Has anyone used Restaurant.com?

Gamestop Power Up Rewards offers Restaurant.com $25 giftcard for very cheap. Has anyone used it before?

Terrible idea... those restaurant.com gift cards are pretty much worthless, use the points for something better. Restaurant.com on the other had is pretty good. I've used it a few times to try out new restaurants... but keep in mind a lot of restaurants on there are struggling and might have pretty bad food...

What makes it not worth it? Gamestop gives the cards for the equivalent of $6 for $25 worth. Say you must spend $35, that's only $16 out of pocket.

Yeah, those are horrible - we got a $100 restaurant card and couldn't find anywhere in the area to use it - and we live in Sacramento. Like most gift cards, if you can find use in it - it's worth it. I found their selection of restaurants to be very limited and sometimes even "sold out" when we went to select what was essentially a discount coupon.

To top it off, the one place we ended up using it at didn't even know what it was, so that caused additional confusion...we had gotten it free as a promotional item from AmEx, so for free it was worth it, but I wouldn't ever pay actual money for one.

I have used them multiple times. As long as you can find a restaurant that takes them it can be good. But get on their email list and you can get codes to get certs for 5, 3, or 2 $, so I would not take it as a reward from another site.

[quote name='dtcarson']I have used them multiple times. As long as you can find a restaurant that takes them it can be good. But get on their email list and you can get codes to get certs for 5, 3, or 2 $, so I would not take it as a reward from another site.[/QUOTE]

Ditto this. Also, they're pretty useless if you're a loner - most of the cards require a $25, $35, or $50 purchase... or more, I think.

I have a family to feed, so I've used a lot of them, but you should research the restaurant first, and never, ever pay more than $3 for a $25 gift certificate, you can find them all the time for super cheap.

Damn, $25 for $2-$5. You ever go back to the same restaurant with certificates multiple times after the 30 days?

I've used it a couple of times, the restaurants in my area that use it are decent. It actually comes out to about $18 total out of pocket.

$2 for cert
10$ extra for total of $35 (if you can only spend 35)
tax (depends here it's about $2.45)
tip (for me about $5.25)
Okay, that's closer to $20 but you get my point.

Those are the main caveats - you're paying 2-5 bucks (or more) for basically 25 off 35 so you're still going to spend out of pocket. Saving 23$ is nice but it's definitely not quite a 'free meal'. Also no change is given, and it usually isn't good on alcohol.
It can be a nice way to try a restaurant that you need a little more nudge to get to, or take some people out.
My most recent two clearly state they never expire, which is a change from the last time I got them, when they expired in a year.

If you want one within the next couple hours , go to restaurant.com and enter the code "LEAP". 25$ cert for 2$ till midnight pacific.

I'm not sure how the gift cards are, but the site is fine. Similar to Groupon, Living social etc. where you pay a bit to save some money on a meal (or other things with the other sites).

Great way to try new restaurants at a discount.

Restaurant.com certs go on sale all the time for around $2-3 for a $25 certificate. No sense in spending much harder to earn GS points for it. That said, I've used them numerous times on vacation or with a group to try a new place's menu for half the cost or less.

[quote name='JJSP']Restaurant.com certs go on sale all the time for around $2-3 for a $25 certificate. No sense in spending much harder to earn GS points for it. That said, I've used them numerous times on vacation or with a group to try a new place's menu for half the cost or less.[/QUOTE]They also have some restaurants that happily "exclude" themselves from discounted certificate purchases, as I've found from a few places I've gone to via Restaurant.com and couldn't buy more discounted certificates.

The certificates are valued at substantially less than their face value. You can find them at 80% off almost all the time and sometimes more (I usually buy when they are like $1 for a $25 certificate).

They often work, but can be a hassle. The worst thing is many establishments just up and decide they don't want to honor them anymore. Restaurant.com will refund the certificate or let you swap it out with another, but usually you don't find this out until you are sat down and hungry (you could call ahead each time, but again... hassle). I usually end up eating there anyway when this happens, angry at them and angry at myself for buying food at a place that just pissed me off.

If they accept them, you have to deal with the staff who may or may not know what it is. They have to actually call a number to confirm the certificate. You'll sometimes get strange looks like you are trying to scam them since the staff are often completely unaware that they are enrolled in the program.

And finally, be wary of the fine print that is unique for each restaurant. There is always a minimum purchase requirement and sometimes time restrictions for which days/hours you can go.

That said, it is a fantastic money saver when it works and it gives you the opportunity to explore new eateries with less financial risk if they end up being terrible. Sometimes you will hit a gem you never would have tried otherwise.

Edit: Definitely look up what restaurants are available in your area before buying a certificate. Depending on where you live, pickings might be quite slim.

I use Restaurant.com but not as much as I used to because it is more of a hassle than it used to be.

The minimums at most places are now $50 near me for the $25 certificates and the restrictions added are getting ridiculous, only valid from Monday - Thursday, you have to pay with cash, you can't use it with a regular restaurant gift certificate (not another coupon but a regular gift certificate) etc.

I have also ran into restaurants not accepting the certificates anymore and will ask before being seated if the restaurant is no longer on restaurant.com (sometimes they still honor them).

I used to use a few certificates a month (at different restaurants, never more than once a month), now I maybe use a certificate once every two months.

[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm not sure how the gift cards are, but the site is fine. Similar to Groupon, Living social etc. where you pay a bit to save some money on a meal (or other things with the other sites).

Great way to try new restaurants at a discount.[/QUOTE]

That groupon site looks great. Are their offers usually similar week to week or is there variety?

Just search for the restaurants around you, then just read the fine print. Some exclude alcohol purchases, some exclude happy hour or weekend purchases, but if you find a place you like without too many exclusions, it's kind of a no-brainer.