WHEN restaurant owner Sandie Webb started a loyalty card scheme she expected response from people in Chippenham – but not Buenos Aires, Japan, and South Africa.

Customers who choose to leave their details are given a Revo’s card which entitles them to a different offer every six weeks.

Mrs Webb said she was amazed to find one of her customers lived 11,400 miles away in New Zealand, while others has travelled from as far as Buenos Aires, Japan, and South Africa.

“Without knowing it, we do get tourists in Chippenham,” she said.

“Before we started this scheme we had no way of knowing where our customers come from. Surprisingly we’ve found a lot are coming from the Yate end of Bristol. There are also a lot from Calne and from Malmesbury.”

Matthew Mitchell, from Hilmarton near Calne, was the lucky 1,000th person to sign up for a Revo’s card and was rewarded today with lunch and a bottle of champagne.

As well as special offers such as a free first drink or free corkage, the card holders receive a greetings card from Revolutions on their birthday and wedding anniversary.

Mrs Webb, who has just posted out her 36th card, said: “It’s taken us by surprise how well the scheme has taken off. It just means I’ve got to get up an hour earlier now and then, at 5am instead of 6am. People really like it, it makes it worth the effort.”

Only two of the 1,100 who have now signed up did not know their postcode, and about 10 per cent did not have an email address.

Mrs Webb said she paid for a secure site to hold the personal data, which was not shared with anyone else.