My experience, although well in the rear view mirror, is yes.

You need to take care that your card isn’t run on a separate pay portal and maybe I’d buy lunch with, “oh, while you’re at it would you add a $2,000 GC?” It might sound a little sketchy and don’t be surprised if you get 20 $100 gift cards. Might be more trouble than it’s worth, despite being a nice haul, and think about the transaction of handling the waitstaff 20-odd cards while your staff or clients cool their heels.

Finally, somewhere in these pages is a thread on horrible RN side effects and if the restaurant goes under right after you buy the cards…you will win.

Another idea, paying for a preset menu where everyone gets a choice of a number of items. You’d pay in advance on an earning day and only have the bar bill to settle day of.