Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette The Kings Royal Rewards program gives customers certificates to use at GetGo convenience stores.

By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If people could earn gas discounts by paying library fines, the overdue rate would skyrocket.

If they could get 10 cents off a gallon while paying the dentist, no question the rate of undiscovered cavities would drop.

No wonder then that Kings Family Restaurants, maker of hotcakes and burgers, has figured out a way to get in on the action.

The White Oak company launched a loyalty card program in September, promising for a limited time that for every $50 spent at Kings, cardholders would get a $5 gift card to go somewhere else. And not just anywhere else: The cards are good at O'Hara grocer Giant Eagle's stores or at its GetGo convenience stores -- although most people probably are taking them straight to the pumps.

Early projections were that 24,000 to 30,000 people would sign up the first year, said Chris Whalen, Kings vice president of finance. More than 200,000 have signed up so far. "That's the power of the gasoline," he said.

Kings isn't the only retailer without gas pumps to benefit from the Giant Eagle program that arrived just as fuel prices were skyrocketing. The grocer sells gift cards for places such as Home Depot and Old Navy in its stores, and urges consumers to use the cards for things they would buy anyway just so they can earn gas discounts.

Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan said the King's promotional program was the first of its kind with a restaurant. "We will continue to evaluate the success of the Kings promotion before deciding to pursue similar opportunities," he said.

The relationship between the two companies is mainly a marketing one. Kings gets a slight discount on the GetGo gift cards because it is buying in bulk. The restaurant's loyalty card points are entirely separate from Giant Eagle's. GetGo pumps don't accept Kings cards.

Although Kings owner Hartley King also is in the gas business as owner of Mon Valley Petroleum and Buy N Fly Mini Marts, it made sense to align with the bigger chain so customers could easily use their discounts.

Loyalty can be a fickle thing. Sales surged more than 7.5 percent in December at the 35-store restaurant chain and Mr. Whalen is convinced the focus on gas helped. Data from the cards shows some people eating more than once a day at Kings.

Details of the reward program offer the caveat that it is for a limited time only. The program isn't meant to be focused on only gas, said Mr. Whalen, who promised more benefits to come. But for now, he offered the assurance that there are no plans to cut off diners from their gas discounts.