Charleston’s renowned food and beverage scene brings a lot of tourists to the city, which is great for business but can be inconvenient for locals, who experience longer waits or higher prices. Welcoming new business while maintaining local patronage is an ongoing tightrope many restaurant owners must walk.
Michael Shemtov, owner of popular coffee shop The Daily and Butcher & Bee (recently shuttered in Charleston but still open in Nashville), wants to try integrating a new solution — Blackbird, a loyalty app created by Ben Leventhal, the co-creator of Eater and Resy.
The Daily, located on upper King Street and Morrison Drive, will be the first business outside of New York to use the app and already has patrons testing it out, said Shemtov.
A launch like this has been a long time coming for Shemtov, a fan of Leventhal’s work since Resy was created.
Blackbird works as a check-in function, allowing users to gain perks and accumulate points when they check in at participating restaurants.
“[We’re] excited to be the first. We’re seeing 10 to 15-plus check-ins a day,” Shemtov said. “I mean, that’s a fraction of the hundreds of people that come through a day. But you know, it’s not a bad start,” he said.
Shemtov has been trying to find ways to prioritize regular attendance since The Daily grew in popularity. These days, it’s not uncommon to see a line winding around the door and side of the building. Blackbird seemed like a happy medium.
“[If] you sign up for Blackbird, and you check in, that coffee is free,” Shemtov said. “I kind of want people to feel like they’re getting something over our best. I want them to feel like they’re getting, like, too much,” he said.
Shemtov explained that the first free coffee with check-ins could be anything, even a higher-priced item, like a latte.
Following closely behind The Daily are Brooks Reitz’s restaurants, Little Jack’s Tavern, Leon’s Oyster Shop and Melfi’s, which will also soon use the loyalty program.
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