Ran a coffee shop loyalty punch card for two years. Here's the problem nobody tells you: 90% of them end up lost in a wallet or a junk drawer before the 10th stamp. All that goodwill, wasted.

So I switched to a membership instead. $14.99/month gets a regular: a discount on every single order (no waiting for a free 10th drink), priority pickup so they're not stuck behind someone figuring out a mobile order, and one free drink a month baked in.

The math is simple — a regular who buys 3 drinks a week was already spending more than $14.99 in discounts alone. The membership just makes it official and keeps them coming back, because now there's a running relationship instead of a card that gets lost.

If you run a cafe and are tired of punch cards nobody finishes, this is worth testing. Happy to answer questions if you're thinking about doing something similar for your own spot.