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How to sell gift cards

Everything you need to know about Hotplate gift cards

Gift cards are a powerful way to generate more traffic to your business - they give your customers and fans the ability to gift your products to others.

There are 3 ways to sell gift cards on Hotplate: on your Storefront, on the menu of a Drop, or by creating one yourself from the Gift Cards tab. Read on to learn how each works.

Sell gift cards on your Storefront

  1. Go to Settings

  2. Click Storefront

  3. Go to the Misc. tab

  4. Toggle on "Allow customers to buy gift cards on my storefront"

How it works for your customer

  1. The buyer clicks Gift Card in the top right of your storefront

  2. They select an amount, fill in the recipient's contact info, and pay

  3. You receive a text notification when a gift card is purchased

  4. The recipient gets a text and email with their gift card code

  5. The recipient applies the code at checkout in the "discount code or gift card" field — they'll automatically receive a text with the remaining balance

Sell gift cards through a Drop

  1. Go to the Summary tab of your drop

  2. Click Additional options

  3. Toggle on Add Gift Card to Menu

  4. Gift cards will appear at the bottom of your menu

How it works for your customer

  1. Gift Card will be listed at the bottom of your menu (the graphic is not customizable)

  2. Customers can select a preset amount or "Other" to enter a custom value

  3. The gift card appears alongside other items in checkout and on the buyer's order confirmation

⚠️

You will not be notified when a gift card is purchased through a drop. You can view the gift card by checking the order's Receipt.

Customers who purchase a gift card through a drop will receive pickup reminders, even if the gift card is the only item in their order.

We're working on making the drop gift card experience more similar to the storefront experience!

Create a gift card yourself

New! You can now create gift cards directly from your Hotplate portal - no need to buy one from your own storefront. Use this for giveaways, fundraisers, auctions, donations, or store credit for a customer.

  1. Go to the Gift Cards tab

  2. Click + in the top right

  3. Set the amount and any other details

  4. Share the gift card code with the recipient

From the Gift Cards tab, you can also see every card's code, original balance, remaining balance, and associated orders all in one place.

Note: only gift cards purchased through a drop will show a Source purchase order. Gift cards purchased through your storefront are not connected to orders, so they will not have a Source purchase order.

Which method should I use?

I want to…

Use this

Let customers buy gift cards anytime

Storefront gift cards

Sell gift cards as part of a drop order

Drop menu gift cards

Donate a gift card to a fundraiser or giveaway

Create a gift card yourself

Give store credit to a specific customer

Create a gift card yourself

Offer a quick one-time discount without buying a gift card

One-time discount code

FAQ

Can I print a gift card? There's no built-in printable PDF. Many chefs create a simple certificate in Canva and add the code.

I don't know the winner yet. What should I do? Create the gift card now and send the code to the organizer or winner once they're selected.

What's the difference between a gift card and a discount code? Gift cards "chip away" — unused value stays on the card for future orders. Discount codes do not; any unused value after checkout is gone. If you want to donate a larger amount in smaller pieces, consider splitting it into multiple one-time discount codes (e.g. a $100 donation = 5 codes of $20).

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