McCormick & Schmick’s occupies an interesting slot in the dining landscape: upscale-casual seafood, business-lunch friendly, with a national footprint that puts it in front of frequent travelers and expense-account diners as much as date-night couples. Its loyalty program is built to match that audience — straightforward earn-and-burn mechanics, useful birthday and welcome offers, and integration with the broader Landry’s Select Club after the parent company’s acquisition. This review covers how the program works in everyday use and where it sits relative to seafood-category peers.
How enrollment and earning work
Joining is free and takes a minute either at the host stand or on the company website. Following the Landry’s acquisition, McCormick & Schmick’s participates in the parent company’s multi-brand Select Club rather than running an independent program. That has real implications for how members should think about the value: every dollar spent at McCormick & Schmick’s also accrues toward rewards usable at Bubba Gump, Saltgrass, Morton’s, The Oceanaire, Rainforest Cafe, and dozens of other brands in the Landry’s portfolio.
The Select Club does carry a one-time enrollment fee — modest, but real — and returns a sign-up reward roughly equal to the fee, so the net cost of joining is effectively zero for any member who completes their first visit. Earning is straightforward at one point per dollar across qualifying spend.
What members get back
Three returns matter. First, the sign-up bonus offsets the enrollment fee on the first visit. Second, a birthday reward — typically a comp tied to entrée spend — arrives in the appropriate window. Third, points accumulate toward $25 reward certificates that drop onto the member account at fixed thresholds.
The cents-per-dollar payback works out to roughly 5% for members who actually redeem their certificates within the validity window. That’s competitive with other upscale-casual programs and meaningfully better than the percentage-back math at most fast-casual programs. The catch — and there is always a catch — is that certificates do expire, and members who don’t dine within the window forfeit accumulated value.
Where the program fits a McCormick & Schmick’s guest
The right way to think about this program depends on how often you actually dine at the chain. For the once-or-twice-a-year guest, the value lives almost entirely in the birthday comp and the sign-up offset. For the business-travel regular who eats at McCormick & Schmick’s in multiple cities, the certificates compound quickly, and the multi-brand redemption network adds optionality that single-brand programs can’t match.
The multi-brand structure is, on balance, an advantage rather than a dilution. A member who racks up points at McCormick & Schmick’s on business trips can redeem at a family dinner at Bubba Gump on vacation, or at Morton’s via the same Select Club account. That portability is rare in restaurant loyalty and is one of the genuine differentiators of the Landry’s ecosystem.
Where the program disappoints
Three weak points. The certificate-based redemption model is less flexible than the per-visit discount models offered by some competitors. You can’t apply $5 toward a $40 check; you have to wait until you’ve accumulated $25 worth of points, and then you have to remember to bring or apply the certificate before it expires.
Second, there is no tier structure. A guest who spends $5,000 a year is recognized the same way as a guest who spends $500. The program acknowledges spend through faster certificate accumulation but does not surface any meaningful status difference. For a chain whose seafood-tower-and-wine bills can run high per visit, the lack of any premium recognition layer is a missed opportunity.
Third, the program’s communication cadence skews promotional rather than personalized. Members receive the same email blasts regardless of dining history, which feels out of step with the chef-driven, locally-sourced positioning the brand uses in its menu and marketing.
Bottom line
McCormick & Schmick’s loyalty program — really, the Landry’s Select Club layer over it — is a solid, no-surprises choice for any guest who dines at the chain more than occasionally or who uses other Landry’s brands. The 5%-ish effective return, multi-brand redemption, and reliable birthday comp give it real value. Travelers and multi-city diners get the most out of it. Date-night-only guests should still join for the sign-up offset and birthday comp; the certificate accumulation just won’t move much for them.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee to join? Yes, the Landry’s Select Club has a one-time enrollment fee, offset by a sign-up reward of roughly equivalent value on the first visit.
Where can I redeem points earned at McCormick & Schmick’s? At any Landry’s-owned brand participating in the Select Club, including Bubba Gump, Saltgrass, Morton’s, Rainforest Cafe, and others.
Do points expire? Points themselves accumulate toward certificates; once a certificate is issued, it has a defined expiration window.
What’s the birthday reward? A comp tied to entrée spend, redeemable within a window around your birthday.
Can I earn on private events or large parties? Generally yes on the dining portion; check current Select Club terms for private-event eligibility and any spend caps.
