My SGV Podcast
Welcome to the My SGV Podcast. A show where you will hear personal stories of triumph over failures, and how others successfully navigated the unique landscape that is the San Gabriel Valley. What makes us different? Well, just like you, we have chosen the San Gabriel Valley for our home or businesses, or both. We believe it is the people and small businesses that make this community great and we love to share their stories with you. We always encourage your questions and feedback and you can find all of our contact information at sgvmasterkey.com.
My SGV Podcast
Brian Cooper - Restaurant Funding Playbook: Pre-Purchased Meals for Cash Flow
Here’s a conversation with a restaurant growth operator who’s spent 20+ years at the intersection of dining, loyalty, and partnerships. From helping launch LivingSocial’s first outside sales footprint to expanding Square’s Caviar gourmet delivery in Downtown LA, he’s now at Rewards Network, where he runs dining programs for major brands across airlines, hotels, and wireless. The focus: predictable traffic, measurable spend, and cash flow that helps restaurants grow.
We break down how these dining programs actually work—enrollment, card-linked offers, and the data that proves incremental visits—plus the funding model where Rewards Network pre-purchases members’ meals up front to inject capital into restaurants. Expect practical tactics on filling seats, lifting average check, and turning occasional diners into regulars through A/B-tested offers and localized campaigns.
His path runs from Phoenix to Pasadena to North Hollywood, with stints in Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Leucadia along the way. A Northern Arizona University grad with post-grad business coursework at Pasadena City College, he moved to Pasadena in 2002 to work at Charter Media and spent eight years there. He’s a Burbank Chamber member, a longtime restaurant partner to owners across LA, and a dad to a Pasadena-born son—plus an outdoors guy who camps on his own three acres near Flagstaff.
If you’re a restaurant owner or marketer, this episode is a playbook: how to evaluate dining rewards, negotiate terms, track true lift vs. cannibalization, and stack channels (delivery, loyalty, email, social) for sustainable growth. Keywords: restaurant marketing, dining rewards, card-linked offers, customer acquisition, loyalty ROI, restaurant funding, Caviar, LivingSocial, Rewards Network, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley.
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Music Credits
Intro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG
Stinger
Scarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio Library
Outro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG
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My SGV Podcast:
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