Blackbird Launches New Restaurant Payments and Rewards Platform

Blackbird Labs, the hospitality-tech company founded by Resy and Eater co-founder Ben Leventhal, announced the launch of Blackbird Pay, an all new payments product designed to improve economics for restaurants, while providing guests with a transformative dining experience.

Powered by Blackbird's new blockchain, the Blackbird Flynet, Blackbird Pay gives restaurants a fresh way to address the ever growing problem of shrinking margins and eroding cash reserves by providing them with their very own end-to-end payments and check settlement network for the first time. Restaurants on the Blackbird Pay network pay on average 2% per transaction, a huge cost savings as compared to the fees typical in legacy processing fee structures. At the same time, Blackbird Pay enhances diners' end of meal experience, leveraging the Blackbird platform to allow for automatic settlement, and the hospitality magic of not having to wait for the check. In addition, Blackbird Pay gives diners the added benefit of being able to pay in $FLY, Blackbird's native rewards points.

When a diner checks-in at a Blackbird (member) restaurant, they simply tap on a proprietary Blackbird puck, with an NFC chip at the host stand, or register when they arrive and a check opens within the Blackbird app. Diners can then indicate if they want to split the bill with their tablemates, pay for their meal with their accumulated Blackbird $FLY points, use their credit or debit card within the app to pay, or choose to use a combination of $FLY and a card. They can also tip with it, too. If a diner doesn't have enough $FLY points to cover their meal, they are able to purchase points in-app using traditional payment methods or USDC.

At the same time the customer opens the check, the restaurant is notified that the diner is a Blackbird guest. The customer's dining profile includes a proprietary Guest Value Score, as well as key information, such as their dining history with the restaurant and VIP status.  This empowers restaurants to offer perks, benefits, points, access and other fine-tuned hospitality to entice and reward their guests.

Alongside Blackbird Pay, Blackbird has also shipped new messaging and discovery functionality, signaling the company's vision for a future of frictionless, fun, and mutually beneficial connectivity between guests and restaurants. This past spring, Gjelina New York turned to Blackbird to sell house accounts, raising close to $500,000 to open a new location, and Sra. Martinez, a new restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein, recently created a founding members program for the opening of her new restaurant in Miami, where members are able to gain access to tables one week ahead of reservations opening, receive free cocktails and amuse bouche while dining, and directly message the restaurant in-app with questions, needs or with any special and unique requests.