Mister E. Diner Blog

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

* 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!

Bon Appetit!
Mr. E. Diner