OP actually wrote that restaurant.com is offering a credit, not a refund....

And no, my intent would not be to "make a point" with the non-hassle, 30 second process for initiating a dispute with Amex. I said in my original post that I don't use them that frequently, so I wouldn't want to have a credit hanging around out there. I fully understand that using any variety of coupon code, OP's out of pocket cost might have been as little as $15. Still, whether it's the restaurant itself or restaurant.com, the point is that you've changed the terms after I paid, which is grounds for a chargeback.

I don't think it's ever worth buy their gift certificates.

You do not consider getting a $25 dinner credit for $2 worth it? WOW!

Yes, no refund was offered, just credit.

I'll mail them next week asking to honor the cert as purchased and report here how it turns out.

I am not sure I understand. On restaurant.com:

The $25 certificate (normal price $10, as low as $2 during sales) is typically good for $25 off of a $35 purchase.

The $50 certificate (normal price $20, as low as $4 during sales) is typically good for $50 off of a $100 purchase.

The $75 certificate (normal price $30, as low as $6 during sales) is typically good for $75 off of a $150 purchase.

The OP bought a $75 certificate and expects to use it on a $35 purchase? So what, the restaurant should give a free $35 meal and then also give back $40 in change? Clearly there was either a misprint on the site or the OP read the terms for the $25 dollar certificate and then bought the $75 dollar one.

Either way restaurant.com does not sell certificates worth $75 of food and allow them to be used on a $35 purchase!

I agree with wharvey, in markets with a lot of restaurants to choose from, getting a $25 dollar certificate for $2 that can be used on a $35 purchase is an awesome deal. Who cares if the 18% tip is already added to the bill, don't most people tip at least that much anyway?

A BBQ place near me a couple of summers ago seemingly decided unilaterally to stop accepting purchased certificates. However, they posted a sign in the restaurant about 90 days before the deadline.

In my case the change did not hurt, but I suspect there were some unhappy people. When I asked the cashier the day I used my remaining cert what caused the change, she had no clue, nor did the manager on duty.

I have had a few restaurants stop accepting certificates as you experienced Craig.

In every case, I was actually informed by restaurants.com of the change... and they offerred refunds/credits.

I also believe the OP misread the conditions of the certificate.... there is no certificate that I have ever seen at restaurant.com that you could get a $75 certificate for a $35 purchase. Or else there was a typo in the online certificate.... and restaurant.com notified to fix.

I am not sure I understand.

Where do you see "a free $35 meal" if I paid for the cert?…

The cert says "minimum $35 food purchase" so I assumed it's to prevent us spending all the cert on drinks.

Didn't see any other $75 certs in the area so don't know what is "typical". As far as I've learned the certs are quite restricted (can only be used once per month, only on dinner menu) so it seemed reasonable to give such a discount for first time visitors to lure them in.

Now I understand it most likely was a typo but IMHO they should honor the cert anyway….not holding my breath though.

Old news.

Restaurant.com ALWAYS has promotions. ALWAYS. I get promo e-mail from them EVERY SINGLE DAY. (Yeah, I know. I should remove myself from their e-mail list. ;))

I still have credit with restaurant.com from a purchase I made years ago. I find them EXTREMELY difficult to use -- too many restrictions on the coupons; restaurants that I'm not interested in patronizing. On those rare occasions when I actually can make use of one of their coupons, I feel very lucky.

Obviously, YMMV. Some people use them regularly. I think they're just kind of a pain.

Tricky?
 

1) Well, made you look... :p

2) Thank you. I "rushed to press". Also was rushing to purchase a few for very low dollars at places I will eat. We'll see...

3) How does what you said above work? I didn't see that part.

4) Did you try the OpenTable "trick"?

:)

there is a running thread in the SPAM forum on restaurant.com. not sure if any restaurants on restaurant.com serve spam, but ymmv (your meat may vary).

These are a great deal... we have used them for years.... especially when the 70% and 80% discounts come out.

We have a few local restaurants that we frequent who are part of the program... and use a $25 certificate each time we go.

Expiry, combineability
 

I was about to ask how long these are good, then actually looked it up - on one of the certificates. I'm happy to see that it's a year "except in California". Cooool...

