Don't just give away a prize. Create the next visit.
The Red Envelope is a proven style of bounce-back promotion: give guests something worth keeping today, and give them a compelling reason to come back during a slower period.
Traditionally, restaurants distribute sealed envelopes and hope customers remember to return. Krowd adds a digital approach: guests save a Red Envelope to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and the restaurant can send timely wallet push notifications to participating passholders.
Our white paper walks through the entire campaign, from choosing your goal to building a prize pool, securing local sponsors, training staff, driving redemptions, and measuring results.
One idea. Multiple ways to fill your restaurant.
Holiday Red Envelope
Distribute during the holiday rush and drive redemption visits during slower January or February weeks.
Instant-Win Surprise
Offer a mystery reward with a defined reveal and redemption process.
Slow-Night Boost
Give customers a reason to come in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or other soft periods.
Bounce-Back Offer
Encourage guests to return within 7 to 14 days of their first visit.
VIP-Only Rewards
Create exclusive surprises for members and strengthen your loyalty program.
Community Partner Giveaway
Work with local businesses to create larger prizes and cross-promote the campaign.
Monthly Mystery Envelope
Keep customers engaged beyond the holidays with a recurring calendar of promotions and wallet reminders.
Make the grand prize worth talking about.
A free appetizer makes a useful everyday reward. The headline prize should generate conversations, community shares, and excitement. The guide explores examples such as a sponsored weekend getaway, an entertainment package, or a collection of premium local experiences.
Invite hotels, golf courses, theaters, salons, retailers, and neighboring businesses to contribute prizes. Build a package people would love to win while giving sponsors meaningful recognition and local exposure.
The white paper includes sponsor tier ideas, outreach scripts, collaborative prize examples, promotional commitments, and an agreement checklist. Prizes are illustrative and must be confirmed before advertising.
The reminder is already in their pocket.
When a customer saves the Krowd digital Red Envelope, you don't need them to scan a second QR code to register a paper envelope. Wallet notifications give you another way to remind participating guests about redemption dates, prizes, and upcoming deadlines.
Come back this January to discover your surprise.
Example notification for illustration. Delivery and display depend on wallet platform and device settings. Email and SMS require separate contact information and appropriate consent.
An actual how-to. Not another sales brochure.
- Set campaign goals, distribution dates, and redemption windows
- Choose a prize mix and estimate the cost of redemption
- Recruit local sponsors and create a compelling grand prize
- Configure card distribution, prize reveals, and redemption rules
- Train servers and managers with ready-to-use scripts
- Plan in-store, social, email, text, and wallet promotions
- Use a launch checklist, example push copy, and a 30-day timeline
- Track redemptions, return visits, reward costs, and campaign results
Ready to build your next return-visit campaign?
Download the playbook and use it to plan a Red Envelope promotion tailored to your restaurant's slow periods, customers, and local partners.
Get the free playbookDigital Red Envelope campaigns powered by Krowd.