Restaurant loyalty programs in Canada are worth joining at the chains you already visit: the points programs we could price return about 2.5% to 8% of what you spend, a punch card on one item returns more, and a sign-up gift pays off on the first or second visit. Three examples show the range: De Dutch's De Club (8% back on dine-in bills, the best points return we could calculate), Mr. Sub's 10th sub free (about 11% on the subs you pay for) and 3 Brasseurs' $10 welcome reward on your next visit.
As of November 7, 2026, 35 chains in our data have a verified deal that needs a loyalty membership, an email club or a rewards account. Below we turn each program's official terms into a return rate, then compare punch cards with points, list what you get for signing up and on your birthday, and name the catch for each. One-time app codes, such as first-order discounts, are compared in our guide to whether restaurant apps are worth it.
Are restaurant loyalty programs in Canada worth joining?
Yes, if you will reach the first reward before it expires and you order in a way that earns. The programs in our data fall into four types:
- Points or cash back: every dollar earns toward a dollar-off reward (BarBurrito, Thai Express, De Dutch, OPA! of Greece, Burrito Boyz, Freshslice, Pizza Pizza).
- Punch cards: buy a set number of one item or visits, get one free (Mr. Sub, Mucho Burrito, Valentine, Cora's coffee card).
- Email clubs: a coupon when you join and, at some chains, one on your birthday (Kelseys, Montana's, Swiss Chalet, Original Joe's, State & Main).
- Member prices: instead of something to collect, members pay a lower menu price, like La Cage's half-price wing Thursdays.
The cost is your email, phone number or birth date, plus the time to scan or log in on every order.
Which restaurant rewards program gives the most back per dollar?
We ranked programs by return: each reward divided by the spending needed to earn it, using the earn rate on the chain's official terms page, before tax. Programs that pay in menu items follow the table.
| Program | Earn rate | Reward | Return | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Dutch De Club | 1 point per $1 | $10 off at 125 points | 8% | Dine-in, ask your server |
| OPA! Rewards | 5 points per $1 | $20 off at 1,425 points | 7.0% | Points expire after 12 months |
| Thai Express Rewards | 1 point per $1 | $5 off at 75 points | 6.7% | $10 minimum order |
| BarBurrito | 1 point per $1 | $5 off at 100 points | 5% | App; no points on delivery apps |
| Burrito Boyz Rewards | 5% in reward dollars | Redeem from $5 | 5% | Takeout |
| Freshslice Rewards | 5% cash back | Applied to later orders | 5% | Earned on app orders |
| Pizza Pizza Club 11-11 | 5% of the subtotal | Redeem after every 5th order | 5% | Expires 90 days after release |
| MySmitty's Rewards | 1 point per $1 | $10 at 350 points | 2.9% | Dine-in |
| Sushi Shop | 10 points per $1 | $2.50 at 1,000 points | 2.5% | $2.50 minimum purchase to earn |
De Dutch leads because its $10 reward takes only 125 points. It is dine-in only: you tell your server how many points to redeem.
FeaturedDe Dutch's De Club earns 1 point per dollar spent, and every 125 points can be redeemed for a $10 reward on your bill.
- Valid days: Every day
- Hours: All day
- 8 locations
Verified Source: dedutch.com (opens in a new tab)
$10 OFFEvery 125 points
View DealBarBurrito is the simplest program, at the 93 locations we track: 1 point per dollar in-store or online, and every 100 points is $5 off any app order. Points earned through third-party delivery apps do not count. See every current offer on the BarBurrito deals page.
Earn 1 point per $1 at BarBurrito in-store or online; every 100 points can be redeemed for $5 off any order in the app.
- Valid days: Every day
- Hours: All day
- 93 locations
Verified Source: barburrito.ca (opens in a new tab)
$5 OFFPer 100 points
View DealPizza Pizza's Club 11-11, at the 75 locations we track, pays the same 5% without an app: a registered card earns 5% of every order subtotal in Loyalty Dollars. The catch is timing. You can redeem only after every 5th purchase, the dollars expire 90 days after release, and non-traditional locations are excluded. The Club 11-11 deal page has the full conditions.
Thai Express beats BarBurrito on paper (6.7%), but its rewards expire 90 days after you earn them and need an order of $10 or more, so it suits regulars. OPA! returns 7.0% only if you save up for its top reward; its smaller ones are a free side at 350 points and a free meal at 975.
What about programs that pay in free food?
Quiznos Toasty Points earns 1 point per $1 and gives a free combo at 50 points or a free 12-inch sub at 100 points. If a 12-inch sub costs more than $5 at your branch, that $100 of spending returns more than BarBurrito's 5%. Tahini's works the same way on app and online orders: 250 points for samosas, falafel, fries or a drink, 500 for a chicken shawarma, 750 for a wrap or bowl. Check your branch's menu price for the reward, divide by the points needed, and you have the return. Osmow's app points pay in menu items too; our Osmow's specials by day guide works out how many daily specials each reward takes.
