As restaurants look for ways to drive loyalty, San Francisco wine bar El Lopo is leveraging a membership model to reward its most loyal customers and convert more casual customers into regulars.

In an interview with PYMNTS, Daniel Azarkman, El Lopo’s owner, spoke about how the restaurant’s Take-Care-of-Me Club membership program has helped guarantee income in uncertain times and build brand affinity.

“It’s certainly nice to have some predictable revenue. … I’d say it’s aside from that reliability, it’s… been a great way to just say who we are, and even a lot of people that don’t end up signing up for it do read through it, do ask questions about it and are still impressed that we are the kind of place that would run something like that.”

The membership, which currently has 23 members, has two tiers for in-restaurant customers, one that costs $89 for $100 in restaurant credits and one that costs $175 for $200, so at a minimum, the program guarantees more than $2,000 coming in.

With these memberships, the restaurant staff brings that customer food and beverages that they think the diner will enjoy until they hit their credits (or “wave a little white flag,” per the program’s website), and they have the option to get any wine by the glass, always to secure a reservation and send a free drink to someone at another table once per visit.

The idea for the program, Azarkman explained, was prompted when software platform The Third Place, which offers subscriptions and memberships for many restaurants, approached El Lopo.

“At the time they were mainly just doing like take home kits that were that were pretty COVID friendly, … but I wanted to come up with something that would actually get people back in the door, … and [this program] was a natural fit, since we always had a pretty heavy focus on regulars.”

He noted that the restaurants’ most loyal customers dine in “at least three times a week,” a considerably high number considering how few consumers eat at restaurants so regularly. According to surveys carried out for PYMNTS’ “Connected Dining” series, as of June, only 7.4% of restaurant customers made purchases from any restaurants three times a week or more.

Plus, Azarkman noted that the membership has “created new regulars” after interested consumers saw the program advertised.

The guaranteed income that the subscription program provides may be especially helpful now, with restaurant visits overall declining. Connected Dining data noted that just 58% of consumers made at least one restaurant purchase in June — a 9 percentage point decrease from the month before and the most pronounced difference in monthly purchase percentages since last November.

Plus, the amount consumers spend per visit is also taking a dip this summer, with the study finding that, in June, the average spend per visit averaged $24.30 per person, a 7% decrease from the previous month and the lowest spending amount for 2023.

Notably, looking ahead, Azarkman does not particularly want the membership program to grow much more for the time being, given the level of familiarity that the restaurant hopes to maintain with its members, though he noted that a similar model could potentially work in a larger establishment if the restaurant was willing to sacrifice that personal touch.

“It works because we’re as small as we are, and I’ve definitely seen that it wouldn’t scale well — at least not the way we run it — because a lot of it depends on the human touch of knowing who our members are. … Assuming we stay within the same four walls in one location, I think I would cap it at 40 members.”

See More In: Daniel Azarkman, Editor’s Picks, El Lopo, Loyalty and Rewards, membership, membership perks, News, PYMNTS News, recurring payments, Restaurant Innovation, Restaurants, San Francisco, subscription commerce, subscriptions, Take-Care-of-Me Club, wine bar

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SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, SHŌ Group (formerly JSSK Group) emerged from stealth mode to reveal the highly anticipated projects the group has been developing since announcing the signing of their first lease in September 2019.

AN EXPERIENTIAL HOSPITALITY PLATFORM

SHŌ Group is an experiential hospitality platform that builds communities through the creation of one-of-a-kind guest experiences across fine dining, nightlife, and retail food concepts. The team is led by food and technology entrepreneur Josh Sigel, and SHŌ’s namesake celebrated chef of Silicon Valley’s elite and award-winning chef, Shotaro (“Sho”) Kamio. Kamio’s solo venture, Iyasare, which opened on Fourth Street in Berkeley in 2013, has been his most recognized and highly acclaimed project to date. Investors in SHŌ Group include Salesforce, Erica and Jeff Lawson (CEO of Twilio), Craig Ramsey (Founder of Vlocity), Dan Springer (CEO of DocuSign), and Drew Houston (CEO of DropBox). SHŌ Group has also partnered with Carlo Serafini and Ed Lambert from Bay Area-based Bridge Bank for its banking needs.

ICONIC LOCATION

The group’s first restaurant project, SHŌ, will introduce a culinary entertainment and nightlife experience never before seen in the Bay Area. SHŌ will be perched atop San Francisco’s newest landmark in the heart of the city, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s Salesforce Transit Center. The restaurant is located on the Center’s roof, a 5.4-acre public urban oasis in the sky called Salesforce Park. To honor and elevate the restaurant’s world-class location, SHŌ Group has partnered with the San Francisco studio of lauded international design firm AvroKO, who are behind some of the world’s most iconic restaurants; as well as AvroKO’s award-winning sister studio, Brand Bureau, who created the SHŌ brand.

