched a subscription service for takeout clients in September. For $6.99 members can get free delivery and other benefits. For Panera, members of its unlimited drink subscription account for roughly 25 percent of the business’s transactions according to Eduardo Luz, chief brand and concept officer at the chain.
But subscription services have not worked for every restaurant. On the Border, for example, offered a service that was so utilized, it ended up costing the business. Restaurants like SheWolf, an Italian eatery in Detroit, dropped their subscription service because it was too difficult to manage in addition to standard in-store and takeout demand. Full Story
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