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North Richland Hills reports roughly 2,800 users, $560,000 tracked spending from restaurant rewards pilot
Summary
City staff presented final results of a winter restaurant rewards pilot showing increased transactions and spending after the program doubled cashback; local restaurants described measurable boosts and ongoing interest in renewing the program for FY26.
Craig Holst presented results Tuesday night of the city’s restaurant rewards pilot that ran through April, saying the program drew about 2,800 users, produced just over 23,000 tracked transactions and more than $560,000 in spending recorded through the phone app.
Holst, a city staff member who led the program briefing, told the City Council the program’s intent was “to support the restaurants during a traditionally low cycle” and to attract diners to North Richland Hills from neighboring communities.
The program offered a cashback reward to app users and was funded with promotional (hotel occupancy) dollars rather than general fund or sales tax. Holst said the council-authorized decision to raise the reward from 5% to 10% on Feb. 14 prompted a 23% increase in transactions and a 45% jump in weekly user spend: “We were averaging about $24,600 in user spend prior to Feb. 14 and then $35,000 after,” he said.
Business owners who spoke during the meeting credited the program with driving new visits and revenue. A manager from the Chick‑fil‑A at Northeast Loop A‑20 told council the store saw 2,053 transactions and an increase of more than $39,000 in sales during the program window. A different restaurant representative said a venue recorded 270 transactions and roughly $13,000 in customer spend tied to the program.
Holst noted the program registered substantial nonresident use: roughly 45% of recorded users did not live in North Richland Hills. He said staff used anonymized location analytics (Placer.ai) and tax receipts to compare city trends with neighboring jurisdictions and concluded the program likely mitigated what would otherwise have been a larger decline in full-service restaurant traffic.
A post‑program SurveyMonkey poll of program users returned a roughly 20% response rate and indicated broad support: about 65% of respondents said the program influenced their decision to eat out, and nearly 56% reported visiting new restaurants because of the program. Most respondents said the app and cashback process were easy to use; Holst said Zelle was the most common payout method and typically took about 10 business days to deliver funds.
Council members asked whether restaurants would receive individualized reports; Holst said staff planned to share per‑store transaction summaries if the council moves to continue the program. He also reminded council that roughly $53,000 remained in the promotional fund designated for the program and said continuing it for FY26 would not necessarily require new ongoing property tax or general fund dollars.
City staff said they will outreach to restaurants and users before any decision and that, if reauthorized, staff would provide more detailed per‑restaurant metrics and continue public reporting.
Ending: Council members praised the initial pilot and indicated interest in staff returning with a recommendation for the FY26 budget process.
