Promotion: If this is your first time with InKind, click this link to receive $25 off your initial dining experience of $50 or more!
There are numerous methods to enhance your dining rewards, from utilizing the appropriate credit card to leveraging airline and hotel dining programs. In this regard, more than a year ago, I began using a fantastic app that helps you save on dining expenses.
Since then, I’ve regularly used this app at least once or twice each week when eating out, and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences. I can hardly believe I waited so long to download this app, so I want to share my experience for those who might not be aware of it.
To summarize, I find this much more beneficial than a standard airline or hotel dining program, albeit it has a more limited selection of restaurants. It is also incredibly easy to use, with practically no limitations on when you can dine or what you can order, etc. I appreciate its straightforward nature. Additionally, I have recounted my experience with the Seated dining app.
What is the InKind dining app?
At its core, InKind is a complimentary app that provides a discount of 20% (or more) at over 5,500 restaurants across the United States. The affiliated eateries are mainly located in major urban areas, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Therefore, if you reside in a smaller city, this app might not suit your needs unless you are traveling.
What impresses me about InKind is that the restaurants featured are predominantly well-regarded and sought-after, unlike many other dining rewards programs that tend to steer you towards lesser quality establishments.
For instance, I live in Miami, and several of the restaurants listed on InKind are ones I would visit regularly, including Chug’s Diner, Ghee, KYU, Michael’s Genuine, Otto & Pepe, and Phuc Yea, to name a few. Even some of the trendier “clubby” spots like Sparrow Italia and Casa Madera are included.
I also find it noteworthy that InKind’s business structure differs from that of most other dining rewards programs. With these traditional programs, the dining network generally takes a cut of the bill in return for providing rewards to users who utilize specific credit cards.
In contrast, InKind appears to collaborate more intimately with restaurants and maintains a distinct business connection, where it offers financing to these establishments. The concept is that when private equity firms typically invest in restaurants, they acquire a major share. Conversely, InKind supplies capital to restaurants in exchange for dining credits.
It’s a fascinating business model. While I can’t comment on this from the viewpoint of a restaurant owner, I admire what InKind is trying to accomplish. The company isn’t merely taking a fraction of each transaction while purporting to drive new customers to restaurants; it fosters a closer partnership than that (which is also the reason for having a smaller restaurant network).
How does the InKind dining app save you money?
There are countless ways the InKind app can help you save on dining at participating restaurants. At a minimum,