If you told a young Phil Sitter that one day he’d be running one of the fastest-growing software companies in the wellness space, he probably would’ve laughed and gone back to frying schnitzels. But that’s exactly what happened.
On a recent episode of “A Healthy Point of View” podcast, Sam Tejada, CEO and Founder of Liquivida®, sat down with Phil Sitter, the Founder and CEO of RepeatMD, to unpack how a fifth-generation restaurateur went from serving meals to serving up innovation for thousands of clinics across North America.
The Secret to Predictable Business Growth (Most Entrepreneurs Miss This!) | Phil Sitter | Ep. 97
A Legacy of Hospitality — and Hustle
Sitter’s story starts in Vienna, Austria, where he grew up before immigrating to the U.S. with his father. His family had been in the restaurant business for five generations, so opening a restaurant wasn’t a choice it was tradition.
At 18, he launched his first spot: a small German-themed restaurant filled with laughter, music, and the smell of freshly baked pretzels. “No one really knew where Austria was,” he joked, “so I called it a German restaurant and went with it.”
It took off. During the height of the craft beer movement, his establishment became a local phenomenon, serving authentic brews crafted by monks from centuries-old monasteries. Before long, he had expanded 13 times, managed more than 1,200 employees, and earned the title of America’s #1 German Restaurant four years in a row.
But even at the height of success, something inside him was restless.
The Leap from Restaurants to Rewards
While building his restaurant empire, Sitter started exploring ways to keep customers coming back more often. That curiosity led him to build an app that functioned like a “Starbucks Rewards” for beer drinkers, something completely new at the time.
Getting alcohol rewards approved took over a year of legal work, but once he did, everything changed. Other restaurants wanted the same thing. “It was hard to crack,” Sitter said, “so I figured, why not license it out?”
In one year, he had 500 restaurant clients using his system. Then came COVID-19, and almost overnight, his world flipped. Restaurants closed, clients vanished, and revenue dried up. Instead of folding, he offered his software for free, helping businesses set up QR menus and digital ordering to survive.
That decision paved the way for his next chapter: RepeatMD.
Turning Loyalty into a Lifeline
RepeatMD began with a simple question: How can health and wellness businesses build lasting relationships with their patients?
Sitter noticed that most med spas and wellness clinics struggled to re-engage clients after their first visit. People came in for one thing: Botox, an IV drip, a vitamin shot, and never discovered the other services available.
“I hated point systems,” Sitter said. “They don’t mean anything. I wanted something that felt personal, that helped people explore new treatments instead of just chasing discounts.”
So he designed RepeatMD to reward patients with real experiences, a free B12 shot here, a percentage off there, or a reward toward a service they hadn’t tried yet. What started as a loyalty app became a comprehensive growth platform.
Today, RepeatMD supports 4,000 practices across the U.S. and Canada, powering $2 billion in transactions each year. The company has 150 employees, deep partnerships with Affirm, and a client base that stretches across every state.
Why Memberships Matter More Than Ever
We live in a subscription world. From Amazon Prime to Netflix, nearly every brand operates on a membership model. Sitter saw how that same principle could revolutionize wellness businesses.
“Memberships create predictable income,” he explained. “Why start from zero every month when you can build recurring revenue?”
According to RepeatMD’s data, members spend 44% more and are four times more likely to refer friends. But success depends on value. “It has to feel like a VIP experience,” he added. “If people don’t see the value, they won’t stay.”
Some of the strongest models include:
- Tiered memberships: bronze, silver, and gold levels with mix-and-match treatment options.
- GLP-1 and peptide programs: monthly memberships tied to weight loss and longevity.
- Beauty and wellness banks: members deposit funds each month to use later, much like a health savings plan.
“It’s like what Starbucks does,” Sitter said. “They’ve got billions in prepaid cash sitting on their app. That’s loyalty and liquidity combined.”
The Beginner’s Mindset
Transitioning from hospitality to software wasn’t smooth sailing. “I went from being an expert in one field to a complete beginner in another,” Sitter said. “That’s humbling.”
Sam could relate. “I went from being a firefighter to running a national IV hydration brand,” he said. “You have to stay curious.”
For Sitter, that meant endless learning. “Money doesn’t fix beginner problems,” he said. “You can’t buy wisdom. You earn it through effort and mistakes.”
Where AI Meets Empathy
Now, RepeatMD is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in patient engagement. Its AI feature, called Adonis (for men) or Aria (for women), acts like a personalized treatment advisor.
“Think of it like Netflix,” Sitter explained. “It suggests services based on what you’ve browsed or purchased and even educates you about them.”
The AI isn’t just for convenience. It’s about saving clinics’ time and creating more meaningful patient interactions. “It’s your 24/7 assistant,” he said. “Someone might be scrolling through treatments at 10 p.m., and Adonis can guide them through it without anyone on staff lifting a finger.”
Sitter laughed as he recalled his own experience. “I’d never gotten Botox before. Adonis actually educated me on it so well that I ended up buying it.”
The Bigger Picture: Consistency Over Chaos
Through all the pivots and reinventions, Sitter’s philosophy remains simple: businesses that build loyalty will always outlast those chasing quick wins.
“Memberships aren’t a trick,” he said. “They’re a relationship. When people feel valued, they stay.”
Sam nodded in agreement. “That’s what it’s all about, building something that lasts, not just something that sells.”
A Lesson in Resilience
From the kitchens of Vienna to leading a tech company that’s reshaping patient loyalty, Phil Sitter’s path is proof that reinvention isn’t about abandoning your roots; it’s about applying what you’ve learned in new ways.
Hospitality taught him service. Technology gave him scale. Together, they created something rare in business today: a company built on both innovation and heart.