Unfortunately, I'm not seeing any overlap with RewardsNetwork. (How much can a restaurant "give back" at once to promotions?) Though some do also participate in OpenTable, making possible the 2,000 OpenTable point $20 promotion -- unless the combination can be detected and noncombineability invoked.

Restuarant.com $2 deal extended 3 days
 

I tried my first $25 coupon I purchased for $2 and it worked!
This amazing offer was extended 3 more days...so jump on it!
BTW...If I was supposed to just add this to the other Rest.com posts and not start a new thread..please let me know...and I apologise in advance.

Restaurant.com
 

Bought a few g.c. from this site.Any one else get the 90% off deal?Ellements Bistro in fll ,Lava Tiki bar and grill in Hollywood,Banyan inWeston FLL.Any comment?And is liquor included in this?

My experience....
 

I keep thinking if I worked a little harder on this, that I could make good use of the restaurant.com coupons, but so far, I have used none of the 6 or so that I have bought. One try, and the restaurant was closed down. And to their credit, all it took was a phone call to restaurant.com to get a new one issued, but, as other have said, it can be a struggle to find one I want to go to. I am sure that I have let a few expire. I only buy at the 70-90% discount rate.

Also, little overlap with Rewards Dining programs, as mentioned. One thing I have used them for : to make the least expensive possible purchase from a mileage/point mall, to fulfill a promotion to make online purchases from several sources, in order to get more points/miles.....

What is this 'trick' you speak of?

Expiry of Restaurant.com Coupons
 

I am in California. The restaurant.com coupons regularly state that they expire within one year from date of issue, except in California or where otherwise prohibited by law. So, I California, are they good indefinitely?

I was in a restaurant with a certificate that was over one year old, and the restaurant owner called restaurant.com who said that they did not have to honor it.

Which is correct?

Suppose it depends on if it is a gift certificate or coupon?

Gift certificates seem to not expire.
http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/l...des/s-11.shtml

Also, look at fn12 which specifically says restaurants are not in the perishable food exception. Maybe the unaffiliated exception comes into play, but they are not redeemable at more than one place.

So here's my question: do these gift certificates work for singles? I received a $50 credit by making UA MP Premier Executive elite status and as I have a trip planned for NYC in May was online tonight finally putting something to good use, or so I thought. I spent a bunch of time finding what seemed good restaurant options that didn't state in the certificates special instructions that it was for a minimum part of two so confirmed two choices yet when I printed out the certificates I found under the standard restaurant-specific gift certificate terms & conditions that it states "valid for parties of two (2) or more unless otherwise stated. Does that mean if I follow all tne other rules these certificates could still be declined or not honoured by the restaurant? Or is that just a standard comment that print on all certificates and I shouldn't bother with it? It's not like I'd personally be out anything if they weren't honoured but still would like to get something I was given for crossing an elite FFP level.

I'd be curious to hear some feedback if anyone can address the solo diner question. Thanks :)

Generally speaking, I don't think that it works for one person. Plus, $35 can be a lot to spend.

Not at some restaurants with a main entree plus salad and dessert. But I was afraid that was going to be the answer. Maybe I'll have to rethink these certificates. :(

no real value for me
 

We bought a few of these for a couple of bucks.We had a small meal and some wines at a very non-descript pool tiki bar.What a rip-off.9$ glasses of wine served in a disposable cup even at 50% off doesn't cut it.And the 18% tip is on the full amount.Wow.Won't be ordering those even if free.The 35$ threshold came up on us VERY quickly.I won't be fooled twice.:td:

not so sure you were fooled as you picked a crappy restaurant.

There are some very good values out there and as you found out, so very poor ones. (more to the latter overall IMO, but the good ones are well worth it)

--

restaurant.com codes
 

Always check www.fatwallet.com for these.

Has anyone been successful using a certificate in California that is over 1 year old?

Don't understand the smallprint
 

I'm looking to buy a few restaurant.com 'vouchers' but I'm not sure I really understand all the smallprint. Any chance someone could decode for me?

For example, the Strip Steak at the Madalay Bay has the following:
Minimum 2 entrees. Valid with 2 Prix Fixe dinners
Does this mean 'only valid with 2 Prix Fixe dinners'? In which case, stating minimum 2 entrees seems redundant. Or is it valid with a minimum of 2 entrees, or exactly 2 prix fixe dinners, or 2 or more of either entree or prix fixe?