Do double-points days change the math?
Yes. Smitty's members aged 65 and over earn double points on the first Tuesday of each month, which lifts that visit from 2.9% to about 5.7%; on the third Monday, a lunch or dinner visit adds 50 bonus points (one-seventh of a $10 reward). Cora Enthusiasts earn double points every Tuesday, triple points once around their birthday, and double points on the Holidays in Cherry Red dishes from November 2, 2026 to January 3, 2027 (a limited-time offer). Cora does not publish a dollar value for its points, so we cannot price those boosts. More age-based offers are on our seniors restaurant deals page.
Punch cards vs points: which pays off faster?
A punch card returns more on the one item it covers; points return less but count everything you buy. Mr. Sub's card is the clearest example: buy 9 small subs and the 10th small sub is free (or 9 large for a free large). That is 1 free sub per 9 paid, or about 11% back, roughly double BarBurrito's 5%. It is takeout only, it cannot be combined with other offers or coupons, and orders through third-party delivery do not count. The Mr. Sub deals page lists its other offers at the 101 locations we track.
FeaturedMR.SUB Rewards members get a free small sub after buying nine small subs, or a free large after nine large.
- Valid days: Every day
- Hours: All day
- 101 locations
Verified Source: rewards.mrsub.ca (opens in a new tab)
FREESub after 9 purchases
View DealCora's card pays even more on a narrow item: buy 5 specialty coffees (or 5 smoothies) and the 6th is free, which is 20% back on those drinks. The free specialty coffee is valid for 90 days.
Visit-based cards reward how often you go, not how much you spend. Mucho Burrito gives one punch per transaction of $10 or more, and 9 punches earn a free small burrito, quesadilla, taco trio, bowl or salad, so a $40 group order earns the same single punch as a $10 lunch. Valentine's Club Privilèges gives a free meal (such as a steamed hot dog, poutine and drink trio) after 7 visits of $10 or more each, before tax; the counter resets if those 7 visits total less than $70.
| Points and cash back | Punch cards | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical return | 2.5% to 8% | About 11% (Mr. Sub) to 20% (Cora drinks) on the item |
| What counts | Every dollar of the bill | One item, or one visit over a minimum |
| Best for | Mixed orders, families, big bills | One usual order, solo visits |
| Effort | Scan or log in every time | Scan every time; match the size or minimum |
| Catch | Expiry (Thai Express, OPA!), app-only earning | Big orders earn no extra; strict item rules |
What do you get just for signing up?
A sign-up gift is the fastest return in most programs, because it costs one visit you were going to make anyway. 3 Brasseurs gives new loyalty members a $10 reward once their first bill is loaded to the account by January 15, 2027, to use on a later dine-in visit; it needs the app and applies at the 12 locations we track in Quebec and Ontario.
Join the 3 Brasseurs loyalty program and load your first bill by January 15, 2027 to get a $10 reward for a later visit.
- Valid days: Every day
- Hours: All day
- 12 locations
Verified Source: 3brasseurs.ca (opens in a new tab)
$10Reward on next visit
View Deal| Chain | Sign-up gift | What you must buy | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Joe's | Free Truffle Parm Fries | Nothing | Dine-in; valid 30 days; one per table |
| Jollibee | $5 off | An order of $10 or more | New members; valid 14 days |
| Swiss Chalet | Free appetizer (up to $9.99) | An adult entrée | One-time use |
| Kelseys | Free spinach dip | An entrée | Dine-in; one coupon per table |
| Montana's | Free appetizer | Two adult entrées | Code expires 14 days after it is sent |
| State & Main | Free Pretzel Bites | An entrée of $16 or more | Dine-in |
| Chipotle | Free Chips & Guac | $5 minimum purchase | New members |
| Quesada | $5 regular burrito | A first visit of $10 or more | Reward added after that visit |
| Mr. Sub | Free canned drink and chips | Your next purchase | Valid 10 days; not on delivery |
| Valentine | Free steamed hot dog | Nothing listed | Sign up in the app or online |
The math favours the gifts with no strings. Original Joe's fries need no purchase at all, and Jollibee's $5 off a $10 order is half off that order (Jollibee also gives new members $10 off an order of $45 or more). Hero Certified Burgers ($5 off a new member's first order, through its app), Quiznos ($5 off your first app order), OPA! (a free pita wrap or snack after a first purchase of $5 or more) and Jungle Jim's (a free Chimi Cheesecake, dine-in) round out the list. Sushi Shop's 500 welcome points are half of the 1,000 points that make $2.50, and Thai Express adds 50 points toward its 75-point reward.
