This deal is NOT too good to be true, it actually is a fairly efficient way to save money eating out.

Case in point, I went to a nice dinner for 2 at a great restaurant on Sat night, bill came out to $12 before tip. We had two 12-14$ entrees and two $5 appetizers. They only charged us tax on what we paid, and tip was not included.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Read the restrictions! Don't expect to use with other coupons and promotions, but happy hour is sometimes ok. Some restaurants even allow takeout.

2. If the restrictions are not clear, ask the restaurant about them when making a reservation. If you want to use it for lunch/brunch/fixe prix or whatever, just ask before you go. Worst they can say is no. Get the name of the person you spoke to just in case.

3. Restaurant.com customer service is great. If you buy a cert and can't use it, call them. They will gladly refund the credit to your acct so you can use elsewhere. On rare occasions where I had a problem, they have always given me a free $25 cert.

4. I personally don't show the cert before the meal, even though they all say "present before dining". My thought is that I might get poor service if they know how little we will be paying or know that they are getting a guaranteed tip of 18-20% as many certs do. Only once did they call me out, and then it was only because they didn't want to recalc the bill by hand.

5. When a good restaurant appears, grab a few certs. Typically, a restaurant will offer certs at first with very few restrictions, and then latter start raising the min spend and adding more restrictions. They tend to be a little naive the first month, not expecting people like me to order $35 worth of food and no drinks. I tip generously on the full amount, but I otherwise don't want to blow the bank eating out.

6. This would be a great way to make a few dollars on the side if you travel on an expense acct with a per diem. Eat breakfast at hotel for free and grab some fast food for lunch. Then, it is not too hard to order $35 in food for dinner for one. Return the original, undiscounted, receipt for reimbursement, and there is $23 a night in your pocket. Your ethics may vary.

7. Don't buy $25 certs for more than $2 (80% off). Once or twice I have seen them sell for $1, 90% off. I plan on grabbing at least 20 next time that happens.

8. Lower your expectations a tad. Sure you might order $35 in food and expect a bill of $10, but some restaurants inexplicably tax the entire amount, and then add the mandatory 20% tip to the whole thing including tax, which has the effect of doubling your bill. It is still a good deal, but think of it more like $15 off instead of $25 off.

9. Restaurants that take these certs are, on average, no better or worse than other restaurants in your area. Some are great, some stink. Use Yelp scouting a restaurant like you would Tripadvisor before choosing a hotel.

10. When you find a restaurant you like, buy a cert or two quickly. Good certs sell out by the time you get around to using them. You can always change your mind later (see #3).

Anyone else have any other great tips?