Restaurant.com--too good to be true?

[drcmk]

Hi,

I was perusing Restaurant.com and saw that there are plenty of restaurants listed that we want to visit on our upcoming vacation. With the 70% off coupon, we could get a $100 gift certificate for $12. That would be an amazing deal. My husband is wary because he thinks it is too good too be true. I used Restaurant.com maybe nine or more years ago and had one certificate turned down by the restaurant manager. So I never bought one again. But it would be wonderful to save so much $$ on vacation. Can anyone reassure me that restaurant.com is NOT too good to be true?

Thanks!

 

[pixidust77]

We use restaurant.com all the time. Luckily in the three years we've been doing so we've never had one turned down, but if you do just contact them and they will exchange your voucher for a different one. Super easy and the savings are wonderful. We refuse to eat out without a coupon of some kind now! Promo codes happen all the time too, especially towards end of month when they run 80% off codes! Good luck!

 

[ccgirl]

Hi,

I was perusing Restaurant.com and saw that there are plenty of restaurants listed that we want to visit on our upcoming vacation. With the 70% off coupon, we could get a $100 gift certificate for $12. That would be an amazing deal. My husband is wary because he thinks it is too good too be true. I used Restaurant.com maybe nine or more years ago and had one certificate turned down by the restaurant manager. So I never bought one again. But it would be wonderful to save so much $$ on vacation. Can anyone reassure me that restaurant.com is NOT too good to be true?

Thanks!

I use them all the time and have yet to be turned away but I also read the certificate. Some are not good during nights. Also, most of them have a minimum spending requirement and state whether or not alcohol is included in the $$ requirement. For a $100 g.c I wouldn't be surprised if a $200 order is not required. My family would have a very difficult time spending that much.

Hope this helps.

 

[hambro55]

We have used them before and never had one turned down. Again, read them carefully, some are only for lunch or not on weekends kind of thing.

 

[2 lil'princesses]

I have been using them for the past year and have not had one turned down. Just got back from using one at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney My husband thought the same thing but is now thrilled with it.

 

[Dacky619]

We just used one last week at House of Blues as well. We don't get them all the time, but like everyone else says, read the fine print and you'll be ok.

 

[BonnieA]

I have had a couple restaurants go out of business and one turn down. But restaurant.com gives you an exchange certificate that can be used to pick out another restaurant.
Just be sure to read the fine print and know exactly what is required of you.

 

[coachb]

they are legit, usethem all the time. Also, be aware they usually do the gratuity prior to bringing you the check. Be sure to check so you don't tip 2x.

 

[tinkmom2]

I have been using restaurant.com for a few years now and have never had a problem. As previous posters said there is a spending requirement. I always let them know right away I am using one. I also use livingsocial and groupon quite frequently. I won't eat out with out a coupon!

 

[wonderlandaddict]

We used one this past Oct at House of Blues with no problems at all!
I will admit I was nervous $2 for $25, sounded too good to be true!

 

[58cognac]

I have been using them for the past year and have not had one turned down. Just got back from using one at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney My husband thought the same thing but is now thrilled with it.

I'm glad to hear this....I've got a Giordino's and a HOB for our trip in October

Do you by chance know, my HOB cert says no Gospel Brunch, holidays and special events, can we just use it for a regular dinner menu on a Sunday?

 

[miztressuz]

I use them all the time and have yet to be turned away but I also read the certificate. Some are not good during nights. Also, most of them have a minimum spending requirement and state whether or not alcohol is included in the $$ requirement. For a $100 g.c I wouldn't be surprised if a $200 order is not required. My family would have a very difficult time spending that much.

Hope this helps.

I 2nd this. Most of the certificates I see now have a doubled order amount to make it valid. So for a $100 certificate some have stated the total order must be $200 + 18% gratuity will be added to the full cost of the meal, etc. Even some of the $25 certs say the total order must be $35 - $50 in order to use it.

I have used them several times and not had a problem, just make sure you can meet the requirements on the cert before you buy.

