We updated and expanded our referral program

In the past Chow Local offered restaurants on the platform a way to refer other restaurant owners and get paid. We have recently made changes to our referral system that allows our affiliates to earn an on-going monthly commission, instead of a one-time commission. And, we're now able to allow essentially any user to participate.

When we first rolled out our referral program, the fees we charged restaurants included an account activation fee. We passed this "upfront" fee on to whoever sent us a referral. Since our referral program was only available to restaurant owners, it allowed them to recoup the account activation fee they themselves paid when they signed up, and then some.

Some time in March we introduced new pricing for restaurants. We not only removed out Account Activation Fee, but also 3 monthly subscription plans, instead of just the one we had previously. Since our referral system was designed to payout the account activation fee as a commission to affiliates, we needed to change the system. 

Now our referral system will pay affiliates "a cut" of the monthly subscription fee we charge restaurants, earning them an ongoing commission. An affiliate can now, technically, spend a bit of effort to get a restaurant owner to sign up, and get rewarded for as long as the restaurant stays on our platform. 

While we were updating our referral system, we also set it up now to allow any Chow Local user to participate. Although thousands of people that have user accounts can technically now participate, we have decided to only give access to selected users. Any existing user interested in getting access to the system features that "affiliates" get, can apply online at https://secure.chowlocal.com/referral-program

By not charging restaurant's commission, we help restaurant owners make more money. By not charging our delivery drivers any fees, and allowing them to keep 100% of the delivery fee and tips, we help them make more money. And now our referral system will help people who help us grow and expand, make more money. We like this idea better, than essentially trying to make capital investors more money and possibly shifting our attention to their needs (instead of the restaurant owners and drivers on our platform's needs) in the process. 

Here's how our referral system works.

- You get a unique link, which you can share with restaurant owners
- If they click on your link, we'll keep track of them for 7 days
- If they add their restaurant during this period, we'll know you referred them
- We'll give you a cut of the monthly fee we charge the restaurant
- Earn 5%-20% of their subscription fee, every month
- Commissions get sent to your bank account
- The more restaurants you refer the bigger your cut will become

If you are looking for a way to make some extra passive income and you have good sales skills, this might be the opportunity you've been looking for. Depending on how many restaurants sign up through your link, you could earn enough to cover your car payment, mortgage, or much more.

Let us know what you think of our referral program. Is it something you or someone you know would be interested in? Do you think it will ultimately work and help us achieve our goal to get more restaurants onboard and expand to more places? We'd love to hear your thoughts, over at our new Discord. Go to https://discord.gg/jCzrnGMg to join the conversation.