EXPERIENTIAL CUISINE

The culinary experience will be as unique and exciting as the space itself. Chef Sho will offer a Japanese culinary tradition never before introduced in the US: Irori dining, a rustic farmhouse cuisine, which SHŌ plans to center around a 40-square foot fireplace using only charcoal and kindling to produce the fire for cooking fresh, local ingredients . The rooftop Sky Lounge will feature a modern Japanese sushi bar, tapas, and small dishes. At the helm of SHŌ’s sushi offering will be Bay Area sushi master and Michelin Star Chef, Masaki Sasaki.

“SHŌ will be the culmination of my culinary creativity inspired by seasonality, simplicity, and surprise. It is a privilege to introduce Irori cooking to the US in a once-in-a-lifetime location,” said Kamio. “Cooking by fire the way Japanese farmers and common folk did for centuries yields umami-laden dishes that delight, drive conversation, and restore the sense of community that once abided by the fireplace.”

In addition to their restaurant concept, SHŌ Group has also announced SHŌ Market, a Japanese food market that will be located on the ground level of the Salesforce Transit Center. Guests of the market will choose from a selection of freshly made bento boxes featuring the same quality ingredients as SHŌ. Additionally, SHŌ Market will offer grab-and-go fresh salads, street-food inspired dishes, prepackaged treats, curated sakes, and a selection of beautiful handcrafted home goods.

GLOBAL NFT

SHŌ Group will soon be launching an exclusive NFT-based membership club providing its members access to immersive experiences and specialized services across the SHŌ Group platform initially centered around its flagship restaurant, SHŌ. Offered as an NFT, the SHŌ Club membership becomes an asset to members. It is publicly verifiable on the blockchain and can later be sold or transferred on the secondary market. Utilizing NFTs supports the group’s mission to create communities that inspire people to discover, grow, support, and connect, providing members with exponential value for many years to come.

SHŌ Club will have three membership tiers, all of which will grant access to a members-only menu and private lounge located on the rooftop level of the restaurant. A dedicated SHŌ Club concierge will be accessible to all members 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, offering priority reservations, a courtesy car for pick up and drop off, and to ensure that every SHŌ experience moment is effortless and memorable. The mid-tier membership will provide additional benefits, including uniquely curated Omakase dinners featuring celebrity guests, mastermind groups, and educational programming. The highest level of membership will grant ownership-like benefits and include a once-in-a-lifetime highly curated trip to Japan that will provide unprecedented access to unique experiences and locations not available to the public. All initial SHŌ Club members will be known as founding members and will hold the only lifetime global access membership. Founding members will have access to all future SHŌ Group venues and experiences.

“SHŌ Group aims to defy expectations and shift perspectives through meaningful moments and interactions that rewrite the rules of hospitality,” said Josh Sigel, CEO of SHŌ Group. “We could not be more excited to bring a world-class culinary and much-needed nightlife experience to the Bay Area along with SHŌ Club, one of the first global NFT-based experiential hospitality clubs. San Francisco is just the beginning.”

For more information on the SHŌ Group or on obtaining a SHŌ Club membership, visit https://shogroup.com, or follow us on Twitter at @shoclubsf.

ABOUT SHŌ GROUP

SHŌ Group is a global experiential hospitality platform that builds communities through the creation of one-of-a-kind guest experiences across fine dining, nightlife, and retail food concepts. In 2023, the group’s first set of experiences will debut in San Francisco, including SHŌ, its namesake Japanese Restaurant set atop San Francisco’s iconic landmark, Salesforce Park, SHŌ Market, a Japanese food retail concept, and SHŌ Club, an exclusive NFT-based membership club providing its members access to unique experiences and services across the SHŌ Group platform initially centered around its restaurant, SHŌ.

SHŌ

TJPA’s Salesforce Park: 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Website: shogroup.com | Twitter: @SHOClubSF | Instagram: @SHOClubSF

The post SHŌ Group Launches Restaurant on San Francisco’s Salesforce Park and World NFT-based Membership Membership appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

AN EXPERIENTIAL HOSPITALITY PLATFORM
SHŌ Group is an experiential hospitality platform that builds communities through the creation of one-of-a-kind guest experiences across fine dining, nightlife, and retail food concepts. The team is led by food and technology entrepreneurs Josh Sigel, and SHŌ’s namesake celebrated chef of Silicon Valley’s elite and award-winning chef, Shotaro (“Sho”) Kamio. Kamio’s solo venture, Iyasare, which opened on Fourth Street in Berkeley in 2013, has been his most recognized and highly acclaimed project to date. Investors in SHŌ Group include Salesforce, Erica and Jeff Lawson (CEO of Twilio), Craig Ramsey (Founder of Vlocity), Dan Springer (CEO of DocuSign), and Drew Houston (CEO of DropBox). SHŌ Group has also partnered with Carlo Serafini other Ed Lambert from Bay Area-based Bridge Bank for its banking needs.

