Mister E. Diner Blog

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