Revolutionizing the Restaurant Business with Blockchain, with Ben Leventhal, CEO of Blackbird

Hi, it’s Marc. ✌️

“Blockchain is just infrastructure. The real question isn’t ‘Why do you need blockchain?’ but rather ‘Can it make your solution better, faster, and more scalable?.”

The restaurant industry is a trillion-dollar business, yet most restaurants operate on razor-thin margins of 4% or less. Traditional platforms like OpenTable and Toast have created walled gardens that limit restaurants' control over customer relationships, payments, and loyalty programs.

We sat down with Ben Leventhal, the founder and CEO of Blackbird Labs to discuss the future of first-party data ownership with blockchain.

Blackbird, a blockchain-powered platform aims to revolutionize payments and loyalty by giving restaurants direct ownership over their transactions and customer data. It is proving that Web3 isn’t about hype—it’s about solving real-world business problems.

Here’s what we’ve covered:

* Why Blackbird was built: Restaurants rely on platforms like OpenTable, Toast, and POS systems, but these platforms own the customer data—not the restaurants. The biggest players in restaurant tech (OpenTable, Toast) control customer data. Blackbird enables restaurants to own their payments, loyalty programs, and consumer insights.

* Saving millions using blockchain: Payment processing fees eat up 2-3% of revenue—a significant loss for low-margin businesses. Restaurants can reduce these costs significantly by leveraging blockchain.

* Restaurants must own their consumer data: The restaurant industry operates on 4% margins—losing even 1-2% to third parties is a major issue. Owning first-party data means you can increase retention without paying intermediaries.

* How Blackbird works: Instead of relying on third-party reservation and payment systems, Blackbird gives restaurants full control over transactions and customer data. It enables customers to check in, dine, and leave without manually paying—payment happens in the background. Transactions happen using Fly tokens, stored in an auto-generated wallet for every user, reducing friction.

And much more.

On the Consumer Experience with Blackbird,

“Payments are loyalty. You can’t separate the two. Our goal is to make them seamless for both consumers and restaurants.”

Key Take-Aways for Brand Leaders

* Blockchain for payments & loyalty can work: Brands should explore tokenized loyalty programs that are interoperable across multiple locations and do not lock consumers into walled gardens.

* Pro Tip: Ensure that customer data and transactions are stored in a way that the brand—not third parties—can leverage for direct relationships.

* Blackbird’s FlyNet (L3 blockchain on Base) enables real-time transactions and ownership of consumer interactions. It combines payments, loyalty, and consumer data into one seamless platform.

* Own your first-party data: Restaurants need flexible, modular tech stacks that empower them to own customer relationships, not rely on third-party platforms that take a cut.

* Pro Tip: If your brand is in hospitality or retail, blockchain can help you to own first-party data and reduce reliance on intermediaries.

* Removing friction in the customer experience pays off: Brands should look at how friction in payments, loyalty, or onboarding affects conversions and invest in streamlining the experience.

* Pro Tip: Benchmark your checkout or payment experience against the best in digital commerce (Amazon, Apple Pay, Uber)—if it’s slower, fix it.

* Blackbird allows seamless check-ins and auto-pay, eliminating the “waiting for the check” problem. 

* Result: Higher transaction volume, lower payment processing costs, and more engaged customers.

* Blockchain is a tool, not the product: Do not start with technology—start with the problem and assess if blockchain (or AI, etc.) is the best solution.

* Pro Tip: If your Web3 initiative doesn’t offer clear benefits over Web2 alternatives (better UX, lower costs, more control), reconsider the implementation.

* Numbers prove product-market fit: For emerging tech solutions in traditional industries, real adoption numbers matter—always ask for proof of traction.

* Pro Tip: When evaluating new tech partnerships, demand KPIs like transaction volume, retention rates, and real-world adoption figures.

* Blackbird is already processing over $500K+ in transaction volume in 2025. Over 1,000 restaurants onboarded across New York, San Francisco, and Charleston.

Blockchain should be invisible—it’s a tool, not the product.

Tune in to dive deeper into Blackbird’s infrastructure and the future of blockchain in the restaurant industry. 

That’s all for now.

Marc & Team

PS:

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