The last couple of years have been a tough one for the restaurant industry due in large part to the pandemic. Though the good news is that the ensuing re-bound has seen significant growth with more people dining out than ever before.
As a 76 billion dollar industry, there’s a lot of opportunity to make money promoting restaurant affiliate programs. If you’re a foodie lover and want to share your love for dining out through your YouTube channel, blog, or wherever, then these next programs are worth checking out.
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Best Restaurant Affiliate Programs
The restaurant industry is huge and there’s a lot of different angles this post could have taken in terms of what to promote within this industry. I could have shared affiliate programs for purchasing restaurant equipment or restaurant software.
Quite frankly, I found that to be a bit boring. Instead, I decided to focus on affiliate programs for people who love to dine out. So if that’s you, then keep reading to learn about the best restaurant affiliate programs you can start promoting today!
1. Seated
I have yet to find another restaurant reservation app that gives you higher cash back rewards for dining out than Seated. The app features top of the line restaurants to choose from based on location, top rated restaurants, highest cash back rewards and more.
The free app is available on both Android and Apple phones, and offers rebates as high as 40% during special promotional periods. I frequently use Seated in my hometown of Boston to save money on dining out with friends and family. The main drawback here is that Seated app cities consist of only 5 major metropolitan areas at the moment.
Read my full Seated app review.
Seated Affiliate Program Details
- Earn $10 – $30 per referral. Get 5 referrals to achieve partner status. Then, earn 5% of Seated’s earnings on all your referrals’ future meals.
- No limit on number of referrals.
- Payout to free gift cards.
Join the Seated affiliate program by downloading the app here, and earn a $15 sign up bonus towards your first Seated meal.
2. LivingSocial
LivingSocial is a deals website that was purchased by Groupon in 2016. They offer thousands of deals in local cities on things such as restaurant dining, spas, events, products and more. Offers can be sorted by category, price, location, and relevance.
The offers can be limited but they do provide an avenue for you to share your love of dining with your audience on local restaurant coupon deals. I tried checking the website for dining deals in and around Boston, and did get a decent amount of hits back. Most of the restaurants are lesser known but still may be worth checking out.
LivingSocial Affiliate Program Details
- Earn up to 6% commission per new LivingSocial customer.
- No limit on number of referrals.
- Payout to bank account.
The LivingSocial affiliate program is hosted on the CJ affiliate network.
3. MyGiftCardsPlus
MyGiftCardsPlus, powered by Swagbucks, is a website where you can purchase restaurant gift cards and earn up to 20% in cash back rewards. Rewards are issued in Swagbuck points, which can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or redeemed for other gift cards. At the time of this writing, some of the highest cash back deals include: Legal Sea Foods (8%), Red Robin (20%), Morton’s Steakhouse (10%), and Panera Bread (10%).
I’ve been a user of Swagbucks for over a year and absolutely love the deals on the site. Their MyGiftCardsPlus sister website is an added bonus to earning more Swagbucks points. In order to buy from the site, you’ll need to create an account on MyGiftCardsPlus as well as have a Swagbucks account to redeem your points.
MyGiftCardsPlus (Swagbucks) Affiliate Program Details
- Earn 300 SwagBuck points per qualified referral ($3.00 in value), plus 10% for life on all earnings from your referrals
- No limit on number of referrals
- Payout in gift cards or to PayPal
Open a Swagbucks account here to access your affiliate link. This will enable you to promote and earn from the MyGiftCardsPlus sister website.
4. Fluz
Fluz is a gift card app that is newer on the scene. Unlike MyGiftCardsPlus, you won’t have to wait upwards of 2 days to receive your e-gift card. With Fluz, you’ll receive it instantly. So if you decide you want to dine out instead of cooking dinner, then use the Fluz app to earn cashback rewards on restaurant gift card purchases.
I’ve used it on multiple occasions and have saved on shopping trips, not just at restaurants. The best part about this app is you can refer people to Fluz, and earn on all their purchases in the future. It’s a great side hustle to earn passive income with the more people you refer!
