Memberships

Give your customers a place to belong

Membership creates a sense of belonging—and a shared sense of belonging is the basis of community.

With a membership program, you'll encourage a vibrant, devoted community to form, while building frontloaded, recurring revenue for your space.

The Third Place helps you launch and grow a membership program that's uniquely yours.

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Memberships turn customers into regulars and regulars into friends. That means up to 8x more repeat visits. Frontloaded, recurring revenue. And a boost in large group bookings and private events.

Build your membership program on The Third Place

Make your regulars feel at home

With a house account, your most loyal customers don't have to take out their card to pay the bill. And on the dedicated member portal, they can easily manage their credits, view upcoming events, schedule pickups, and more.

Manage your memberships in one place

Keep tabs on customers' preferences (white or red?), track their membership activity, contact them via email or text (in bulk and one-on-one) — all on a streamlined dashboard that works with the tools you already use.

We'll (help you) take it from here (to there)

Starting is the hardest part. That's why you get access to our library of guides and how-to's, backed by data from 300+ membership programs around the world. Best of all, it's integrated into our software.

It's easy to get started on The Third Place

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Set up a call with us and we'll build your membership program together. You'll be ready to launch in as little as two weeks.

Onboard your team

Our visual guidebooks and intuitive backend make onboarding and training a breeze.

Get the word out

Our marketing guide will help launch your membership program, while our built-in automations will keep it growing.

“One thing that is really firing on all cylinders is our VIP membership program. We've reached this number of members where it's not uncommon to have three or four visit us in one night. Pretty cool!”

Christian GainsleyCo-owner, Outer Orbit

How our partners thrive with memberships

Michelin 3-star Atelier Crenn pushes the boundaries of what a restaurant can be

In celebration of the restaurant's evolution over the last decade, Atelier Crenn offers a membership that lets devoted customers share in their core values of humanity, sustainability, artistry, and excellence. Crenn Collection membership includes:

Guaranteed access to hard-to-get reservations, plus events and pop-ups
Members-only dinners, cooking classes, events, and tours
Dedicated in-house concierge for special requests

Visit Crenn Collection

Wine bar El Lopo takes care of its best customers

El Lopo is a casual neighborhood bar that combines the flavors and tropes of Spanish bar culture with the rich bounty of local, seasonal California ingredients. Their aptly named take-care-of-me club features a chef's selection of food and drinks based on members' preferences, plus:

Members-only standing reservations
Gift a free drink to a stranger on every visit
By-the-glass option for any bottle on the wine list

Visit El Lopo

Francie, a destination for travelers and neighbors alike

Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Francie's membership lets diners enjoy the full convivial brasserie experience, and make every visit effortless, personal, and memorable:

Pre-paid house account
Text concierge, direct access for reservations and private dining
Priority booking to the Chef's Table Tasting Menu and invitations to members-only events
Wine & beverage benefits including free corkage or 20% off your first bottle, plus private wine storage
Custom gifts and personalized touches from the Francie team

Visit Francie

“My membership program really changed everything about the back end of how my cash flow works. Once I got to a certain number of members, I would open the month automatically profitable, and that is the idea that blew my brain.”

Dave WillocksOwner, The Baker's Table

“The Third Place empowered El Lopo to create our Take-Care-of-Me Club, an inseparable component of our business that would have been impossible to manage manually. Having a membership program gives us a predictable stream of revenue, but most importantly it turns our regulars into diehard fans. We see most members go from visiting once or twice a month to once or twice a week. The Third Place also takes a lot of work off my staff's plates, and give me a more intimate channel than social media for communicating with my best customers.”

Daniel AzarkmanOwner, El Lopo

“Revenue from my membership program pays the majority of my monthly fixed costs. We're really happy with that revenue especially ahead of slower seasons. Between The Third Place and Tock, those two are the most valuable things that I use for income for the restaurant.”

Wyatt SarbackerOwner, Favor Kitchen

“As a restaurant in a tourist driven market, The Third Place has helped us find ways to reward and love on our regular guests. The concierge text capability allows us to keep in close touch with our biggest supporters and makes them feel recognized. In a small town, the ability to streamline house accounts feels like an appropriate throwback to a simpler time.”