Which restaurant birthday rewards need a purchase?
The most valuable birthday rewards come with a group or a purchase attached, and most need your birth date on file before the day.
| Chain | Birthday reward | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| LOCAL Public Eatery | Credit of up to $50 | Existing members only; booking for 8 or more |
| Mandarin | Free birthday buffet | Sign up a day ahead; dine with 3 paying adults |
| Original Joe's | Free Nachos for Two | Dine-in; coupon valid 7 days |
| State & Main | Free dessert | Dine-in; coupon valid 7 days |
| Thai Express | $10 off in your birthday month | A minimum purchase applies |
| Quiznos | Buy one regular sub, get one | App; takeout |
| Smitty's | Mini donuts (Bronze) up to any regular item under $24 (Gold) | Dine-in; depends on your tier |
| Chipotle | One free item (chips, guac, queso or a drink) | During your birthday month |
| OPA! of Greece | Free wrap, salad or treat | Redeem in the app or online |
| BarBurrito | Free churro | App; birth date saved |
| Jollibee | Free pie | Conditions shown in the app |
| Fatburger | Free kids meal for children 12 and under | Register the child before the birthday |
The Mandarin buffet only works for a group of four: you eat free when three adults pay. The Mandarin birthday buffet page lists the one-week window around your birthday. LOCAL Public Eatery's credit only helps if you already belong to the LPE League, which stopped taking new members on November 2, 2026.
For two people, Original Joe's is the simplest: the Nachos for Two coupon arrives a week before your birthday.
Original Joe's email subscribers get a birthday coupon for free Nachos for Two, sent a week before the birthday and valid for 7 days, dine-in only.
- Valid days: Every day
- Hours: All day
- 21 locations
Verified Source: originaljoes.ca (opens in a new tab)
FREENachos for Two
View DealCora's birthday reward is points, not food: triple points on one purchase on your birthday or within 30 days of the birthday email.
Which programs give members-only prices instead of points?
Some memberships work as a price list. La Cage's Club Cage, at the 17 Quebec locations we track (4 of them in Montreal), gives members 50% off all wings on Thursdays, 50% off wine bottles on Wednesdays, beer pitchers and three featured dishes at $19 each on Tuesdays, and up to two $5 kids' meals on Sundays with a bill of $15 or more. All of those are dine-in and need the app. Until November 30, 2026, members also get 20% off game day combos ordered on LaCageChezVous.com. See the La Cage Montreal locations and the rest of the Montreal restaurant deals.
A membership you may already hold also counts: Original Joe's and State & Main take 10% off for CAA members who show a physical card. At Original Joe's, the discount is on food only, and both chains exclude alcohol and limit it to one offer per table.
When is a loyalty program not worth it?
- You will not reach the first reward in time. Thai Express rewards and Pizza Pizza Loyalty Dollars expire after 90 days, OPA! points after 12 months, and Quiznos points after 365 days without activity. At Sushi Shop, $100 of spending earns $2.50.
- You order through delivery apps. BarBurrito gives no points on third-party delivery, Mr. Sub's free sub is not valid on it, and Jollibee's new-member offers exclude it. La Cage's online deals work only on its own site.
- The free item needs a bigger bill. Montana's free appetizer needs two adult entrées, the Mandarin buffet needs three paying adults, and LOCAL's birthday credit needs a booking for 8 or more.
- It will not stack. Mr. Sub's punch card excludes other offers and coupons, Kelseys' spinach dip coupon cannot be combined with other offers, and the CAA discount is one offer per table. A members' coupon can cost you a better daily special: compare it with the nightly deals in Kelseys specials by day before you use it.
- The program can close. LOCAL Public Eatery ends the LPE League on February 28, 2027, so its birthday credit has a hard deadline.
- It needs an app you will not use. Freshslice lists its 5% cash back on app orders, and Tahini's earns points only on app and online orders.
Checklist before you join a restaurant rewards program
- Find the earn rate and reward on the official terms page, and divide the reward by the spending needed (most points programs above return 5% to 8%).
- Count your visits: make sure you reach the first reward before it expires.
- Check how you order: in-store or the chain's own app usually earns; delivery apps often do not.
- Add your birth date when you join, at least a day ahead (Mandarin requires it).
- Put the sign-up gift's expiry in your calendar (Montana's 14 days, Mr. Sub 10 days, Jollibee 14 days).
- Read the dine-in and minimum-spend lines before you count a reward as free.
- Before you order, check whether a members-only price beats the coupon you hold.
Every live app and loyalty offer, with its conditions and last check date, is on the app and loyalty deals page.
