The Entertainment Book – How a $20 Investment Saved Me $195 in One Week!

February 29, 2008

It all started with a fundraising drive at my daughter’s school where I purchased the 2008 Entertainment Coupon Book for a mere $20.  I love the fact that not only will this coupon book help me to save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars, but a portion of the proceeds go to my little girl’s school.

In fact, Entertainment.com has helped schools and groups in the U.S. raise more than $90 million since they started 40 years ago.  (Mr. E. Diner Tip: if you are interested in selling Entertainment Books for your school or group click here).

That being said, let me outline HOW I used this hotel bible sized book filled with coupons for dining, shopping, movies, travel and other local attractions.

  1. After receiving the book I activated the Entertainment.com Membership Card online.  Then I purchased another card for my wife for an additional $15.   This is a great option if you want to use the special Entertainment.com discounts at restaurants, but don’t want to lug around a 300+ page book.   I can use my membership card at 170 restaurants AND it contains codes for discounts on rental cars and hotels.  Plus, once you activate your membership, you also receive emails with the latest special offers in your neighborhood.
  2. Then I put the Entertainment coupon book in the glove compartment of my Diner-Mobile (kinda like the Batmobile…but not nearly as cool and lined with hundreds of food wrappers and discarded drink cups).
  3. Lastly, I pull out the Entertainment book when I’m hungry and get a “buy one, get one free” coupon for lunch or dinner.  I generally use the dining out index where I can search for the restaurants by area of town.  Houston is a big city so there are 22 regions from which to choose the perfect place to dine.  I’ve outlined my savings below:

    Entertainment.com Savings

Of course with me being Mr. E. Diner I mainly used my Entertainment Membership Card for dining out, but there are HUNDREDS of coupons for movies, shopping, sports events and so much more!

Here are some tips for using the Entertainment Book and Entertainment.com: 

  1. Make sure to bring a friend with you when you use the Entertainment Book coupon or membership card at a restaurant or other attraction.  Most of their coupons are ”buy one, get one free”. 
  2. Register your Entertainment Membership Card immediately.  You can use this card in lieu of carrying around the Entertainment book.  It fits neatly in your wallet or purse!  Plus, when you register your membership number online you will receive special email coupons from restaurants, shops, movies, and attractions in your area!
  3. You can also print coupons for restaurants and attractions in other cities.  You just change the zip code for coupons in other areas.
  4. The Entertainment books go on sale in August or September for $20-$45, but will usually go on sale for half that price or lower during early summer in the following year since most of the coupons expire on November 1st.  
  5. Go to www.dinerdeals.com for updated discounts on the Entertainment book.
  6. You can plan an entire fun weekend with your family using the Entertainment book.  Choose from dozens of attractions in your city (zoos, museums, paintball, sporting events, etc…).  Then use a coupon for a nearby restaurant or movie! 

There are sooooo many coupons in the Entertainment book that you will NEVER be able to use them all….but it sure is fun trying!

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Bon Appetit!
Mr. E. Diner
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7 Websites No Diner Should be Without!

February 14, 2008

I’m often asked by my DinerDeals.com Eat-Mail Newsletter subscribers “What are the ESSENTIAL websites for someone who dines out frequently”.   I have over 30 dining & restaurant websites listed on DinerDeals.com that offer everything a die-hard diner desires, including restaurant reservations, restaurant coupons, restaurant gift certificates, gourmet gifts and so much more!   But the question remains:  “What are the BEST dining websites?”

Having used almost every service offered on DinerDeals.com I have selected SEVEN dining & restaurant related websites that EVERY perpetual patron of the resturants should use before dining:

