How Rewind Built a Loyal Coffee Community Around Vinyl and Warm Drinks
A record cafe bar in Bucharest using a digital stamp card with Apple and Google Wallet to grow its coffee business through the winter
The Challenge
Rewind is a record cafe bar in Bucharest, inspired by Japanese jazz kissaten — intimate listening bars where coffee and music go hand in hand. The space combines specialty coffee from a local roastery, a cocktail bar, craft beer, and a curated vinyl collection.
The venue opened in May 2025. Alex and his team knew from the start that the business would face seasonality: cocktails and the bar side would slow down in winter, and the coffee side would need to carry the business through the colder months.
The concept was strong — specialty coffee, a curated menu, a one-of-a-kind atmosphere — but turning first-time visitors into regulars required something more.
We knew that as winter is approaching, the bar and cocktails part will have a different seasonality. The loyalty program really helped us grow the coffee business during this period.
Why They Chose Passtastic
Alex compared several loyalty card providers before choosing Passtastic. Three things mattered:
- Easy for customers. The card had to be something people could create in seconds, without downloading an app. Using Apple Wallet and Google Wallet — infrastructure already on every phone — made it the most accessible option.
- Trackable. He wanted to see real data: how many people enrolled, who was active, and how the program was actually performing.
- Fairly priced. As a new business, the pricing needed to make sense from day one.
How It Works in Practice
To share cards with customers, Rewind uses a small printed card at the till, split in two: one QR code for Google Reviews, another for the loyalty card enrollment. This is the main point of conversion — the conversation happens naturally at the counter.
When a first-time customer orders, the staff mentions the program. While the coffee is being prepared, the customer scans the QR code and adds the card to their wallet. By the time their drink is ready, they are enrolled and stamped.
For customers who already have the card, the flow is even faster — they show the card before payment so staff can check if this is their free drink or one that needs to be paid.
The program was also shared on Rewind's Instagram and through a link in their bio, which helped pre-enroll regular customers before the official launch.
They come in, they order, and while we prepare the coffees, they are already enrolled and stamped and everything is already done.
The Stamp Card
The loyalty card covers all warm drinks: coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. After six stamps, the seventh drink is on the house — and customers can choose anything from the cafe menu.
Alex deliberately kept the reward open. No restrictions on which drink you can redeem. The idea: let customers try something new.
- 6 stamps = 7th warm drink free
- Any drink from the cafe menu — coffee, tea, or hot chocolate
- No restrictions on which drink to redeem
We had customers that didn't try the hot chocolate. When they reached six points, they said, okay, I'll use my free drink to try something new. And they ended up buying it afterwards.
What Changed After Launching
The program launched in October 2025. In the first month alone, Rewind generated around 300 cards. Four months later, they were close to 600 — with roughly 8 out of 10 customers enrolled.
The coffee side of the business doubled from one period to the next — a combination of the venue maturing and the loyalty program driving repeat visits. From autumn into winter — each period showed growth.
- ~600 loyalty cards in four months
- ~80% of customers enrolled
- ~57-60% of cardholders are regularly active
- Coffee business doubled period over period
- Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are the most active days
The loyalty card also changed everyday interactions. Redeeming a free coffee became a small ritual — something fun for both staff and customers.
It helps interaction, builds trust for the brand. It's a nice thing to do.
Customer Reactions
Most customers were surprised how easy it was. Many had been used to paper stamp cards at other coffee shops — the kind you lose, forget at home, or never complete.
The fact that Rewind's card was digital, required no app, and didn't ask for personal data made a strong impression. Customers across all age groups enrolled without friction, because everyone already has a wallet on their phone.
They said it's the first place where they've seen this. They were quite amazed how easy it is.
Some customers asked about data privacy — and were relieved to learn that there was no app to install, no permissions to accept, and no personal data required.
When they saw that they don't have to install an app or accept layers of security and permissions — it's just connected with my account and nothing more — we got very good feedback from this point of view.
Always in the Wallet
The team initially tested geolocation notifications but found them too frequent, especially for iPhone users. They turned them off and plan to revisit targeted notifications later — sending messages only to customers who have not visited in a while.
Who This Is For
Passtastic works especially well for:
If you run a cafe or bar and want a loyalty card that works with Apple and Google Wallet, takes seconds to set up, and gives you real data on who is coming back — start building yours today.
Ready to try it yourself?
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