August can be slow for independent restaurants, especially on weekdays.
So to help drive guests to their local independent restaurants during the dog days of summer, American Express and Resy are offering to pick up the check.
Starting Aug. 9, Amex and Resy will host dining events during which they pick up the check (up to $99 per person) every Wednesday at 25 “neighborhood gems” in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
The list of participating restaurants will drop on Mondays at 10 a.m. local time at Resy.com/shopsmall or on the Resy app. Guests can then book their dinner reservations, and receive $99 per person on the house. Resy and Amex expect to pay the bills for about 3,200 dinners through the course of the month.
Guests don’t have to have an American Express card, but if they are members, there’s an additional bonus: Starting Aug. 1, card holders can enroll to redeem a $15 statement credit when they spend $60 or more on a single purchase at a Resy restaurant by Aug. 31. About 200 Resy restaurants are participating in that part of the campaign.
Restaurant reservations are at the highest level since before the pandemic, said Resy CEO Pablo Rivero. But about 49% of small business owners surveyed recently said they were concerned about August traffic.
“Last August, they saw 72% less diners on average on Mondays through Thursday, compared with Friday through Saturday,” said Rivero. “Weekdays could definitely use a boost.”
The Resy/Amex campaign is designed to get diners in the door, with the idea that they’ll be more likely to support their local concepts as return guests.
On the first Wednesday, Aug. 9, participating restaurants will include Joseph Leonard in New York City; Harold and Belles in Los Angeles; Mourad in San Francisco; Mi Tocaya in Chicago; Annabelle in Washington, D.C.; and Tropezon in Miami.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the month:
Aug. 16:
& Sons Ham Bar in New York City
Kismet in Los Angeles
Kin Khao in San Francisco
TenGoku Aburiya in Chicago
Elle in Washington, D.C.
Krus Kitchen in Miami
Aug 23:
Txikito in New York City
Great White in Los Angeles
Outerlands in San Francisco
Lula Café in Chicago
Revelers Hour in Washington, D.C.
Lion and the Rambler in Miami
Semilla in Miami
Aug. 30:
Tuome , New York City
Madre, Los Angeles
Brenda’s Soul Food, San Francisco
Cherry Circle Room, Chicago
St. Vincent Wine, Washington D.C.
Fox’s Lounge, Miami
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