Example - RESTAURANT

Overview:
New customers will travel further, passing other restaurants on the way, to patronize your restaurant because you accept their trade credit as a form of payment. When they spend trade credit at your restaurant they are saving money (see your example scenario below).

Some assumptions:
1) You are the business owner.
2) Your restaurant is open, the lights are on, the kitchen is operating and your staff are working.
3) Your restaurant occasionally has some unoccupied tables.
4) Your "cost of goods sold" is 28% (the ingredients of a $100.00 meal costs you $28.00)
5) You don't know how you will spend trade credit.

The scenario:
Over the course of two weeks, ten customers with companions order food and beverages for total sales of $1,000.00. They paid in trade credit (and left staff gratuities in cash).
Then you arrange $1,000.00 worth of advertising for your restaurant and pay for it with trade credit. That $1,000.00 purchase cost you only $400.00 (a discount of 60% saving you $600.00).

Here's how we got there:
The meal and beverages cost you $280.00 to produce, and the trade exchange charged you $120.00 when you spent the 1,000.00 in trade credit (12% transaction fee). $280.00 + $120.00 = $400.00.

Summary:
You gained new customers just by being a member of Island TradeLink, your staff earned extra tips in cash, and you bought advertising to attract more cash-paying guests at a much lower cost.

Remember; you have fixed costs, and when your restaurant is open for business, you have operating expenses such as utilities and salaries. We only factor-in your cost of goods sold because the restaurant is already open with lights on etc., and our members are only taking-up empty tables.

In this example we described a purchase almost immediately after you sold some capacity - but you don't have to spend your trade credit right away, you can save it like cash. And we described a purchase of advertising - but you can buy whatever you want or need.
View our list of recent purchases for other ideas.

Patrons paying with trade credit must be considered extra, new customers. You should welcome them only when you have tables not otherwise occupied by cash-paying customers (cash IS "King"). You can designate days and times when your restaurant will accept trade credit.

Even though your restaurant sells meals and beverages (and a "dining experience"), the trade exchange considers it a business of "capacity" - if you don't have space for more customers, you don't have space for our members. If you DO have empty tables, let the trade exchange fill them with extra customers for extra revenue in trade credit that you can spend instead of cash.

Learn more about the benefits.