I think OP was asking about restaurant spend when you’re not staying at the property. We eat regularly at our local W and get SPG points for the bill (with usually exceptions, like no points for alcohol in California). You have to have them fill out a form, but we find it easier to just send a copy of the receipt to the SPG research email address. Points usually post in a few days.
So I’m also wondering if this benefit will continue under the combined Marriott system? It’s not a huge number of points, but over a year of eating out at local Starwood property restaurants, it adds up!