Coupons are one of the most effective restaurant promotion tools in hospitality and a powerful addition to your broader list of restaurant promotion ideas. They act as smart, rule-based incentives that influence the right behaviours, whether that’s repeat orders, higher spends, or cross-channel engagement.

This guide explains how coupons differ from deals, when to use each, what types of coupons are available across the Liven ecosystem, and how to set them up effectively.

Coupons vs Deals: Know the Difference

Coupons and deals serve different purposes:

• Coupons are targeted, rule-based incentives that can be tracked and measured right down to a customer level. You can control (and see) when, where, and how they’re applied for example, rewarding first-time orders or encouraging pickup.

• Deals are easy to apply discounts that could be based on a combination of products or a certain purchase. A deal combo is a way of packaging products to encourage people to buy more at one time.

Coupons are best used to influence behaviour. They work best when they’re targeted, time-limited, and measurable. For example:

• Bring back diners who haven’t ordered in 30+ days

• Encourage first-time online orders from dine-in regulars

• Promote new categories, like breakfast or catering or products like limited-time specials

• Drive adoption of pickup or self-ordering channels

• Support events, new store openings and promotions

Read on for some actionable examples and quick set up videos for inspiration!

Restaurant promotions using coupons and How to Set Them Up

Below are practical restaurant promo ideas and coupon-driven restaurant promotions you can run through Abacus and OrderUp

1. Scenario: Planned Events or Celebrations | Best for: Increasing walk-ins | Example Copy: “It’s our birthday week! Dine in with us, and get 10% ”
   How to set it up in in Abacus:

   

   How to set it up in OrderUp:

   

   
   

2. Scenario: Promoting a category or combo | Best for: Driving up sales for specific menu items or categories | Example Copy: “Free side with any main.” or “10% off all desserts.”
   How to set it up in in Abacus:

   

   How to set it up in OrderUp:

   

   
   

3. Scenario: Event or time-based promos | Best for: Time-limited campaigns to drive urgency or repeat orders | Example Copy: “WEEKEND20 — valid through Sunday.”
   How to set it up in in Abacus:

   

   How to set it up in OrderUp:

   

   
   

4. Scenario: Staff-led, Time-based promos | Best for: Driving walk-ins at specific times | Example Copy: “$5 off coffee before 10am.”
   How to set it up in in Abacus:

   

   
   

   

   How to set it up in OrderUp: (Not Applicable)

Keep scrolling for examples of restaurant specials ideas and restaurant coupon ideas that help drive repeat visits, higher spend, and targeted growth that you can set up using Abacus or OrderUp.

Additional Promotion Types Where Coupons Can Be used

Read on to know more about the types of coupons available to you with Abacus and OrderUp. For more restaurant promotion tips and setup guidance (including how to structure offers, schedule specials, and issue coupons) check out our full restaurant promotion guide.

Types of Coupons Across the Liven Ecosystem

Coupons can be created and managed through both, Liven Abacus and OrderUp, allowing you to run campaigns that span in-store and online channels.

On Abacus, you can create:

• General coupons, which appear as buttons in the POS discount popup and can be applied manually by staff.

• Code-only coupons, which can be redeemed by customers through a coupon code or QR scan.

Both types can be fixed-value or percentage-based, and can be restricted by item, category, minimum spend, or date/time windows. These coupons work across dine-in, online ordering, and mobile app channels (with self-ordering kiosks support coming soon).

On OrderUp, you can configure:

• Automatic coupons, which apply to all orders during a promotion

• First-time coupons, which apply only to a customer’s first order

• Method Fee coupons, which reduce delivery, pickup, or dine-in fees

You can also create rule-based codes that apply to specific items, categories, or order methods. OrderUp lets you define limits, start and end dates, and prevent overlapping with deals. OrderUp coupons apply to delivery, pickup, dine-in, and room service orders

Together, these options let you fine-tune your offers and give you complete control of when, where, and how a coupon applies, ensuring it supports your growth goals rather than cutting into your bottom line. Some guardrails for the latter include:

• “Not in conjunction,” “Max per customer,” and validity date ranges

• “Required/Discounted Quantity” and “Max Usage”

• Checks and balances that notify you in case of coupon repetition or ineligibility

Our help documents for setting up coupons on Abacus or OrderUp have more detailed information. 

Ready to Set Up Coupons?

Use the linked helped documents, or contact an expert from our team to help you get set up.