peteropny

As most of us know, the "better" discounts are those that are tied to the card that comes with each book every year. Since the cards aren't tied to any city, they can be used nationwide. Most of us only have a few punches in the card each year. So I had a thought that it might be useful for us on FT if we listed the card punch number, discounts, and restaurant name in each city that we have the card for so that we may have a chance to use the card to get discounts in various cities.

Please post if you think this is useful.

I will post the discounts for the book(s) that I get for 2009 (lets not do 2008 since the expiration date is only about a month away).

I suggest this format for posting.

Number ; Discount ; Restaurant Name

xxx ; $yy ; zzzzzzzz

I thought that this would be more appropriate for Dining than SPAM.

Jeeves

This is an excellent idea. Too bad there isn't an easier way to find out.

Have you found that most restaurants know their punch code number? It would be hard to point it out to them without the book.

wharvey

I have found that the restaurants almost always know their punch number.

I also have found that over half of them never even punch it... they want you back....

JerryFF

You might want to consider the following. Each card, of course, is supposed to be used only for the restaurants in the book from which it came. Each card has a number on it that identifies the book from which it came.

Restaurants often file a card, similar to the old fashioned credit card slips, with Entertainment by running your card through their machine. I assume that Entertainment can tell if the card was used for a restaurant from a different city than what was intended. I'm not sure what they would do with that information, but it is something to consider.

miss1K

That happened to me once ... but I didn't go back

luv2go2

I have come to the conclusion this year that for the first time in 10 or so years I will take a pass on Entertainment. I not only purchase a book for my location in Florida, but I also gift one to Atlanta and to Seattle. Over the past few years, the number of good restaurants that honor the card has diminished considerably for my Florida card. Couple that with the fact that it excludes Jan/Feb/March in many cases. The recipients in Seattle and Atlanta have told me recently that there are just not the restaurants available that there once were. In other words, they don't want another book. It was such a good program - too bad it is not any longer - at least for my people and myself. Dumb me, I was in Seattle last month and we took the coupon for $'s off at Maggiano's and did not see the fine print at the bottom that the discount was for "carry out only."

JerryFF

The Monterey/Santa Cruz book has $20 in Safewway coupons. Since the book costs $30, I figure I can get at least $10 more somewhere and there is at least one restaurant in town that we go to at least twice a year. I agree it's not the great deal it used to be, but we always do more than break even.

iahphx

Does anyone know why the restaurant listings keep getting lamer? Why are restaurants no longer willing to participate?

Sites like slickdeals and fatwallet often list schemes to get online Entertainment coupons for free (not as comprehensive as the books, but close). For many people, that's probably good enough.

lin821

I think some just went out of business.

It happened to me two years in a row. There were (at least) two local restaurants that I would pay a visit. By the time I wanted to use the coupons, one of them was out of business, and the other changed the ownership.

I notice the restaurant listings are getting less attractive every year as well. The Safeway/Randall's coupons used to be $60 (1 $5 coupon/month) per book. Now it's $20 (1 $5 coupon/quarter).

JerryFF

There is a rather obvious, though not necessarily correct, answer to the question of the books having less value (e.g., less Safeway value mentioned above) or poorer selection. Businesses use incentives such as coupons to attract new business or increase business. When the cost of the incentive outweighs the increased profit, businesses drop out.

Only a very limited type of business repeatedly uses coupons - car washes are a good example. These are businesses where the price with a coupon has become the actual price and no one will go without a coupon. But good restaurants don't need to do that. Or alternatively, their regular customers use the coupons and those discounts defeat the value of attracting new customers.

Incentives are a very tricky and complicated aspect of running a business. I do not have the real answers, but having worked in several businesses, I do know how complicated it can get deciding whether coupons are or are not worth the effort and the cost.

icurhere2

Pretty much all the firms from my town in the book the last two years have gone out of business OR stopped accepting the card (which was exceedingly frustrating).

iahphx

Yeah, but for YEARS a number of decent restaurants participated with the Entertainment books. And for years now, that participation has declined markedly each year. It's almost like the entire restaurant industry has concluded that Entertainment coupons aren't good for business.

It would seem to me that price discrimination and promotional pricing would still have a place in the industry. I mean, a site like restaurant.com has GROWN in recent years, and their discount scheme isn't all the different. I'm just trying to come up with an explanation why Entertainment seems so much less attractive to the trade.