 

[fishacura]

Hi,

I was perusing Restaurant.com and saw that there are plenty of restaurants listed that we want to visit on our upcoming vacation. With the 70% off coupon, we could get a $100 gift certificate for $12. That would be an amazing deal. My husband is wary because he thinks it is too good too be true. I used Restaurant.com maybe nine or more years ago and had one certificate turned down by the restaurant manager. So I never bought one again. But it would be wonderful to save so much $$ on vacation. Can anyone reassure me that restaurant.com is NOT too good to be true?

Thanks!

Use it all the time. Their sales are terrific (e.g. $25 certs for $2)

 

[Princesca]

We use it a lot. And if you go through ebates.com, you can usually even get a discount off those discounts.

I would post my referral link, but I vaguely recall that that's not allowed. If anyone wants it, feel free to private message me. Or you can just go directly to ebates.com, which has returned to me over $100 in rebates so far, since last Christmas.

 

[Bete]

I've been using them on vacations for the last couple of years. I ran into one that was out of business and was given a credit for another one; so, that was easy.

As previously mentioned you do have to follow the conditions and terms of the certificate. Usually, as the value goes up on a certificate the more you have to spend out of pocket. Most places will not allow alcoholic drinks to be included. Also, some will let you have dinner there, but it's not good at any other time. Gratuities are added on automatically. Some specify good for entrees only. Most of the time you can only use a certificate once a month.

The best deal I have found on these certificates is 80% off. That's the only time I buy. They don't expire and I think that's a really nice feature.

 

[pixiewings71]

We use them all the time. They are very easy to use, just show them to the server when they come to your table, make sure you follow the rules on each cert. and you won't have any problems. If you do just let the website know, they will happily give you a credit! I know, I have quite a few credits in my acct from restaurants that stopped taking them, rest.com emailed me to let me know they had stopped and they had issued me a credit.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I've used R.com for several years and I've never had a problem.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

Besides HOB, what other good ones are for the Orlando area?
We are a family of 4...3 adults and 1 kids, not too picky! Probably use the $25 gc's.
thanks

 

[DOOM1001]

I'll go along with what everyone has been saying,it's totally legit,just read the requirements for each restaurant,for example a $25 certificate might tell you you have to spend $35-$50 before tax,an 18% tip might be added and you can't use them on weekends or holidays,each restaurant has their own rules.If a restaurant ever doesn't take it just call them up and they'll issue you a replacement credit for another restaurant.In fact just recently one restaurant I had a certificate for changed management and if you just go in your account it might already have it listed that they stopped accepting them,the system online is set up so if they know about it you can get a new certificate without calling them.Another thing is to keep an eye out in September as they usually have a 90% sale every year.You can get 5 $25 certificates for $5.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

If a restaurant ever doesn't take it just call them up and they'll issue you a replacement credit for another restaurant.In fact just recently one restaurant I had a certificate for changed management and if you just go in your account it might already have it listed that they stopped accepting them,the system online is set up so if they know about it you can get a new certificate without calling them.Another thing is to keep an eye out in September as they usually have a 90% sale every year.You can get 5 $25 certificates for $5.

Just an FYI if you ever get an eGift Certificate b/c a restaurant went out of business or stopped taking them, redeem it early in the month. This is something happened to me recently. When a restaurant stops taking them or goes out of business, a restaurant.com gift certificate will show up in your records as an eGift Card. When you click on "redeem gift" the inventory is different from the normal website. So on the 1st of the month when they replenish all the certificates, some are on restaurant.com and some are a separate inventory on the 'redeem gift' section of the website. I wanted a certificate on June 24th and it was showing up on restaurant.com. When I clicked on "redeem gift" the restaurant didn't show up, basically they were sold out from that inventory. I called and they absolutely wouldn't apply my eGift credit towards buying the certificate on the normal website. So, if you have any eGift Cards (credits) and the restaurant is popular, redeem it at the beginning of the month.

There is a local restarant that is pretty popular and they just started on restaurant.com July 1, so I redeemed two $25 eGift certificates early this week. I just checked, it is now sold out on the site where you redeem eGift Cards but on restaurant.com there are "4 left".