A New York City foodie's secret to saving on restaurants? Blackbird's dining loyalty program

New York City has some of the best independent restaurants and coffee shops in the world. It's one of the reasons why I love living here, but it also means dining is easily my largest expense outside of rent each month — and most dining loyalty programs that help you save money at the places you eat at regularly are centered around national chains.Enter Blackbird.Blackbird is a loyalty program and payment app designed for independent restaurants and cafes. A friend introduced me to it earlier this year, and I've since fallen in love with it. You can earn and redeem rewards, access special perks, split and pay your bill and more via the app. The program even has elite status tiers that offer more value.For anyone unfamiliar, I'm breaking down all the program's pros and cons to help you decide if it's worth investing your time and energy.Why Blackbird is a game changer for big-city diningBlackbird allows you to earn Fly rewards points at member restaurants when you check in via the app. The more you check in and spend, the more valuable each visit becomes thanks to the program's loyalty tiers. Those just joining will earn 3 Fly points per dollar spent, but you can earn up to 7 Fly po...