  1. Entertainment.com – Restaurant dining “on the cheap”
    If you are looking for coupons for restaurants in your area, the absolute best site to visit would be Entertainment.com.  Known for 50% off discounts at local restaurants, they also offer incredible savings on grocery shopping, movies, major attractions, sporting events and more!  All you need to do is go to their website, put in your zipcode or city and pay $25 to $45 to buy their coupon book.  You will recoup the cost of the book by eating out once and going to a movie using their coupons.   Important note:  Once the book arrives, make sure you register the membership number at their website to print MORE coupons from some of their listed businesses.
  2. Restaurant.com – Dining Gift Certificates in 55 seconds!
    This is one of my favorite sites!  In fact, you can check out my last post to find out how YOU can save $303/wk using Restaurant.com!   The beauty of this website is that it ALWAYS sells $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10.   Moreover, if you go to DinerDeals.com and use the special savings codes (or coupon codes), you can purchase these gift certificates for only $4-$5!   Just go to Restaurant.com, select your favorite restaurant in your city, purchase the gift certificate using the coupon code and print it right from your computer.  Elapsed time:  55 seconds from restaurant selection to printed gift certificate.   Pretty cool, eh?
  3. Zagat.com - Restaurant Reviews for 25,000 Restaurants
    This is the best $2.08/month I have EVER spent!  When you become a member of Zagat.com you get online access to ratings & reviews for over 40 Zagat Guides covering restaurants in over 99 U.S. & International cities. You can access online menus, maps & directions and other useful tools to help you find the perfect restaurant, nightspot, hotel, or attraction.
    Plan B: If Zagat.com does not have an online guide to cover your city, you can also try the restaurant reviews at CitySearch.com or UrbanSpoon.com.
  4. LocalWineEvents.com – You want some wine with that dine?
    As most of you know, my background is in the wonderful world of wine!  I became Mr. E. Diner by selling wine to restaurants across the southwest for over 13 years.  LocalWineEvents.com has helped me in spreading the word about all the wine tasting events that I have scheduled.  Local Wine Events is the world’s LARGEST food & drink calendar.   You can find a wine tasting, wine dinner, cooking class, beer festival, homebrew competition, single malt scotch tasting – and more – in your area.  Plus, you can sign up to receive email alerts about upcoming food and wine events in your area.
  5. Vmeals.com - Can’t leave the office for lunch or dinner?
    You can order food online from several hundred restaurants in 33 major cities in the U.S..   First, you select a menu from one of their restaurants and choose items for your order.  Then arrange for delivery and payment via their secure web site. Vmeals routes your order to the food provider, confirms acceptance of the order, then tracks your order and manages any changes. It’s that simple!
    Plan B: If Vmeals is not offering delivery services in your city, you can also try seamlessweb.com or ordercorner.com.
  6. RewardsNetwork.com - Get 20% cash back when you dine
    When you join Rewards Network online, there are no out–of–pocket costs. You simply register a credit or debit card with them and use it to pay the bill at participating restaurants, bars and clubs when Cashback Rewards are being offered. After that, additional Cashback Rewards are automatically credited to the card you used a couple days after you dine.
  7. MyPoints.com – Eat for FREE when you fill out surveys
    Earn Points that you can redeem for gift cards at several National Chain Restaurants, like Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Cracker Barrel, and Red Lobster. You are actually getting paid for doing what you already do online; shopping, reading emails, playing games, searching the web, taking surveys, and more!

So there you have it.  My personal favorite websites that no diner should be without.  I would love to hear what you think about these websites.    Feel free to leave me your feedback in the comments section. 

Bon Appetit!
Mr. E. Diner
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How I Saved $303/wk Dining with Restaurant.com

February 5, 2008

How do I love thee Restaurant.com?  Let me count the SAVINGS!

First of all, it should be noted that I am NOT on the Restaurant.com payroll, nor am I related to anyone that is employed by Restaurant.com.  I just happen to think that their website is the best thing since…well…RESTAURANTS! 

Many of you know that I have been spreading the Restaurant.com gospel to everyone within earshot (or email-shot).  I have used it many times to save at least 50%-75% off my meals.  In fact, I use the gift certificates at least once or twice a week almost every week.  Well, last week I decided to ”kick it up a notch”.  I dined out every day for lunch AND dinner for an entire week using Restaurant.com gift certificates at ALL 14 restaurants.  

I’ve outlined my gastronomical journey below with the savings calculated in the table illustration.  The savings REALLY added up in 7 days!  I was able to save 43% and $303 for the week!  Here is how I did it:

Step One:
I went to Restaurant.com and searched for restaurants in the Houston, TX area by zip code.  You can also search by cuisine, by city or alphabetically if you know the name of the restaurant you are seeking.  I had business meetings in different areas of town each day, so I searched by zip code.  There were 175 restaurants in the Houston vicinity, but once I narrowed it down to the appropriate zip codes, there were generally about 2 dozen restaurants in each zip code.  I selected 14 restaurants that sold $25 gift certificates for $10 and purchased them on Friday, January 25th.  

