Dining in the future - The Restaurant Membership?

Imagine.

Imagine a world where you paid a membership to your favorite local restaurant or watering hole. You would walk in sans wallet and be able to enjoy your favorite meal. Per your membership you would be able to participate in special deals, member appreciation nights and potentially own a share of the business as a community shareholder.

You might say this is a Co-op right? Well, yes and no. Most Co-ops are independently fueled grocery models that are a conduit of goods from local artisan's to retail space. It's a bulk format that focuses on the niche of moving away from the national grocer and convenient chains - to a more local centric focus. An applied method for grocery shopping. I get it. But, what about an actual restaurant? Would you pay a monthly membership fee in which that fee tier would allow you to visit your favorite local restaurant without bringing any duckets? (as most early 90's rap lyrics referred to money)

Within that membership would be a community supported model that actually fueled the business cycle. The shareholder would actually also support the establishment by donating a few hours a week working there. A collaborative effort from the owners, operators and community. Unlike a membership such as the large retailer Costco, where the focus is on selling products at low prices at a very high volume, this concept would be focused on selling limited items at a limited volume to the preferred membership participants. Membership arrangements could be varied among concepts. For instance, some restaurants would limit membership to the neighborhoods where members live or work, while others arrange for members to come to the restaurant and help support the production. Some restaurants could expect members to work at least once a week, while others only expect members to support with their membership. It's an intriguing idea for sure.

The idea of your customers donating their valuable time to support a community supported model is understandably concerning. The model has to have a substantial impact on it's participants. With the restaurant being a cash flow centric model, intermittent opportunities for cash flow need to be determined and validated. So, in actuality the membership model would be the baseline driver with weekly activities that create traffic outside of that models lens.

More to come shortly on this concept. I believe at one point in the future, most communities will have vested interests in local commerce. A collective of shared values, affiliation and fortune.