EBG Local Launches To Help Americans Offset Rising Grocery And Dining Costs

Food inflation has become one of the most pressing financial issues for American families heading into the holiday season. Grocery prices are up 25% since 2019 and restaurant prices have risen more than 5% in the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a result, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that 92% of Americans now consider food prices a major problem. Anyone who shops regularly has felt this strain, and most consumers expect costs to keep rising.

Although every household needs to budget for food, one company is working to ease that pressure by rethinking what a corporate benefit can be. Health insurance and paid time off are still the staples of employee benefits packages, but employers are beginning to recognize that today's workers want meaningful support in their day-to-day financial lives. That shift is giving rise to a new category of local benefits that help employees save money on essentials they use every week.

EBG, the owner and operator of the country's largest employee savings program, is introducing EBG Local, a corporate benefits platform that focuses specifically on grocery and dining savings. The concept is straightforward. Employers opt in through their HR or benefits teams, EBG activates the platform across the workforce, and employees receive immediate access to localized discounts. Savings are redeemed through barcode technology at checkout, creating a process that resembles a digital loyalty card that works across multiple brands.

EBG Local draws from a nationwide network of casual dining restaurants, fast-casual eateries, quick service chains, and participating grocery stores. The platform's barcode system unlocks savings instantly, with dining discounts that typically range from 15% to more than 40% and grocery discounts of about 5% at thousands of locations across the country. By meeting employees where they already spend, the program can deliver tangible value that helps offset one of the largest cost categories for American households.

The platform also reflects a growing trend in employee benefits. Workers are pushing for support that extends beyond traditional health care, and employers are competing for talent with benefits that can improve financial wellness and everyday quality of life. For companies, EBG Local turns a standard benefits package into something that can provide repeated, frequent value. For employees, it transforms everyday purchases into potential savings.

Brett Reizen, CEO of EBG, says the need for these benefits is only increasing. "EBG is constantly evolving the platform to meet the needs of our clients and their employees, and today, they need to save money on food — both for essentials at grocery stores, and for leisure meals while dining at restaurants. EBG Local complements our existing travel and entertainment offerings while creating an engaging experience that delivers much-needed savings on everyday purchases."

EBG already partners with more than 40,000 corporate clients across the United States, and the expansion into local food and dining benefits adds a new layer to the company's travel, entertainment, and lifestyle savings ecosystem. The company's proprietary "purchase-to-use" technology relies on adaptive barcodes and QR codes that update in real time. This model avoids the common limitations of traditional coupons, such as location restrictions or manual verification, and is designed to work seamlessly at checkout.

The result is a mobile-first experience that connects localized discounts with a broad national footprint. For many employees, this can mean meaningful monthly savings. A $100 bill at a participating restaurant may drop to closer to $70, and a weekly household grocery run can fall by enough to add up over time. The process does not require clipping coupons or managing multiple rewards programs. Instead, employees open the EBG Local platform, activate the discount, and show the barcode during checkout.

This approach can also benefit employers. By offering perks tied to daily spending, companies can improve employee satisfaction while supporting financial wellness strategies that are becoming increasingly important across the workforce. The savings also help keep employees engaged with EBG's wider suite of benefits, which now spans local offerings in addition to national travel and entertainment programs.

At a time when food inflation remains high and household budgets feel stretched, EBG Local introduces a practical tool for employees looking to save. The program reflects a broader shift toward benefits designed to support everyday living costs rather than single-use perks. As employers search for ways to offer real value, the ability to save money each time a family shops or eats out has the potential to stand out as one of the most useful additions to the modern benefits package.

Photo credit: EBG

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