Fluz Affiliate Program Details
- Earn $5 per referral when they make two transactions totaling $25. Plus, earn passive income on all referral future purchases.
- No limit on number of referrals
- Payout to Bank / ACH, Paypal, Venmo, or transfer to a virtual debit card.
Read more about the Fluz affiliate program here, including sign up instructions.
5. Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory is a chain restaurant located in 40 states in the US, Puerto Rico and one location in Canada. It’s a family friendly chain serving up a variety of dishes, including their famous cheesecake variety desserts. For some, it’s a staple place to dine at after a day of shopping, since many of the restaurants are located inside shopping malls.
If you enjoy dining at the Cheesecake, now there’s a way to earn money by sharing your love for them. Unlike some other restaurants, Cheesecake Factory partners with an affiliate network to provide you with promotional materials to promote their restaurant.
Cheesecake Factory Affiliate Program Details
- Earnings – Unknown
- No limit on number of referrals
- Payout to Paypal, direct deposit (ACH) or check
Join the Cheesecake Affiliate program through the Rakuten Advertising network.
6. Ibotta
If you’re familiar with Ibotta, then you may be surprised to see it on the list! That’s because Ibotta is mainly known as a grocery savings app. Though one feature that many people overlook is the ability to purchase gift cards for significant cash back savings.
As an Ibotta user for the past 2 years, I use it weekly to save money at the grocery store. With the cash back savings, there’s the ability to cash out to gift cards, Paypal or to a bank account. Though recently, Ibotta has enabled users to add a debit or credit card to purchase restaurant and shopping gift cards without needing to use the grocery savings feature. You’ll earn the stated cash back rewards so you can dine out at a discount!
Read my full Ibotta Review.
Ibotta Affiliate Program Details
- Earn $10 per referral.
- No limit on number of referrals.
- Payout to PayPal, bank account, or gift cards
Join the Ibotta referral program by downloading the app here.
7. Upside (formerly GetUpside)
This is another restaurant affiliate program coming out of left field that you may have not expected. The Upside app, formerly known as GetUpside, started out as a gas savings app. Members would use the app to find the best gas deals in and around their area, and earn cash back rewards when filling up at one of the partnered Upside gas stations.
Since then, Upside has expanded to offer rebate savings on restaurant dining as well. The main hiccup here is that the selection of restaurants is not as meaty as say the Seated app restaurants. Still, it’s an app worth mentioning as part of this restaurant affiliate programs list.
Upside Affiliate Program Details
- Receive a one-time bonus reward of $0.15 per gallon for each referral. Plus, you’ll earn $0.01 / gallon for every gallon they buy in the future.
- No Limit on Number of Referrals
- Payout to Gift Card, PayPal or Bank Account
Join the Upside affiliate program by downloading the app here.
Restaurant Affiliate Program Not to Promote
I thought long and hard about including this next affiliate program on the list, but I chose not to do it. That’s despite many of my other counterparts mentioning them in their best restaurant affiliate programs list. The program I’m referring to is the restaurant.com affiliate program.
For years, there’ve been horrendous reviews about the restaurant.com website ripping off customers with fake restaurant coupons, people losing their money, and all sorts of terrible stuff. Restaurant.com Trustpilot reviews have a rating of 1.8, an overall abysmal ‘Poor’ rating. This is in addition to other customer complaint sites about them.
I, at one point, almost purchased one of their rebate restaurant coupons and thankfully changed my mind at the last minute. I’m thankful I did. Hopefully, you decide to avoid affiliating for this restaurant rebate site. In the long run, it’ll keep your audience happy. Plus, they’ll continue to trust your recommendations as well.
Restaurant Affiliate Programs Conclusion
As you can see, if you’re a foodie lover, there are plenty of restaurant affiliate programs you can promote to earn affiliate income. Whether you’re a content creator with a YouTube channel, have a food related affiliate blog, or post restaurant deals on Tiktok, these programs can easily make you extra money. Simply choose one or choose them all and start promoting them to your audience today!
For other affiliate programs to promote, check out my list of recurring affiliate programs as well as apps that pay you to refer friends.
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