How to Sell More Restaurant Gift Cards

This Holiday Season

Every December, people need a gift for the coworker, the teacher, the in-laws, the neighbor who watched the dog. A gift card from a local spot they love solves that in about thirty seconds — and for you, it's revenue collected today for a meal served later.

Most restaurants leave this money on the table for one simple reason: the only way to buy a gift card is to walk up to the register. Here's how to fix that before the rush starts.

Why Gift Cards Are Worth the Effort

• Cash up front. You're paid at purchase, in the slowest stretch of the year for many restaurants — January.
• New customers. The person who redeems a gift card is often someone who's never ordered from you. The giver just did your marketing for you.
• Bigger tickets. Gift card holders tend to spend past the card balance rather than leave money unused.

Sell Them Online, Not Just at the Register

The biggest unlock is letting people buy a gift card at 10 PM on their couch. With Gegsy, you can turn on eGift cards from Marketing → Gift Cards, and customers can buy one from your ordering website and send it straight to the recipient. The recipient gets an email with the card design, the amount, and a personal message from the sender.

Gift cards are included on every Gegsy plan, and Gegsy supports Square Gift Cards, so they sit alongside the rest of your Square setup.

Gegsy Tip: Turn gift cards on now, even if you don't plan to promote them until Thanksgiving. Early shoppers will find them on their own.

Pick Amounts People Actually Buy

You set three preset amounts plus a minimum and maximum load, and customers can still type a custom amount in that range. Good defaults:

• $25 — the coworker or teacher gift
• $50 — dinner for two at most casual spots
• $100 — the "family" or "boss" gift

Set the minimum around $10 so stocking stuffers still work, and the maximum high enough for corporate buyers who want to thank a whole team.

Make the Card Designs Seasonal

Upload a holiday design or two (JPG, PNG, or GIF) and drag it to the front so it's the default. Keep a year-round design in the list for birthdays and thank-yous. A photo of your signature dish on a festive background beats a generic stock snowflake every time.

Swap the holiday designs out in early January — the first design in the list is what customers see by default.

Promote Them Everywhere Customers Already Look

Selling gift cards online only helps if people know you do it.

• On your website. Add a promotional banner to your storefront from mid-November through Christmas Eve.
• In your app. On the Pro plan, send an in-app notification to your customers the week after Thanksgiving and again around December 15 — the "I forgot someone" deadline. See our notification ideas that drive orders for timing tips.
• In the restaurant. A small sign by the register and on your QR table tents: "Gift cards available online — sent instantly."
• On Google. Post a holiday update on your Google Business Profile pointing to your ordering site.

Pitch the Last-Minute Buyer

eGift cards have one huge advantage over plastic: they arrive instantly. That makes you the answer for anyone who's out of time on December 23. Say it plainly in your messaging: "Still need a gift? Send one in 30 seconds."

Go After Corporate Orders

Local businesses buy gift cards in bulk for employees and clients. A short note to your catering and office-lunch regulars in early November — "Need staff gifts this year?" — can turn into a single large order. If you already handle office group orders, those contacts are the warmest leads you have.

Consider a Bonus Offer

"Buy $50, get $10 for yourself" is a classic for a reason. If you run one, create the bonus as a coupon with a clear expiration date in January or February. That brings the buyer back during your slow season, too.

The Bottom Line

Gift cards are some of the least effort holiday revenue a restaurant can earn. Turn on online sales, set sensible amounts, add a seasonal design, and promote them in the places your customers already see you.

👉 Get your storefront live and start selling gift cards before the holiday rush.