You already have customers who love your food. Some of them tell their friends about it. And most of the time, that’s where it ends: the friend says “I should try it,” and never does.
The new Innowi Referral Program is built to change that ending. It’s now live for every restaurant on Innowi Online Ordering, and it does one job: get your existing customers to bring in new ones.
Your customers see it as a simple offer on your ordering page: Refer a Friend & Earn. Give $5, Get $5. Here’s what happens behind it, what it costs you, and how to get the most out of it.
What the Innowi Referral Program does
A customer who orders from you can give a friend $5 off their first order, and earns $5 credit when that friend orders.
Behind that sentence, Innowi handles everything:
- Right after checkout, the order confirmation screen shows the offer: Refer a Friend & Earn, Give $5, Get $5. One tap opens a share box.
- The friend gets a text or email from your restaurant with a personal link. It reads something like: “Sarah sent you a $5 discount at Pho House. Order using this link and earn more rewards by referring friends.”
- The friend orders, and the $5 comes off at checkout automatically, as long as the cart meets your minimum.
- Once the order is fulfilled, the referrer’s $5 credit lands in their rewards wallet, ready for their next order with you.
- The friend gets their own link, and the loop starts again.
Nothing to print, no codes to type, nothing for your staff to do.
Why this brings in more customers than anything you’re paying for
Word of mouth is still the number one way diners find new restaurants: 38% in Toast’s 2026 discovery report, ahead of social media, maps and search. Nielsen found 88% of people trust a recommendation from someone they know more than any other channel.
You already have that channel. The Innowi Referral Program fixes the three things that keep it from producing orders:
- It gives the friend a reason to order tonight. “I should try it” becomes “$5 off if I order now.”
- It rewards the customer who sent them. $5 credit, which they can only spend with you, so the reward comes back as another order.
- It shows you every referral. Who sent it, who ordered, and what it was worth, in your Innowi dashboard.
What a new customer costs you: $10 once, or 30% forever
Take one new customer, a $32 first order, and two ways of winning her.
| One new customer | Through a delivery app | Through the Referral Program |
|---|---|---|
| Her first order ($32) | $9.60 commission | $10 in rewards ($5 + $5) |
| Every order after that | $9.60 each, forever | $0 |
| Her contact details (name, phone, email) | The app keeps it | Yours, with her consent |
| The customer who referred her | Gets nothing | Gets $5 she can only spend with you |
Commission at DoorDash’s 30% Premier rate, from our DoorDash fee breakdown. Innowi’s flat per-order fee and card processing apply to direct orders.
And you only pay the $10 after the new customer’s order is fulfilled. No order, no reward. Both halves come back to you as orders: the friend’s $5 came off a meal she just bought, and the referrer’s $5 only works at your restaurant.
Five things Innowi built in so it works
Restaurants have handed out “bring a friend” cards for decades. Most end up in a drawer. Here’s what makes this different.
The ask comes at the happiest moment. Right after a customer pays, when they’re most willing to say “you should try this.” Not in a newsletter a week later.
Nothing to remember. The friend’s discount applies itself at checkout. The referrer’s credit lands in their rewards wallet on its own.
Guardrails are on by default. Rewards are released only after the order is fulfilled. Existing customers can’t use a friend’s link, nobody can refer themselves, and each phone number can claim once.
Every new customer becomes a referrer. They get their own link the moment they order. A coupon brings in one customer. This brings in a customer who can bring in the next one.
You keep the customer. To claim the $5, the friend joins your rewards program. Their name and number land in your Innowi system, ready for your next text or email offer. A delivery app would have kept that for itself.
What you control, and what you see
You set four numbers once: the referrer reward ($5 by default), the friend’s discount ($5), the minimum order ($30), and how long credit lasts (90 days). Our tip: put the minimum near your average ticket, so the discount brings in a full order, not a side of fries.
The referral dashboard shows total referrals, new customers, credit issued and revenue from referred orders, plus a leaderboard of your top referrers by name. Those are your best advocates. A thank-you, or a free dessert on their next visit, keeps them sending.
How to turn it on
If you’re on Innowi Online Ordering, the Referral Program is already in your dashboard.
- Open Rewards in your Innowi Dashboard.
- Switch the Referral Bonus tile on.
- Click Manage → Configuration, set your four numbers, and save.
The prompt shows on your ordering page right away.
Then tell the people most likely to use it:
- Text or email your rewards list. “Give $5, get $5” in one line. Your regulars are your most likely referrers, and they won’t know until you tell them.
- Put it at the counter. A table tent or a line on the receipt with a QR code to your ordering page reaches dine-in guests too.
- Post it on Google. A weekly Google Business Profile post with an Order online button pointed at your own page reaches people already searching for you.
Innowi’s marketing team can write and send the announcement for you. Message your account manager in your WhatsApp group, or give them a call, and they’ll get it set up.
Your customers are already recommending you
They’ve been doing it for free, with nothing to show for it. The Innowi Referral Program gives their friends a reason to order tonight, gives them a reason to keep recommending you, and gives you the new customer at the end of it. No commission, no middleman.
Already on Innowi? Switch it on from your dashboard, or ask your account manager to set it up for you. Not on Innowi yet? The Referral Program comes with Innowi Online Ordering, along with commission-free direct orders, a branded ordering page, and the customer data to run your own email and text marketing. Get in touch to get started.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a restaurant referral program cost?
With Innowi’s defaults, $10 per new customer: $5 off their first order and $5 credit for the person who referred them. You pay it only after the new customer’s first qualifying order is fulfilled.
Can existing customers use a friend’s link?
No. The discount is for first-time customers only, checked by phone number.
Do I get the new customer’s contact details?
Yes. Friends join your rewards program to claim the discount, so you can reach them again.
Can I change the reward amounts?
Yes, any time, from the Configuration tab in your Innowi Dashboard.
Sources
- How Guests Discover New Restaurants in 2026 (Toast, July 2026)
- Consumers trust word of mouth recommendations over traditional ads (Fortune, on Nielsen’s Trust in Advertising study)
- How Much Does DoorDash Actually Charge Restaurants in 2026? (Innowi)