Alissa BellCo-owner, Stationæry Restaurant

Your guide to restaurant memberships

Have questions that we didn't answer here? We're always one call away!

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What is a restaurant membership, exactly?

A restaurant membership is a predictable, recurring revenue stream that complements day-to-day revenue from individual transactions.

In a literal sense, a membership is an exchange in which a member makes a recurring, upfront payment in order to receive certain benefits at your restaurant. The price point and benefits vary, but may include dining credits, invitations to special events, and access to a like-minded community of supporters of your restaurant.

How is a membership different from a loyalty or rewards program?

Loyalty and rewards programs are reactive. They rely on past transactions to encourage customers to return in the future to take advantage of a discount. For both businesses and customers, their value is primarily monetary.

A membership is proactive and co-creative. It invites members to interact more deeply with your concept and brand. While it might have a discount or loyalty-based component, its true value is how it fosters emotional connections and provides unique opportunities to showcase your brand. You can give members behind-the-scenes access to other concepts you have in the works, for instance, or simply help them get to know you and your team on a more personal level.

This deep connection makes members feel as if your restaurant is a friend's place, or a home away from home—and it's what keeps them coming back. The more often members come in, the better you'll know how to take care of them.

How do I know if a membership is right for me?

A successful membership program requires a paradigm shift in how you view your business: from a purely transactional lens to a community and relationships lens.

A membership is good for any restaurant—regardless of their price point, size, or renown—that values growing their community and getting to know their regulars. We've worked with hundreds of restaurants, from Michelin three-starred and World's 50 Best restaurants to fast-casual spots and neighborhood joints. That experience helps inform how we'll work with you, on your terms.

How do I know what membership to offer?

It's common for restaurants to not know what to offer right away, especially because there's no one-size-fits-all membership structure or pricing.

Talk with us and we'll help you translate your vision, brand, and hospitality into a membership program that works for you. In effect, we act in a consultative role. How the program is designed and implemented is up to you.

Memberships seem to usually involve a house account. How does that work with my POS?

Your membership works alongside your POS and your reservation system (if you take online reservations).

For both members and non-members, your POS will still process day-to-day transactions, and your reservation system will continue to be your source of truth for reservations. We'll help make sure membership dues are collected on autopilot.

Is it hard to migrate from my existing membership software to The Third Place?

Not at all! We've helped businesses migrate from website builders, e-commerce platforms, membership management software, and spreadsheets. All we need is a list of your existing members and we'll guide you through the rest.

My team is small. Do I have the time and resources to run a membership?

If you want more people to dine in, a membership is the most cost-effective way to grow your audience, regardless of the size of your restaurant.

Think of a membership as a core referral and retention engine that improves the effectiveness of your more expensive marketing efforts (such as third-party apps, advertisements, social media efforts, and PR).

Plus, our all-in-one software is super easy to onboard and won't take up much of your time and energy. It's faster to use The Third Place than to stitch together dozens of tools.

How much recurring revenue can I expect?

That depends on the details and size of your membership program. Some of our restaurant partners limit their memberships to as few as 20 spots in order to foster a tight-knit community with high-touch service. Others have hundreds of members generating $100,000+ of revenue per month.

Am I too new for a membership?

Nope! We've worked with restaurants to sell memberships before they're even open to the public. This has helped convert the initial opening buzz into a stable customer base.

As your restaurant evolves, we'll help your membership grow and improve. What won't change is how your membership retains a loyal community of regulars who've been with you since day one.

How will a membership affect the vibe of my restaurant?

A membership doesn't have to be about exclusivity or gatekeeping. It's about creating an open invitation for your regulars (and regulars-to-be) to have a formal way to support you.

We'll guide you through the verbiage, framing, and marketing of your membership program to make sure it resonates.

How much does launching a membership cost?

Our pricing model is usually based on the complexity of programs and the number of restaurant locations, plus any add-ons that you choose to include in your membership. What you pay is a fraction of what you'd pay to retain a PR firm for your marketing efforts.

Talk to us and we'll be able to give you a better idea of the cost.

Is there a minimum contract or commitment to use your software?

Nope! You can use The Third Place month-to-month, with no minimum contract. Our partners stick with us because they want to, not because they're obligated to.

Ready to create a community that feels like home?

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