Originally Posted by
MrEntrepreneur
Restaurant week is where restaurants have a prefix type menu for both lunch and dinner which allows people with a limited budget to enjoy a meal at an establishment which they would normally not go to or have been wanting to try. Amex sponsors it and provides restaurants with more visibility. In essence you are still paying for the food.
Physically using coupons and promoting your restaurant like buy one entree get one free is a gimmick cause there is no reason to give food away for free if its damn good.
How is restaurant week any different than coupons?
There is usually a limited number of spots and limited food selection - similar to a limited number of coupons and coupon restrictions. Even the time restriction may not be that different - you have to go during restaurant week, but then some coupons are only valid during certain periods. The only difference is that you don't have to bring the coupon with you because its part of the menu.
To quote the above coupons allow "people with a limited budget to enjoy a meal at an establishment which they would normally not go to or have been wanting to try".
Of course if you have decided that only bad restaurants give out coupons then you're going to spend more than you need because you are stuck in the mentality that high quality food needs to be expensive.
I guess that's your loss.