If you run a restaurant in the UK, you have almost certainly been asked "do you do gift vouchers?" It is one of the most common customer requests, and for good reason: gift vouchers bring in advance revenue, attract new diners, and turn one-time visitors into repeat customers.

Until recently, selling gift vouchers meant handwritten paper slips, phone orders during busy service, and a filing cabinet full of expiry dates you had to check manually. That era is over. Digital voucher platforms like Redeemio make it possible to sell branded gift vouchers directly from your own website, with secure payments, instant delivery, and QR-code redemption built in.

Why restaurants should sell gift vouchers online

Gift vouchers are not just a nice-to-have. They are a genuine revenue channel. The UK Gift Card and Voucher Association reported that gift voucher sales across leisure and hospitality grew by over 15% year-on-year in 2024, with digital gift cards driving the majority of that growth.

For restaurant owners, the benefits are clear. Vouchers generate advance cashflow before a single plate leaves the kitchen. They fill tables during quiet midweek evenings when customers redeem them. They turn gift-givers into brand ambassadors who introduce your restaurant to new people. And unlike discounting, vouchers preserve your full menu pricing: a customer with a £50 voucher typically spends £65 or more.

Step 1: Choose a voucher platform that works with your existing website

You do not need a brand new website. The best voucher platforms let you add a "Buy voucher" button or checkout link to the site you already have. Your customers stay on your branding throughout, from browsing to checkout to receiving the voucher itself.

Look for a platform that offers your own branded checkout page, Stripe payment processing so money goes straight to your account, instant email and SMS delivery, and QR-code redemption your staff can handle from any phone. Redeemio covers all of these, and you can be live in under 30 minutes.

Step 2: Decide what to sell

The easiest starting point is fixed-value monetary vouchers: £25, £50, £100. These work for any occasion and any menu. Once you are comfortable, add experience vouchers: a tasting menu for two, a wine-pairing evening, a Sunday roast package. Experience vouchers typically sell for higher values and feel more giftable.

You can also let customers choose their own amount. This flexibility catches the last-minute gift buyer who wants to spend exactly £37.50, and it costs you nothing extra to offer.

Step 3: Set up your checkout and branding

Your voucher checkout should look like an extension of your restaurant, not a third-party marketplace. Upload your logo, choose your brand colours, and write a short welcome message. Customers should feel they are buying from you, not from a platform.

Redeemio businesses get a dedicated branded checkout link they can share from their website, social media, Google Business Profile, and email signature. The link format is typically vouchers.yourrestaurant.co.uk, keeping your domain front and centre.

Step 4: Prepare your team for redemption

The redemption process is where many voucher systems fall apart. If staff cannot verify a voucher quickly during a busy service, they will stop checking altogether. That creates fraud risk and damages customer trust.

With QR-code redemption, your team scans the customer's phone with their own phone. The system confirms validity instantly, records who redeemed it and when, and prevents the same code from being used twice. No apps to install, no training sessions required.

Step 5: Promote your vouchers

Your voucher page is live. Now tell people about it. Add a prominent "Buy a gift voucher" link to your website navigation. Post about it on Instagram and Facebook, especially in the run-up to Christmas, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day. Add a QR code linking to your voucher page on your printed menus and receipts. Include a line in your email footer. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to sell.

What does it cost?

Most restaurant voucher platforms charge a monthly subscription plus a per-sale commission. Redeemio uses a simple monthly subscription model starting at £29 with no per-voucher charges and no long-term contract. One £50 voucher sale a week more than covers your subscription. Everything above that is pure margin.

The bottom line

Selling gift vouchers online is no longer complicated, expensive, or reserved for big chains. A modern voucher platform like Redeemio gives your independent restaurant the same sophisticated checkout and redemption tools that enterprise groups use, at a fraction of the cost. Your customers are already asking for vouchers. Now you can say yes.