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Do you run your own restaurant or food and beverage business? Restaurants are one of the most popular small businesses in the world, with more than 677,000 restaurants in the U.S. alone.¹
If you’re part of the industry employing nearly 12 million people in the U.S.,¹ you’ve probably dealt with a lot in the last few years, with COVID-19 likely shuttering your business temporarily.
Luckily, the restaurant business is one of the most resilient types of businesses, and you’ve probably been seeing a resurgence of consumers eating out, ordering delivery, or getting takeout.
And if you’re a restaurant owner, you should absolutely make sure you’re earning rewards from your credit card purchases. The restaurant business is a notoriously low-margin business, so every single dollar you can get back will make a difference.
Let’s get into it!
The vast majority of your expenses as a restaurant owner will probably be from food distributors or wholesale companies. You might spend a few dollars here and there on gasoline, electronics, or office supplies, but you’re probably going to be allocating almost all of your budget to food distributors and wholesale companies.
Restaurants also spend a ton of money every single month, so you’ll need to look for a card with either a high credit limit or no preset spending limit at all.
Purchase protection and extended warranty probably aren’t all that important for perishable food purchases — but you’ll need to find a suitable credit card where you can make large purchases at companies like Sysco and US Foods for maximum rewards.
Here are our favorites!
There’s an enormous difference between the types of purchases restaurant owners make to buy food at scale versus the types of purchases consumers make when dining out at a restaurant.
For this reason, it doesn’t make sense for a restaurant owner to get a business card that rewards restaurant or grocery spending.
Instead, you’ll need to get cards that offer the best general rewards. Here are our picks:
| Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Restaurant Owners |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business |
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| Capital One Spark Travel Elite |
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| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
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| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
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| Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card |
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| Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card |
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| Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business |
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The Capital One Spark Miles card is a low-annual-fee business card that earns 2x transferable miles on every $1 you spend. (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a great option for business owners looking for an uncomplicated rewards card that earns double miles on every purchase they make and offers access to transfer partners, all for a low annual fee.
The Capital One Spark Miles card is our top-winning business card for restaurant owners. To start off, you’ll enjoy a welcome bonus after meeting a pretty low spending requirement.
The reason why we love this card is that you can earn up to 5x Capital One miles on purchases made on this card:
As a restaurant owner, earning 2x miles on all your purchases is a huge deal, and the rewards will add up quickly over time.
Additionally, the Capital One Spark Miles card comes with a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, purchase protection, extended warranty, and more.
Plus, the Capital One Spark Miles card has no foreign transaction fees and no additional annual fees for employee cards.
Capital One miles are incredibly valuable — you can use your rewards to book some incredible luxury travel through Capital One’s transfer partners.
By our measures, 2x Capital One miles is equal to a 3.6% return on spending, which is fantastic.
You can also redeem Capital One miles for Capital One Travel bookings, Amazon.com purchases, gift cards, and statement credits, but you won’t get outsized value with these redemption methods.
Another great card option is the exclusive Capital One Spark Travel Elite card, which is only available through invitation as an existing Capital One cardholder.
This terrific card earns the same 2x miles on almost all restaurant owner expenses, but it notably offers better benefits at a higher price tag.
Plus, the Capital One Spark Travel Elite card also has no preset spending limit, making it easy for business owners to make large purchases without worrying about their card getting declined.
You can get up to 10x miles on purchases:
So what’s the difference between the Capital One Spark Miles card and the Capital One Spark Travel Elite card if you earn 2x miles on almost all of the purchases that restaurant owners make? The answer is benefits.
With the Capital One Spark Travel Elite card, you’ll get complimentary airport lounge access to Capital One Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Priority Pass lounges, as well as a $300 Capital One Travel credit every anniversary year and an account anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles after every account anniversary year.
There’s also a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, travel insurance, and cell phone protection, too.
You won’t find any foreign transaction fees or additional annual fees for employee cards.
Bottom Line: Capital One miles are earned on every purchase, with extra earnings in bonus categories. Although Capital One miles are not airline miles and cannot be used to book award flights directly, you can use the miles as a statement credit toward previous travel purchases, transfer miles to airline or hotel partners, or book travel directly with Capital One.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.
When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 170,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum. The current public offer is 120,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 170,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum. The current public offer is 120,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
One of our favorite business cards for restaurant owners is the Amex Business Platinum card, which has an unbeatable list of luxury travel and business benefits.
Let’s start off with the welcome bonus (easily worth more than $2,000) and earning structure:
If you’re a restaurant owner, you’re probably routinely making large purchases of $5,000 or more, especially when working with distributors. That means you’ll probably earn 1.5x points!
The list of key business categories includes:
Additionally, those who have the Amex Business Platinum card enjoy access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes:
The Amex Business Platinum card also gets you these extra luxury travel benefits:
Of course, this card has no preset spending limit, superb travel insurance, QuickBooks integrations, purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone protection, return protection, and no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).
The Amex Business Platinum card earns Amex Membership Rewards points, which are worth 2.2 cents each according to our valuations. That makes Amex points the most valuable type of transferrable points available.
And if you earn 1.5x points, that’s like earning a 3.3% return on spending, which is terrific. You can optimally leverage your Amex points by transferring your points to the American Express transfer partners to book luxury flights and hotels.
If you’re looking for other ways to use your points, you can also redeem Amex points for charity, statement credits, gift cards, and AmexTravel.com portal bookings. Just remember that you’ll get a majorly reduced redemption value when you use points in these ways.
The Ink Business Unlimited card is a stellar option for business owners looking for a no-fuss uncapped 1.5% cash-back card without an annual fee.