(Insider Tip:  I saved even more by inputting a coupon code at checkout that further reduced the cost to ONLY $4!   You can find the latest coupon codes by going to DinerDeals.com every week.)

Step Two:
I printed the Restaurant.com gift certificates directly from my printer.  Easy, right?

Step Three:
This was the fun part!  I got to eat at 2 new restaurants every day for 7 days!  Actually, I never dined alone for lunch or dinner that week, so the restaurant got TWO new customers because of their listing on Restaurant.com. 

Step Four:
Present the Restaurant.com gift certificate to the waiter when the bill arrives and it is deducted from the final tally.

Step Five:
Add up the savings!  See my table below for the results:

One Week of Lunch & Dinner Savings in Houston, TX

restaurantcomsavingsspreadsheet400x120.jpg

* All costs are rounded up to the nearest dollar amount.
** Paid $4 for $25 Gift Certificates using special coupon codes found on DinerDeals.com.
*** Total Cost = G.C. cost + remaining cost at restaurant + 20% gratuity on original amount

For those of you who want proof of the savings, I’ve even included a pic of the receipt from Monday’s lunch.  You can see that the original tab was for $36, but with the $25 gift certificate the new total was $11.80!  I generally tip about 20% of the original amount for good service so I tipped $8.20, bringing my total to $20.  If you add the $4 I paid for the $25 gift certificate, then I paid a grand total of $24 for a $44 meal!  Not bad, eh?

See the receipt here:  Sand Trap Grill Receipts

See all restaurants here:  Restaurant.com Savings Spreadsheet

So there you have it.  The story of how one guy with a little forethought and a credit card can cut his lunch and dinner bills by 43% using Restaurant.com.  Pretty impressive, eh?

Before you rush out and do the same, here are some tips on how to maximize your savings AND get the most out of Restaurant.com:

  1. Make sure you dine with a friend.  Many of the restaurants featured on Restaurant.com require a minimum purchase of $35 when using a $25 gift certificate.  It is hard to spend that much when you are alone.  Plus, you are bringing another new patron to that restaurant.  That is really why they give $25 gift certificates in the first place – NEW CUSTOMERS.
  2. Tip on the original amount of the bill.  The waiter is working as hard for an $11 tab as he is for a $38 tab and should be compensated for his (or her) efforts.
  3. Email gift certificates to friends.  That’s another great thing about Restaurant.com – you don’t have to mail the gift certificates and pay for postage.
  4. Look for coupon codes on DinerDeals.com to save even more on their gift certificates.  Restaurant.com ALWAYS offers $25 gift certificates for $10, but sometimes they offer them for $6, $5 or even $4 with coupon codes!
  5. Make sure to check out the restaurant’s “mini-website” on Restaurant.com.   They usually show pictures of the restaurant and provide detailed information about the restaurant so you can make an informed decision on where to dine.
  6. Try buying most of your gift certificates at the BEGINNING of each month because the restaurants only allow a certain number of gift certificates to be sold each month.  Sometimes they run out near the end of the month.
  7. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see a large number of gift certificates for your city.  Many of the gift certificates on restaurant.com are in the major metropolitan cities, but they also have offerings in the smaller towns as well.  Let your favorite restaurant know about restaurant.com so they too can offer gift certificates AND get a new customer in the door!

I hope that you find this article to be helpful.  If I can help just ONE person to save money on dining out, then my work is done!

Feel free to spread the savings by clicking on the SHARE button below!


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Bon Appetit!
Mr. E. Diner
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Posted by misterediner

Hello to fans of DinerDeals.com!

January 25, 2008

I’ve decided to start this blog so I can give DETAILED reviews and analysis of many of the sites featured on DinerDeals.com.  From restaurant coupon sites like Entertainment.com to restaurant gift certificate sites like Restaurant.com, I will PERSONALLY be using each site’s offerings and giving you my opinions.

Stay tuned….

Bon Appetit!
Mr. E. Diner
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