JerryFF

You make a good point.

dannythecat

Great idea! Our workplace ordered up a batch of 2009 books and I just picked mine up on Friday. If anyone find themselves in the Vancouver, BC area, I'd recommend the following downtown card options:

#11: Zefferelli's - pasta/Italian joint on the 2nd floor of a building on Robson St., Vancouver's main shopping street.
#12: Kobe - teppanyaki place that's been around since Christ was a baby. Looks like a 1970s rec room that belongs to your crazy Yakuza uncle and has waitresses in the shortest miniskirts in town. Drinks with crazy fruit and umbrellas, too.
#14 Amarcord - more upscale Italian place that has managed to hang on in Yaletown despite the influx of seriously chic eateries.
#85: Water St Cafe - another old staple located in Gastown.

I should point out that as one would expect with Entertainment Card options, the Venn diagram of this list and my own list of recommended Vancouver restaurants in general would look like two totally independent circles. However, if you'd like to use the card, these are a few of your best bets that I've personally tried and enjoyed.

A few other places that I've not yet tried but would imagine to be pretty decent are:
#4: Le Gavroche
#47: Herons in the Fairmont Waterfront
#71: L'Hermitage

Searches on eGullet or Chowhound should bring up some foodie opinions on that above restos; searches on dinehere.ca will bring the opinions of the proverbial great unwashed masses - the grammar and spelling in many reviews borders on the atrocious but the reviews may help you form an opinion regardless.

168

I will do the same next year!! Going to Lihue, bought the book and NO dining coupon for the entire island!!! Here is the list for Hawaii, hope someone can benefit from my mistake. Paid $30 for the book, still no taker for $20+postage.

CARD # NAME Location Tel (808)- value
# 5 Lulu's 75-5819 Alii Dr, Kailua-Kona 331-2633 Free entrée
#44 Buda Bing1945G S Kehei Rd, Kalama Village, Maui 875-0188 $18.00
#82 Hecocks 505 Front St, Lahaina 661-8810 $17.00
#150 Lahaina Luau 2780 Kekaa Dr, Lahaina 661-3611 25% off, up to 4
#10 Royal Ocean Terrace 2780 Kekaa Dr, Lahaina 661-3611 $23.00
#21 Kobe Steak House 136 Dickenson, Lahaina 667-5555 $20.00
#30 Spices Restaurant 2259 S. Kihei Rd, Kihei 891-8860 50% off of 2nd entrée

#25 Seoul Jung Rest. 130 Liluokalani (Waikiki Reort Hotel) 922-4911 Free entrée
#14 Gyu-Kaku Japanese 1221 Kapiolani or 307 Lewers st, Honolulu
589-2989 & 926-2989 $21.00
#2 E & O Trading (SE Asian)1200 Ala Moana, Honolulu 591-9555 $25.00
#133 Verbano Ristorante 1451 S. King st, Honolulu 941-9168 $13.00
#53 Seafood Village (Chinese) Hyatt Regency, Waikiki 971-1818 $20.00
#3 Palazzo Ristorante 99-080 Kauhale St, Aiea 485-8188 $16.00
#84 Verbano Italiano 3571 Waialae Ave, Honolulu 735-1777 $14.00
#8 Café Che Pasta 1001 Bishop St #108, Honolulu 524-0004 20% off, up to $50
#125 Matteo's Itlaian 364 Seaside Ave (Marine Surf Hotel), Waikiki
922-5551 $27.00
#162 Pyramids 758-B Kapahulu, Honolulu 737-2900 $15.00
#4 Aqua Café 2270 Kalakaua, Honolulu 922-6888 $14.00
#13 Korean BBQ Toraji 949 Kapahula Ave, Honolulu 732-9996 $17.00
#17 Tanaka of Tokyo King's Village, Ala Moana center
or Waikiki shopping plaza, Honolulu $22.00
#1 Nick's Fishmarket Waikiki Gateway Hotel 955-6333 $28.00
#11 Kobe Steak House 1841 Ala Moana, Waikiki 941-4444 $20.00
#7 The Hau Tree Lanai 2863 Kalakaua, Honolulu 923-1555 $17.00
#6 Monterey Bay Canners 98-1005 Moanalua, Aiea 463-3555 $18.00