What if your guests aren’t choosing your competitors, they just forgot you exist?
Ben Leventhal has spent 20 years building the infrastructure that connects diners to restaurants. He co-founded Eater in 2005, co-founded Resy in 2014, sold it to American Express in 2019, and is now the CEO and founder of Blackbird Labs, a loyalty and payments platform built to give independent restaurants the tools that large brands have had for years.
In this conversation, we get into why 42% of restaurants aren’t profitable and what role loyalty plays in fixing that, how frequency and access are more valuable than acquisition, and why the independent restaurant’s biggest competitive disadvantage is being invisible to guests who already love them.
If your regulars aren’t showing up as often as they should, this episode is where to start.
To learn more about Blackbird Labs, visit blackbird.xyz.
The Playbook Takeaways
- Your guests didn’t defect — they forgot. Most “lost” guests have no complaint; you simply fell out of mind. Systematic re-engagement beats new-guest acquisition on cost every time.
- Frequency is the profit lever. With 42% of restaurants unprofitable, moving your regulars from 4 visits a year to 6 does more than any new-customer campaign.
- Loyalty is infrastructure, not a punch card. Ben built Resy and now Blackbird on one idea: give independents the guest data and access tools the big brands already have.
Want the systems behind ideas like these? I’ve turned six years of Full Comp interviews into a free 5-day masterclass on building a restaurant marketing system that actually makes you money. Join the free masterclass →
Keep going: Restaurant Marketing Strategies That Work · The Restaurant Technology Guide · Restaurant Profitability Playbook
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you’ll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
About the Author: Josh Kopel is a Michelin-awarded restaurateur, restaurant consultant, and host of the Full Comp podcast — the voice of the restaurant industry. He has helped hundreds of restaurant owners build profitable, scalable businesses. Explore free restaurant resources →
