Questions for Mark. A Conversation, Not a Challenge.

Why these questions

Economics & Financial Architecture

Four questions about how the loyalty system generates and sustains value.

• 01
  What is the unit economics model for the loyalty program — how much does it cost per active member per month, and what behavior change justifies that cost?

  Understanding the cost structure determines how aggressively we can grow the program and what restaurant contribution rates make it self-sustaining.
• 02
  At what restaurant density does the cross-restaurant reward mechanic become compelling enough to be a primary acquisition driver?

  The flywheel only spins if there are enough restaurants to make cross-venue rewards meaningful. Understanding this threshold shapes our restaurant activation sequence.
• 03
  How do we handle reward liability — when a user has accumulated significant points, what happens to that liability on the balance sheet?

  Loyalty program liabilities have killed companies that didn't model them correctly. We need a clear answer before we go to investors.
• 04
  What percentage of restaurants in the current model are expected to fund community programming versus relying entirely on Dynery-funded rewards?

  This determines whether the loyalty system is capital-efficient or requires ongoing subsidy — a critical investor question.

Strategy & Sequencing

Four questions about how and when different program elements come online.

• 05
  Which Phase 1 mechanic is the single most important for establishing the habit of using Dynery over competing apps?

  Habit formation in Phase 1 is the entire game. If we don't pick the right mechanic and execute it well, Phases 2–6 are irrelevant.
• 06
  How do we handle the cold-start problem — what does the loyalty program look like for a user in a city with only 10 Dynery restaurants?

  The program needs to work before the network exists. Users in early markets can't wait for density before experiencing value.
• 07
  What is the trigger for moving from Phase 1 to Phase 2 — is it a restaurant count, a user count, a transaction volume threshold, or a time-based gate?

  Without a clear phase-transition trigger, we risk either moving too early (before the network supports it) or too late (missing the momentum window).
• 08
  How does the loyalty system interact with the creator ecosystem — do creator recommendations earn loyalty points for the guest, the creator, or both?

  The intersection of creator attribution and loyalty mechanics is where Dynery's differentiation is strongest. We need a clear model here before launch.

Product & Consumer Experience

Four questions about how the loyalty program feels and functions for the end user.

• 09
  How does a user discover their persona — is it assigned, self-selected, or emergent from behavior? And when do they first see it?

  The moment a user understands their identity in the system is the moment the loyalty mechanic starts working. This UX decision is foundational.
• 10
  What does the loyalty experience look like for a group dining occasion — does only the payer earn points, or does the entire table participate?

  Group dining is one of the highest-value occasions. How we handle the group loyalty experience determines whether Dynery becomes the default group dining coordinator.
• 11
  How do we prevent the program from feeling like a discount system — what keeps the loyalty experience aspirational rather than transactional?

  The risk with any points-based system is commoditization. If users think of Dynery loyalty as "the app that gives me deals," we've lost the identity layer entirely.
• 12
  What happens when a user's favorite restaurant leaves Dynery — does their loyalty history follow them, or is it tied to the venue?

  User trust in the loyalty program depends on their belief that their history has value regardless of what individual restaurants do. This is an early design decision with long-term consequences.

Building Together

Three questions about how we integrate both architectures into one system.

• 13
  Where in the current architecture is there the most natural entry point for persona-based identity — is it at signup, at first transaction, or at a milestone?

  Identifying the right integration point for the persona layer determines how much engineering work is required and how quickly we can ship a unified experience.
• 14
  Is there a component of the current loyalty architecture that Brian's community model would make redundant, or do the two systems reinforce each other at every layer?

  Honest mapping of overlap prevents duplicated engineering effort and ensures the combined system is simpler, not more complex, than either alone.
• 15
  What is the single thing Mark would want Brian to understand about the current architecture before proposing any changes to it?

  This question is the most important one. The best collaborations start with deep listening. The answer to this question shapes everything that follows.