Their 20% discount failed, so they let customers roll a dice for a free meal instead!

5 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this short YouTube monologue, Dan Novaes explains how a London restaurant’s 20% discount failed to attract customers, leading the owners to replace it with a dice‑roll promotion where rolling a six grants a free meal before 6 PM. Although only one in six diners wins (effectively a 16% discount), the chance‑based offer generated massive buzz, filled the restaurant overnight, and encouraged larger orders as patrons treated the experience like a gamble. Novaes argues that people prefer the excitement of a low‑probability, high‑reward opportunity over a modest guaranteed discount, and that this insight into human nature can be applied to any business through gamified incentives.

Chapters

Here's the thing about discounts: they don't always work. This restaurant in London proved it. Empty every day before 6 PM, they tried a 20% discount. Crickets. So they scrapped it and tried something that made no logical sense. Roll a dice before 6 PM, land on 6, eat an entire meal for free. That's it. The place packed out overnight. People ordered more than usual because once you're gambling, you might as well go big. So here's the part that nobody talks about: only 1 in 6 people actually win. That's a 16% discount. Cheaper than the 20% discount that actually failed. But it felt like a chance at something, and that feeling is worth more than any other promotion you'll ever run. People don't want a small guaranteed reward. They want a big shot. One big winner creates more buzz and discounts for everyone. That's not a restaurant trick. That's really human nature. And once you understand it, you can use it in any business that you run.