Blackbird, From the Founder of Resy, Expands Loyalty Program for Restaurants - The New York Times

Ben Leventhal says Blackbird will give many independent restaurants the means to identify and reward regulars for the first time. By Julia Moskin Ben Leventhal helped found the popular restaurant-news site Eater and the innovative restaurant-reservation service Resy. So a lot of attention has focused on his latest project — Blackbird, the first loyalty platform for independent restaurants — since it began operating in New York City in April. Blackbird Labs announced Wednesday that its pilot program has been a success, that it is expanding to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and that it has raised $24 million through a16z, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm also known as Andreessen Horowitz. That’s on top of $11 million in seed money raised last year in an effort led by the Union Square Ventures fund. American Express, which acquired Resy in 2019, is also becoming a major investor in Blackbird. Like all rewards programs, Blackbird is designed to entice customers into becoming regular

Ben Leventhal says Blackbird will give many independent restaurants the means to identify and reward regulars for the first time. By Julia Moskin Ben Leventhal helped found the popular restaurant-news site Eater and the innovative restaurant-reservation service Resy. So a lot of attention has focused on his latest project — Blackbird, the first loyalty platform for independent restaurants — since it began operating in New York City in April. Blackbird Labs announced Wednesday that its pilot program has been a success, that it is expanding to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and that it has raise