What's Up with the Louisville Originals card?

So, friends went to August Moon the other night and said there was a sign saying due to fraud, they were no longer accepting the Lou. Originals card. Last, I was at Jack's Lounge with the same friends and we were told they no longer take the card.

We were just able to get some points at 3 local restaurants in St. Louis - so what's the deal here at home?

Looking forward to learning more about this. Given all the problems with the website of late we've held off on signing up.

hey all,
\just an f.y.i. on the louisville originals rewards card. we started this program officially on march 1st, 2009. from the onset of the program, 'til december 31st of '09 we have had 11,358 people sign up for the card. those people have visited our member restaurants 78,461 times. they spent $3,121,871.00 in that time. we (the louisville originals ) have redeemed $87,403.00 in rewards, or .028% of louisville originals card driven sales.
i believe that the sign at august moon says that "you may only redeem 20% of your total check" with your louisville originals points. that is being addressed with them. it is against the spirit of the program. redeeming points, up to $100.00 is part of the program.
our group pays the $100.00 per month, per restaurant, fee to run this program. the real cost to the restaurants is when points are redeemed.
dean corbett was thinking about dropping out of the group, but is currently re-thinking that decision.
they probably decided not to offer points while their decision is being finalized.
we have meetings every two weeks that are open to all of our members. there are huge benefits to being a l.o. member, but the owner / manager has to take the time to become informed. we sold close to $225,000.00 in l.o. gift cards in 2009 that our members get reimbursed at 100%. better than a credit card! that alone covers the cost of membership.
we have numerous systems in place to prevent abuse of the program. in 78,000 visits and l.o. transaction, there have been only a few that have come to light. a server at one of our members was "hooking up" one of his friends. he lost his job over it. another restaurant was adding points for catering jobs, which isn't allowed. the restaurant where that person redeemed points was repaid by the restaurant that issued them.
we get daily transaction warnings, if something seems unusual and we also have the server numbers, etc.
problems with our website only happen around our discount g.c. program when they go on sale. it has been there through two different vendors and we are always trying to make it as smooth and seemless as possible!
thanks, andrew

We live in Lex, but we love our LO card. It influences our decision-making when we are making our drive to Louisville.

you can also get points on the louisville originals card in originals cities... st. louis, twin cities, kansasa city, tucson, etc. (check web sites for info).
@ baxter station, we have enrolled close to 1500 people. louisville originals card holders have visited us 7,197 times, have spent $221,477.00 and we have redeemed $5,082.00 in rewards points. roughly 2.3% of rewards related $$$$ spent.
it is truly a win / win and i would say that it is a hugely succesful program.
a

fred mullins, who mdoes the book, a look at lexington, is trying to set up a lexington originals chapter.i went up there several times to meet with them and strongly encouraged them to do the rewards card... not sure what has happened there since. if they start the program there, you can get points when you come visit a louisville original.

We've had only success with our L.O. Card. When we know we have $10 or $20 waiting for us in rewards, it makes it that much easier to go out and treat ourselves to a meal, and it's easier to justify splurging a bit when you know that the rewards pile up. Reading that anecdote about someone using it for catering was kind of funny... if we had been able to accumulate rewards for having our rehearsal dinner catered by Mayan Cafe, that would have been pretty ridiculous. I'm surprised someone tried it.

We recently got our LO card at Cafe Lou Lou and have so far only used it to add points there and at 60 West. Other than trying to remember the points you've earned yourself or asking at a LO restaurant, is there any way to find out how many points you have on your card?

http://www.louisvilleoriginals.com/rewards.asp

Thanks, Kyle! I never noticed that before. Makes sense that they'd have a way to do it.

No problem! I've been meaning to get one for a while; really need to do it.

why wouldn't you get a louisville original card??? it costs nothing and you get rewarded for visiting places that are locally owned, do good food, and do great things in our community. our members are some of the most giving businesses in this area... we are all community partners. supporting the louisville originals means that you are supporting our locals and our community.

Because I am lazy and have not done it. No other reason.

This card is a great benefit with no downside to customers, that I can see. To all the restaurant owners that are on the fence about it... I have to tell you that I keep my favorite L.O. restaurants in the back of my head and it does sway me when I'm picking a restaurant. You're more likely to get me in the door.

Last week I redeemed my $10 at the Bristol and I ended up with a bill of something like $0.82. That's what you call leaving the customer with a very positive experience. Especially in these days where everyone is trying to save money as much as they can and eating out is a real luxury.

hey kyle,
send me a p.m. with your info, i will activate a card for you and mail it to you. or just swing by your closest l.o.. you don't have to buy anything. just fill out the regitration card and ask them to do a balance inquiry. that gets you going immediately. a