ICONIC LOCATION
The group’s first restaurant project, SHŌ, will introduce a culinary entertainment and nightlife experience never before seen in the Bay Area. SHŌ will be perched atop San Francisco’s newest landmark in the heart of the city, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s Salesforce Transit Center. The restaurant is located on the Center’s roof, a 5.4-acre public urban oasis in the sky called Salesforce Park. To honor and elevate the restaurant’s world-class location, SHŌ Group has partnered with the san francisco studio of lauded international design firm AvroKO, who are behind some of the world’s most iconic restaurants; as well as AvroKO’s award-winning sister studio, Brand Bureau, who created the SHŌ brand.

EXPERIENTIAL CUISINE
The culinary experience will be as unique and exciting as the space itself. Chef Sho will offer a Japanese culinary tradition never before introduced in the US: Irori dining, a rustic farmhouse cuisine, which SHŌ plans to center around a 40-square foot fireplace using only charcoal and kindling to produce the fire for cooking fresh, local ingredients . The rooftop Sky Lounge will feature a modern Japanese sushi bar, tapas, and small dishes. At the helm of SHŌ’s sushi offering will be Bay Area sushi master and Michelin Star Chef, Masaki Sasaki.

“SHŌ will be the culmination of my culinary creativity inspired by seasonality, simplicity, and surprise. It is a privilege to introduce Irori cooking to the US in a once-in-a-lifetime location,” said Kamio. “Cooking by fire the way Japanese farmers and common folk did for centuries yields umami-laden dishes that delight, drive conversation, and restore the sense of community that once abided by the fireplace.”

In addition to their restaurant concept, SHŌ Group has also announced SHŌ Market, a Japanese food market that will be located on the ground level of the Salesforce Transit Center. Guests of the market will choose from a selection of freshly made bento boxes featuring the same quality ingredients as SHŌ. Additionally, SHŌ Market will offer grab-and-go fresh salads, street-food inspired dishes, prepackaged treats, curated sakes, and a selection of beautiful handcrafted home goods.

GLOBAL NFT
SHŌ Group will soon be launching an exclusive NFT-based membership club providing its members access to immersive experiences and specialized services across the SHŌ Group platform initially centered around its flagship restaurant, SHŌ. Offered as an NFT, the SHŌ Club membership becomes an asset to members. It is publicly verifiable on the blockchain and can later be sold or transferred on the secondary market. Utilizing NFTs supports the group’s mission to create communities that inspire people to discover, grow, support, and connect, providing members with exponential value for many years to come.

SHŌ Club will have three membership tiers, all of which will grant access to a members-only menu and private lounge located on the rooftop level of the restaurant. A dedicated SHŌ Club concierge will be accessible to all members 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, offering priority reservations, a courtesy car for pick up and drop off, and to ensure that every SHŌ experience moment is effortless and memorable. The mid-tier membership will provide additional benefits, including uniquely curated Omakase dinners featuring celebrity guests, mastermind groups, and educational programming. The highest level of membership will grant ownership-like benefits and include a once-in-a-lifetime highly curated trip to Japan that will provide unprecedented access to unique experiences and locations not available to the public. All initial SHŌ Club members will be known as founding members and will hold the only lifetime global access membership. Founding members will have access to all future SHŌ Group venues and experiences.

“SHŌ Group aims to defy expectations and shift perspectives through meaningful moments and interactions that rewrite the rules of hospitality,” said Josh Sigel, CEO of SHŌ Group. “We could not be more excited to bring a world-class culinary and much-needed nightlife experience to the Bay Area along with SHŌ Club, one of the first global NFT-based experiential hospitality clubs. san francisco is just the beginning.”

For more information on the SHŌ Group or on obtaining a SHŌ Club membership, visit https://shogroup.com, or follow us on Twitter at @shoclubsf.

ABOUT SHŌ GROUP
SHŌ Group is a global experiential hospitality platform that builds communities through the creation of one-of-a-kind guest experiences across fine dining, nightlife, and retail food concepts. In 2023, the group’s first set of experiences will debut in san franciscoincluding SHŌ, its namesake Japanese Restaurant set atop San Francisco’s iconic landmark, Salesforce Park, SHŌ Market, a Japanese food retail concept, and SHŌ Club, an exclusive NFT-based membership club providing its members access to unique experiences and services across the SHO Group platform initially centered around its restaurant, SHŌ.

TJPA’s Salesforce Park: 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Website: shogroup.com | Twitter: @SHOClubSF | Instagram: @SHOClubSF

SOURCE SHŌ Group

The post SHŌ Group Launches Restaurant on San Francisco’s Salesforce Park and World NFT-based Membership Membership appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.