As a business owner, you likely keep pretty busy and probably prefer a credit card that just keeps things simple.
If so, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card might be just the card for you. From zero annual fee to a flat cash-back rate, the card is a no-frills option that you don’t have to think twice about.
Don’t forget too, 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter
The Ink Business Unlimited card is our next-best option, and this credit card earns streamlined cash-back rewards with the potential to convert your cash-back to transferrable points.
You can earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, except for 5% cash back on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025.
Your 1.5% cash-back rewards can be converted to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points if you pair your Ink Business Unlimited card with an Ultimate Rewards credit card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
By converting your 1.5% cash-back to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll get a return on spending of 3%.
The Ink Business Unlimited card boasts 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months; variable 18.49% - 24.49% thereafter, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, and fee-free employee cards.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2.0 cents each, but it’s easy to get even better value than that if you use Chase’s transfer partners to book luxury airfare and hotel stays.
You can also use your Chase points for Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal bookings, statement credits, gift cards, cash-back, Pay Yourself Back, Amazon.com purchases, and online shopping.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card offers an unlimited 2% cash-back on all purchases and helpful features for business owners. (Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card is great for business owners looking to improve their bottom line by earning 2% cash-back on all purchases without a high annual fee. Further, with no preset spending limit, the ability to get your $150 annual fee refunded every year you spend at least $150,000, and free employee cards, there is something that every business owner will love.
The Capital One Spark Cash Plus card is yet another one of Capital One’s best rewards cards for businesses, especially if you’re running a restaurant.
This card focuses on cash-back instead of points or miles, and you’ll also notice that this product has a welcome bonus, plus no preset spending limit.
You’ll earn up to 5% cash back on purchases:
Every year you spend at least $150,000, get your $150 annual fee refunded.
Other benefits include extended warranty, zero fraud liability, roadside dispatch, no foreign transaction fees, and no additional fee employee cards.
Earn up to 5% cash-back for your business without complex bonus earning categories!
Chase has introduced the Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card to its business credit card lineup. With straightforward cash-back earnings on everyday purchases and large expenses, tools to help you monitor your business, and multiple ways to redeem your rewards, this is a great card option to consider.
The Ink Business Premier card is actually Chase’s response to the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card. It’s designed to reward those who spend a lot on their business and are looking for uncapped cash-back rewards.
At the moment, there’s a large welcome bonus offered to new cardholders. You’ll earn up to 5% cash-back:
The Ink Business Premier card takes your cash-back rewards a notch higher when compared to the Capital One Spark Cash Plus card’s 2% cash-back rewards.
This card is a “Pay in Full card,” which translates to a charge card.
Hot Tip: The rewards earned on the Ink Business Premier card cannot be converted to Ultimate Rewards points, which is unfortunate, but not unexpected.
Other crucial benefits offered to Ink Business Premier cardholders are travel insurance (including baggage insurance and primary rental car insurance), purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone insurance, roadside dispatch, and fraud protection.
Fee-free employee cards are available, and there are no foreign transaction fees associated with using this card.
(Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)
The Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business is an excellent option for business owners looking for straightforward earning with no blackout dates, no seat restrictions, and no minimum when redeeming your miles.
The Capital One Spark Miles Select card is the final card we’ll be discussing. This card has no annual fee but still earns worthwhile rewards to consider if you want to keep your costs as low as possible.
You can expect to earn according to the following structure:
The Capital One Spark Miles Select card has extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, employee cards for no additional annual fees, and roadside dispatch.
There you have it! The best cards for restaurant owners are probably not what you expected.
You might have expected to use credit cards that are best for restaurant purchases or groceries, but in reality, most of the vendors that restaurant owners use, like Sysco and US Foods, operate on a B2B basis.
And because these companies don’t code as restaurants or groceries, you’ll need to look for a card that offers outsized rewards on all business purchases. That’s where the recommendations in this guide come into play.
The Capital One Spark Miles card and Capital One Spark Travel Elite card both lead the pack by offering 2x miles, which are worth a return on spending of 3.6%.
The Amex Business Platinum card can earn up to 1.5x points on certain purchases for restaurant owners, which is valued at around 3.3%, but the luxury benefits offered to these cardholders absolutely cannot be ignored.
The Ink Business Unlimited card, Ink Business Premier card, and Capital One Spark Cash Plus card all offer great cash-back rewards, as well.
Lastly, if you’re looking for absolutely no annual fees but want to be able to transfer your points to travel partners, consider the Capital One Spark Miles Select card.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the cell phone protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. For the return protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Travel Elite was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
If you’re a restaurant owner, you will need to get a card that rewards general purchases more than restaurant purchases because your food distributor vendors will almost certainly not fall into the “restaurants” category.
The best cards are the Capital One Spark Miles card, Capital One Spark Travel Elite card, Amex Business Platinum card, Ink Business Unlimited card, Capital One Spark Cash Plus card, Ink Business Premier card, and Capital One Spark Miles Select card.
It’s probably not a good idea. You should probably get a business credit card in the name of your business so you can properly separate business and personal expenses for accounting and bookkeeping.
It’s pretty simple to do so; first, determine the legal structure of your business, whether it’s an LLC or corporation. Then, compile key information surrounding your business, including annual revenue numbers and your EIN. After that, use all of that information to apply for your business credit card.
You technically don’t need a business credit card as a restaurant — you can conduct all of your business through bank account transfers and wire transfers. But you’d seriously be missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run, so why wouldn’t you start using a business credit card?
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Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
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