Excellent Deal on Dining Out!

[BailJumper]

I've used Restaurant.com for a couple of years now to buy $25 gift cards for only $10. They make good gifts, it allows the teenager to take his girlfriend out to a nice dinner on the cheap and the wife and I always love to save a buck when going out to eat.

However, the site is offering an unbelievable deal through Monday.

Use the code SURPRISE when checking out and get another 80% off!

Example: I just bought another 20 $25 gift certificates ($500 worth of real dollar discounts) - and what did it cost me? ONLY $40!!!!!!!!!!!

You can print the certificates off to use yourself or email them to someone else. They are good at any participating restaurant throughout the USA. Makes for a great cheap "Thank you" gift over the holidays.

In the metro we use them at Paseo Grill, Alfredo's Mex, Bin 73, Deep Deuce Grill, Gaijin, Galileo, Bourbon Street Cafe, and Tom & Jerry's.

Every restaurant has some fine print - but mostly a minimum purchase, no alcohol, and 18% tip.

Still an excellent deal and it expires MONDAY!

[Karried]

lol, we are so on the same page! I swear, I was on that site about 5 minutes ago.. you know how I love all the Christmas deals... ha,ha.. I was about to post this one and couldn't believe it was here!

I got a few for Fox and Hound.

[Karried]

I'm going to Branson next week so I just got $100 worth of Shorty Smalls gift certificates for $8!

I wonder how strict they are though on using more than one certificate? It would be nice to split up the bill and use two. I have 10 people in our party - no biggie, if we have to we can go on a few different nights or have lunch there.

Have to spend $60 bucks though to use the $25 off... but with 4 people, that's really easy to do.

[BailJumper]

I'll probably use most of mine at Paseo Grill. The wife and I always order two different entrees and share.

I've never tried to use two at once, but I have had them discount our alcohol!

[kevinpate]

Karried, lots of places won't permit multi certificates for the same group. that ebing said, I've heard tell of enterprising folks, not all of whom were starving students, who split their large group up outside the establishment, not at the hostess podium, and simply function as separate groups throughout their meal.

Separate entry, separate dining and separate pay. This meets even the more stringent criteria places have, unless at the end of the meal tables 1,2 and 3 all point to the old guy at table 4 and say he's got the check tonight.

[kevinpate]

Oh, and I finally figured out what to do with my points at mycokerewards once I realized earlier this morn that restaurant.com was amongst the uses.

Next stop, places near Mobile so i can send certificates to my son there (I have quite a build up at mycokerewards which i had forgotten. Kinda happy their reminder email dinna go to the spambox

[Karried]

With all of the Diet Coke I've drank over the last 30 years.. I could have bought a house! But I never took the time to use the codes.. I tried once or twice but didn't pursue it. I'm not good with reward programs.

I guess I like instant gratification. lol, an example, we crushed, bagged, stored and saved cans for months and months ... got all excited to redeem them.. took them to a center ($5 at least on gas) and got about $15! Next time I'll just put them in our blue can.

[kevinpate]

Ditto that. I get chuckled at because I'm convinced a 2L bottle, not a 20oz, is a handy single serving container.

[jbrown84]

Thanks for the tip! Seems to good to be true.

[Luke]

Seems to be quite a few exceptions. Can you combine gift cards? Say you have two $25 certificates that require a minimum purchase of $35 each... how does that work?

[ddavidson8]

So if I have a $20 certificate that requires a minimum purchase of $35, does my grand total come to $15? Does this include take out or is it dine in only?

[BailJumper]

I don't find some of the stipulations (exceptions) to be prohibitive. Most require a minimum of a $35 total, dinner (as opposed to lunch) and dine-in. The tip is added in. but if you really didn't plan on tipping then please just stay home.

Yes, if your total is $35 for dinner (which is about what my wife and I spend on dinner together) then you'd subtract the $25 gift certificate - Leaving a $10 total to be paid (okay, technically $12 since you paid $2 for the gift certificate).

From what I read, only one certificate per table.

[Karried]

I noticed on my certificate that I have to spend $60 to get $25 off. Easy to do with a large party but if it were just my husband and myself, we wouldn't do that.

So, I guess it depends on the restaurant. For $2 bucks, it's worth it since we'll be going out to dinner anyway.

[BailJumper]

noticed on my certificate that I have to spend $60 to get $25 off.

Most only require a $35 tab and those are the only restaurants we would go to. Always check the restaurant's restrictions you plan on visiting BEFORE you buy the certificate.

We found some great restaurants to use them at when we go out of state next week too!

[BailJumper]

Used a certificate tonight at Gaijin since we both had a long day downtown.

They accepted the certificate without hesitation.

We took out a cell phone and used the calculator to strategically find items totaling just over $35.

We did the calamari, Devil's Advocate, Gringo and the Spider. I think it came to $35 and some change. It was really way more food than we would have otherwise eaten and could have invite a guest or two.

The food was fine, but honestly did not compare to In The Raw (which is excellent IMO).

The total (with tip) was only $19. Can't beat that.

What was really disturbing though was the fact that at 6:15pm until 7pm there was not a single other customer in the place. I know it was a Monday, but c'mon.

[kevinpate]

Bailjumper, maybe because you were dining in, my opinion, a fancy bait shop

(sorry to the bait lovers out there, I just don't get it myself.

[BailJumper]

sorry to the bait lovers out there, I just don't get it myself.

So, is that your opinion of sushi in general? Or just the 'quality' of Gaijin?

I always get a chuckle when some people think sushi is "odd." Fresh seafood with absolutely no preservatives and never been frozen - yet, those same people have no problem sticking who knows what in their mouth from a fastfood restaurant.

The really weird thing last night was that their "special" they were advertising was a sausage gumbo - at a sushi place!

[kevinpate]

sushi in general.

Actually, save for a select few fruits and veggies, I'm really not a fan of uncooked food items. On the other hand, if it's good gumbo, and if the rudeness factor that was reported for the place back at its opening has now mellowed, they might just be able to get me in the door. Anyone who makes good gumbo can't be bad of heart, it's just not possible.

[Millie]

So, is that your opinion of sushi in general? Or just the 'quality' of Gaijin?

I always get a chuckle when some people think sushi is "odd." Fresh seafood with absolutely no preservatives and never been frozen - yet, those same people have no problem sticking who knows what in their mouth from a fastfood restaurant.

The really weird thing last night was that their "special" they were advertising was a sausage gumbo - at a sushi place!

My understanding is that 60+% of sushi has actually been frozen, to kill parasites.

[tuck]

We are offering our annual gift card deal until Christmas...for every $100 in gift cards purchased, you receive a $25 card for free. This applies for all AGE restaurants, Cheevers, Iron Starr, Red PrimeSteak and Market-C.

[metro]

tuck, I take that as you're gift cards are good at all AGE restaurants? I.E. I could use $50 of a $100 card at Cheevers and $50 at Iron Starr?

[tuck]

tuck, I take that as you're gift cards are good at all AGE restaurants? I.E. I could use $50 of a $100 card at Cheevers and $50 at Iron Starr?

All day long!!!

[LandryTeam]

SURPRISE has expired...just tried it...didnt work.

[kevinpate]

That Code expired on Monday as I recall. Sorry.

[kevinpate]

I had a note this morning the new code is ONLINE. Using that code, through December 11, certificates are 70% off.

So for a few days, instead of $10 to get a $25 certificate, you can obtain $25 certificates for a mere $3.00 each.

Not the 80% discount, but 70% ain't bad, ain't bad at all, especially if you eat out a lot or just missed the earlier go around.