The Area Four group of restaurants specialize in freshly prepared foods, artisanal pizzas, delicious drinks, and homemade pastries. The group's locations all stick to the philosophy that great food comes from great, locally-sourced ingredients, and Area Four's business model shares that local focus. The founders want each new location to become a fixture in its neighborhood.
So when Area Four opened a new restaurant in Boston's South End, General Manager Tyler Smith started looking for a way to build connections with both local patrons and neighboring businesses. While having a drink one evening with the owner of a specialty wine shop, Smith learned of Nift, and he was interested immediately.
Once Area Four South End signed up with Nift, the restaurant became part of a curated, invitation-only network of local businesses and quality customers. Nift is built around virtual and physical gift cards tied to companies within this network. Area Four created its own gift – $25 dollars to spend at the restaurant – and specified the maximum amount of customers each month who could redeem this gift.
Once Area Four South End signed up with Nift, the restaurant became part of a curated, invitation-only network of local businesses and quality customers. Nift is built around virtual and physical gift cards tied to companies within this network. Area Four created its own gift – $25 dollars to spend at the restaurant – and specified the maximum amount of customers each month who could redeem this gift.
Today, businesses like wine shops and yoga studios hand out Nift cards to their favorite customers. Nift's proprietary algorithms then match the customers with Area Four's gift if Nift sees the customer is a good fit for the gift. Nift uses preference data to match the customer with their gift.
At the same time, Area Four spreads goodwill by giving its customers Nifts, matching their customers with gifts to other local businesses. "It's fun gift giving," says Smith. “There's no catch. You're thanking someone for coming in to experience your restaurant by taking them somewhere else."
Join Nift to Fill Tables
Smith points out that the impact is even greater, as these customers rarely visit alone. "We're seeing 155 to 160 new faces on a weekly basis," he says. "When you're the new, fresh restaurant of a neighborhood, it seems like it would be easy to get people to come in, but it's actually hard, Nift has been nothing but awesome for us so far."
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"The restaurant was great! I never would have gone that far out of my way to find it on my own but glad I found it. Fun ambiance and delicious food. Will definitely go back." - Nift-delivered customer Carolyn M.
Join Nift to Draw Quality Patrons
Businesses in the network can rate Nift customers, both to reward strong patrons and identify those looking for a free handout, but Smith has only had positive interactions. "I've never actually given anyone a bad review on Nift," he says. "Whether they spend just the $25 gift or $125, we're making a connection."
Join Nift to Increase Word of Mouth
Smith is confident that new patrons will enjoy a great dining ex perience, and handing out Nifts only strengthens their impressions. "In the hospitality industry, it's about making that connection with someone, and you can't always do that behind a computer," Smith explains. "You have to do it face-to-face. Handing out a simple card that's a gift to somewhere else goes a long way."
Finally, Nift has helped Area Four's South End locations forge critical connections with other local businesses. "Area Four is a neighborhood restaurant," he says. "In order to be a neighborhood restaurant you need to be well perceived within that neighborhood. The more you support other businesses, the more they support you, and you become a part of that community."
Are you a small business owner? Want to thank your best customers, get discovered by even more customers, and support local businesses? Give Nift a try.