My other confusion is stuff like:
Minimum purchase of $35.
Does this mean a minimum purchase before or after the voucher has been applied?

Some Restaurant.com tips
 

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?

Good Restaurant deals
 

Most (but not all) of the restaurants that I've seen featured on there seem to be ones that get horrible reviews on sites like Yelp. You also need to watch out for the ones that look like a good deal, but ultimately aren't because they require a minimum food purchase (a lot of them require $35) and also slap a mandatory pre-discount 18% gratuity onto your tab, even if the service is subpar at best.

There are also reports I've seen on other websites that some of the restaurants on there actually give different (i.e. higher-priced) menus to people using restaurant.com certificates. Not sure if there's any merit to that or not, but figured I'd throw it out there for you to know.

I've used a number of restaurant.com certs. The majority of restaurants on the site are notgood quality restaurants and are hoping to drive business by being on restaurant.com.

I only use the certs for restaurants I personally know are worthwhile or if it is one I've wanted to try.

BTW, I think there is already a thread on restaurants.com, perhaps use the search function@:-)

They cannot legally do this. Restaurant.com certs are good for one year after purchase as clearly stated in the terms. You can sue the BBQ place if they don't honor the certs.

That said, I have found restaurant.com to be an absolutely delightful company to deal with. I find them so refreshingly pleasant that I have a hard time finding out how any reasonable person can have a problem with them. Their return (exchange) policy is more than generous, their terms are CLEARLY disclosed, and even if you screw up and don't follow the terms, they really do try their best to make their customers happy. I had a certificate I didnt use for 9 months, I called up and they offered an exchange.

I also absolutely adore the business model here. It exposes customers to local restaurants that they wouldn't find otherwise AND it does so at a substantial discount. I even talked to the CEO briefly when restaurant.com was in its early years.

Personally, I find that looking at the menus gives you a good feel for which restaurants are worth checking out and which ones you should take a pass on. I have found amazing restaurants though this company that I have returned and paid full price for.

Of course there was also the time a restaurant listed with them served my girlfriend *very* undercooked chicken...

As to the 18% automatically added gratuity, you can ask to have that removed. Gratuity, by definition is completely and totally optional, and there is plenty of case law establishing it as such. You can even do this at those places that add gratuity to a party of 6-8 or more, and they are legally required to take it off. Again I know this because of experience.

But with restaurant.com, I have always been so satisfied with the company and the way they treat their customers that I haven't bothered as it would probably make the restaurant reluctant to renew their contract, and they have established enough goodwill with me that I just pay the gratuity even if it was not earned.

Great company, def worth checking out.

Other than a consumer, are you associated in any way with restaurant.com or an investor in restaurant.com?

-

No. I dont think they are a public company.

They don't have to be a public company for you (or anyone else) to have a vested financial interest in the company.

Ugh. You are just difficult. I answered his question by saying No, then expanded on it by saying it is not a public company. While it would be possible for me to have been a private investor and provided some of the start up capital, unfortunately that is not the case.

(Quoting before the post gets deleted... in case anyone's not aware, look at this thread and the amount of "empty" posts: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onlin...-contract.html )

Thanks for the clarification, my honest apologies for the error. It just looks like a few of us thought it a bit "odd" that you seem to be overly excited about one particular website. Are there any others you can recommend?

Check out restaurant.com and you will see why. I also like Netflix a lot. I think they really go out of their way to make customers happy, they even credited me more than I was asking for when there was a problem with my account. They also replace a very customer-unfriendly business model, that of Blockbuster.

Walmart is also great at bending over backwards to accomadate customers. My limited experinces with AirTran have been far better than AA.

I have checked it out, as I indicated here. For me, the terms make their "deals" a :td:. For my parents, they like getting a good discount to a favorite eatery of theirs, so to each their own.

Get up to 50% off $25 Gift Certificates to Restaurants
 

Whenever I travel I go to restaurant.com to find gift certificates. You can get get $25 gift certificates to restaurants for as low at $5 (got that deal today). Here's a link if you're interested www.restaurant.com and today is the last day to get 70% off by using promo code FORK at checkout.

Enjoy! yumm