Hotpot Restaurant Loyalty: A Points Program for Hotpot Restaurants

By Alva Chew · Updated 2026-11-06

In short A hotpot restaurant loyalty program works best when it pays points in proportion to the table bill and gives one member the points for the whole group with a single scan. Haidilao's 2025 results show how much depends on visits: table turnover fell from 4.1 to 3.9 a day and customer visits fell 7.5%, while spend per guest barely moved. Points give the person who books the table a clear reason to return, and one balance can follow them across your outlets.

What should a hotpot restaurant loyalty program reward?

Reward the table bill. Hotpot is a group meal. Four friends or a family share a pot, order by the plate and settle one bill. The simplest rule is the one every guest already knows: spend, earn, redeem. At 1 point per US$1, a table that spends US$120 earns 120 points on one scan.

A stamp card struggles here. It has to decide whether a table of six earns one stamp or six, and whether a long evening counts as one visit or two. Points on the bill skip those rules, because a larger table spends more and earns more. Our page on points-based loyalty programs explains the mechanics, and the general restaurant loyalty guide covers the wider picture.

Why does repeat business matter so much in hotpot?

Hotpot tables are slow to turn and each seat has to be filled again and again. Haidilao, the largest hotpot chain, publishes its operating figures every year. They show what happens when visits slip and the cost base stays put.

Measure (self-operated Haidilao restaurants)	2025	2024
Table turnover rate, times a day	3.9	4.1
Average spending per guest	RMB 97.7	RMB 97.5
Customer visits	383.9 million, down 7.5%	n/a
Self-operated restaurants	1,304	1,355
Profit for the year	RMB 4.04 billion	RMB 4.70 billion

Source: Haidilao International Holding, announcement of annual results for the year ended 31 December 2025, 24 March 2026. The company links the 14.0% fall in profit mainly to lower table turnover and to adjustments for new product and dining models.

This is one large chain in one market, so treat it as an example and not an industry average. The pattern still holds for a single hotpot room. Spend per guest was flat, so the lever that moved results was how often tables were filled. A loyalty program works on that lever, because it gives a guest a reason to book your room and not the one next door.

For scale, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported catering revenue of 5,798.2 billion yuan in 2025, up 3.2%, against total retail sales of consumer goods of 50,120.2 billion yuan, up 3.7%. Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China, 20 January 2026. Catering grew more slowly than retail overall, which tells you the competition for each table is real.

How do you handle a group bill?

Credit one member for the whole bill. Hotpot makes this simple, because the table already pays together or splits at the end.

The payer scans. The cashier scans the member’s card on any phone and enters the bill amount. All the points go to that member.
Nominate at the table. Staff ask once at ordering, “Is anyone on the app?” and note the answer on the order. The organiser of a birthday dinner or office meal is usually the one who returns.
Do not split points. Splitting a bill of eight into eight small balances means nobody reaches a reward.
Join during the wait. A QR code on the table or the menu lets a guest sign up while the broth heats. They enter an email and tap a link, with no app and no password.

Our guide to launching a loyalty program at the counter covers the first week in detail.

How big should the reward be?

Work it out as a share of spend, then price the reward at what it costs you. About 5% back is a sensible starting point for a sit-down room. These are worked examples, not market averages.

Program	Spend to earn	Reward	Back on spend
1 point per US$1, 100 points = vegetable or tofu platter (menu US$5)	US$100	US$5	5%
1 point per US$1, 200 points = US$10 off	US$200	US$10	5%
1 point per US$1, 300 points = dessert round for the table (menu US$15)	US$300	US$15	5%

Vegetables, tofu, broth and desserts cost you far less than their menu price, so the real cost of the platter and dessert rewards is lower than 5%. Meat and seafood cost more, so keep them out of the reward list. Our guide to setting a points earn rate shows how to run the sums for your own menu.

How often does a hotpot regular earn a reward?

Here is a worked example at 1 point per US$1 and a US$30 per head spend.

Group	Spend per visit (example)	Visits a year	Points after a year	Rewards at 200 points
Four friends, monthly	US$120	12	1,440	about 7
Couple, every two months	US$60	6	360	about 1
Office team of ten, quarterly	US$300	4	1,200	about 6

The group that books often reaches a reward within two or three visits, and the organiser of a large table gets there fast. That is the member worth keeping, because they bring other guests with them each time.

Does it matter if you charge per head or by the plate?

The program does not change. Points follow the final bill, whether the room sells an all-you-can-eat set at a fixed price or charges by the plate. At a fixed price per head, the group’s spend is the head count times the price, so a table of six at US$25 earns 150 points. In both cases you set the reward as a share of spend. If drinks and sauces are sold separately, they simply add to the bill and the points.

What if you run more than one hotpot outlet?

Use one points balance across every outlet. A guest who earns at your mall branch should be able to redeem at the one near the office. If each outlet runs its own card, guests hold several small balances and redeem none. The simple cost rule is that the outlet that serves the reward pays for it. Our page on loyalty programs for multiple outlets covers the choices, and the page on F&B chains covers growing past a few sites.

Hotpot restaurant loyalty checklist

Pay points in proportion to the table bill.
Credit the whole bill to one member with one scan at payment.
Set the reward at about 5% of spend and price it at food cost.
Choose rewards such as a vegetable platter, a dessert round or extra broth.
Put the QR code on the table or the menu.
Run one balance across every outlet.

A single hotpot restaurant can run Gimify free, with unlimited members and the guest’s card in Google Wallet. If you open a second or third outlet, unlimited outlets cost US$99 a month with one balance across all of them.

Questions owners ask

What is the best loyalty program for a hotpot restaurant?

Points earned in proportion to the table bill. One member scans once at payment and the whole group's spend counts. A reward worth about 5% of spend, such as a free platter or US$10 off after US$200 of spend, is easy to explain at the table.

Who should earn the points when four people share one pot?

Whoever pays, or whoever the group nominates. Points follow the bill, so one scan at payment credits the full amount. Staff do not split points between diners.

Should a hotpot restaurant use a stamp card?

A stamp card has to decide whether a table of six earns one stamp or six, and what counts as a visit. Points on the bill answer both questions, because a bigger table spends more and earns more.

What reward should a hotpot restaurant give?

Pick items that cost you much less than their menu price, such as a vegetable or tofu platter, extra broth, a dessert or a drink round. Price the reward at what it costs you to make, not what it sells for.

Can one loyalty program cover several hotpot outlets?

Yes. One points balance across every outlet lets a guest earn at one branch and redeem at another. The outlet that serves the reward can carry its cost.

How much does a hotpot restaurant loyalty program cost?

Gimify is free for one outlet with unlimited members. Unlimited outlets cost US$99 a month with no per-member or per-location fees.