inKind is a dining rewards app that works at a specific set of LA restaurants and sells pre-purchased credit at a discount — you buy $75 of credit for $50, which works out to a 33% return on restaurants you were going to visit anyway. I’ve used it for two years. Here’s the practical guide.
Where to Use It
Pizzana’s neo-Neapolitan crust is the best in the city — light and crisp, doesn’t weigh you down. Katsuya in Brentwood is my sushi home base for consistent, high-end food with actually efficient service. Elephante in Santa Monica is worth it for the whipped eggplant as much as the sunset views.
For everyday use: Bacari (PDR, Silver Lake, W. 3rd) is the gold standard for inKind value — small plates good for sharing, and the Bacari Fries with a fried egg on top are the best thing to eat after a long shift. L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Hollywood has patio seating under heat lamps that feels like Naples, and a margherita that’s thin, charred, and just right. Marmalade Cafe is where I meet colleagues for brunch — the lemon poppyseed pancakes do more for me some weeks than anything else could.
One more tip: when you’re browsing the app, don’t just chase the biggest discount. Pacific Catch’s Macadamia Crusted Salmon is a good example of a spot that’s both a genuinely calm place to eat and a smart inKind pick — look for restaurants you’d actually want to sit in, not just the highest cash-back percentage.
Where I’d Skip It
Zaytinya is an interesting concept but the execution often feels like a luxury factory rather than a place with real point of view. The Penthouse is paying for the view — food and service can feel like an afterthought. Red O feels dated next to a spot like Damian, which has more culinary soul for the price.
How the Discount Actually Works
inKind operates as an alternative financing model: it provides interest-free capital to restaurants in exchange for food and beverage credit, buys that credit at a deep discount, and passes some of the savings on to you. The best hack is the Costco play — Costco frequently sells $100 inKind gift cards for $70–75. Buy a few when you see them.
How the Credit Actually Works
The money you personally load never expires, same as a gift card. The bonus credit the app adds on top is a separate bucket, and per inKind’s terms that bonus is valid for three years from purchase — not forever, but not going to vanish on you next month either. The paid portion of your balance gets spent down first.
On tipping, since I get asked: you can pay your tip out of your inKind balance and your server is fully taken care of, but you don’t earn the load bonus on the tip portion — the bonus is calculated on what you loaded, not on gratuity. I’ll always advocate for tipping 20% of the original total regardless.
It also makes a genuinely thoughtful gift — more flexible and upscale than a generic restaurant gift card. For the bigger picture beyond this one app, I put together a companion guide on How to Hack Your Los Angeles Dining Budget.
