Independent food distributors have spent years treating credit card acceptance as a necessary cost of doing business - something to minimize, pass on, or avoid altogether. 

But what if operators paying with credit cards could help Distributors make more money?

This week, Pepper's product team joined Tab co-founder and CEO Ty Wilson and Head of Growth James Tice to walk through the newly launched Branded Card and Loyalty Program,  and show exactly what it looks like for distributors operating on Pepper's Finance Hub today.

Here's what was covered:

The Core Idea: Flip the Credit Card Equation

Co-branded cards have driven billions in loyalty revenue for airlines, big-box retailers, and e-commerce giants. Independent food distributors traditionally haven't had a seat at that table - until now.

The Branded Card and Loyalty Program lets distributors offer their own co-branded credit card directly to their restaurant and operator customers. Through the card, operators earn cash back on purchases made with that distributor, with the distributor controlling which items and categories earn elevated rewards.

The lower overall card rate helps distributors change end-consumer behavior to drive profits:

• Want to move more units on a high-margin SKU? Offer elevated cashback there 
• Launching a new product? Tie an incentive to it
• Running a promotion? Build it into the card experience, inside the same white-labeled Pepper app your customers are already ordering from

As Alvaro put it: "A white-labeled card program inside your white-labeled platform." Your card, your brand, your customers: Deeper inside your ecosystem.

The User Experience

Every step of the signup flow was designed around a single question: what would make an operator say no, and how do we remove it?

No implementation required. 

Distributors on Finance Hub simply opt in. The card promotion surfaces automatically within the payments workflow and customers see it while checking out, not as a separate marketing effort.

No credit check

Tab built a proprietary underwriting model that looks at approximately 88 data points, centered on 6-month account balance history rather than traditional credit scores. For restaurant operators who often run on thin margins and may carry complicated credit histories, this removes a significant barrier. If a customer wants to apply, there's no risk to them in trying.

Fully branded 

When a distributor launches the program, customers see the distributor's name, colors, and logo, not Tab's. Tab's infrastructure powers the experience; the distributor owns the relationship.

Expense Management: Beyond the Card

Tab's expense management platform is the software layer that sits alongside the card and serves as a meaningful value-add for distributor customers, turning the card program from a payments tool into a full operational efficiency play.

The problem it solves is familiar to anyone who has managed a team with a corporate card: receipts get lost, expense reports pile up, accounting teams spend hours chasing people down. Tab compresses that entire cycle. The moment a Tab card is used, cardholders receive a text message with a link. No app download, no login required. 

They click, upload a receipt photo, add a note, assign a GL code if needed, and they're done in approximately 15 seconds. Compliance rates reach 95%+, and books that used to take hours to close at month-end update automatically, every day.

For distributors, this means offering customers more than just goods, they're offering operational efficiency that none of their competitors are providing. The analogy that lands: Home Depot's contractor customers who use their expense management system don't shop elsewhere. Embedded software creates embedded loyalty.

Tab is also in beta on same-day access to sales revenue, addressing one of the more persistent frustrations in the restaurant industry: POS systems that hold funds for 2–3 days, including over weekends. Pairing that capability with a co-branded distributor card creates something genuinely new: A distributor that doesn't just sell goods, but actively helps its customers run their business better.

Getting Started

The program is live today for Finance Hub customers. The first five distributors to opt in will receive preferential rates on card processing. These are rates that, even including Pepper's processing fees, come in significantly below what most distributors are paying today.

For distributors who want to go deeper, Tab can handle customer outreach, marketing support, and onboarding directly. For those who want to keep it simple, the baseline offer of a co-branded card with competitive rates is available with minimal lift.

Either way, the lift is yours to define. Tab and Pepper handle the rest.

Interested in the Branded Card and Loyalty Program? Reach out to your Pepper customer success representative to learn more.

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