Version: 2008
  • On CHOW: Holiday side dishes

Comments on: Get a $25 restaurant gift certificate for $2

Enjoy upscale dining at Taco Bell prices. This is one seriously tasty deal.

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by DMC78 October 14, 2008 5:57 AM PDT
I have used Restaurant.com many times over the last few years, and I have always had a excellent experience with the service. Its a great way to find new restaurants. They usually have the menu on their website as well, which is a big help. Just make sure you read the conditions (which are in large print on each restaurant's page) so you know when you can use the certificate. Once again highly recommend.
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by peteyboy84 October 14, 2008 6:04 AM PDT
Wow. I just got $100 worth of gift certificates for $8! Thanks!
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by chrisp339 October 14, 2008 7:18 AM PDT
Great site so long as you don't live in the Washington DC area or, say, any of the 5 boroughs of New York. In either of those cases there are absolutely no restaurants to choose from. This seems odd given that DC is on this list of 'popular cities'.
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by rickbroida October 14, 2008 7:51 AM PDT
Hmmm... I just took a peek at northeast DC and found plenty of restaurants. Maybe try your search again?
by chrisp339 October 14, 2008 8:19 AM PDT
it is odd. I left the computer for an hour (I know, a whole hour) and when I came back there were 111 hits. Pages seem to be taking quite some time to load; the load may have simply timed out.
by chrisp339 October 14, 2008 8:29 AM PDT
It is the traffic on t he website. queries are timing out. Try back later if you are not getting restaurants to populate.
by fuzbears October 14, 2008 9:23 AM PDT
There is a big catch on those certificates... They are really more like coupons, and have lots of restrictions. Make sure you read those. Also I have found in past when a restaurant failed to honor them, and it is next to impossible to get restaurant.com to refund them. So if you get them, use them right away, and read the fine print.
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by LouDevGuy October 14, 2008 9:41 AM PDT
I agree that they are like coupons. I haven't used one, but here's the way it normally would work.

You pay $10 for a $25 gift certificate, but often you have to spend $40 to use it. So, you pay $10 + $15 to get bill up to $40, which means you're getting $15 off of a $40 meal, or 37.5% off. Now, you're paying $2+$15 for $40, or $23 off, which is better. Probably worth it, even.

So, yes, they are like coupons.
by narmstrong45 October 14, 2008 9:59 AM PDT
I've used the certificates from Restaurant.com a few times now. Each time was as simple as handing them the certificate, no issues with the restaurant not honoring it. I do recommend reviewing the restrictions, though - most of the offerings, at least around here, are only good Sunday thru Thursday. Others restrictions I've noted are minimum purchase (usually $50 on the $25 certificate) and minimum party sizes. Additionally, Restaurant.com notified my by email and credited my account when a restaurant, whose cerfiticate I had purchased previously, stopped participating in the program. I was able to choose another restaurant that I was interested in trying, without any problems.

I think I'll go stock up on some more - I've purchased all mine when they were $4 for the $25 certs. Here I was, thinking I was a real cheapskate - while I was paying twice as much as I should have!
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by dalsanto3 October 14, 2008 11:49 AM PDT
wow. great deal rick. Just got about $100 worth of certificates for like $10 dollars.

Haven't ever used restaurant.com before - but thanks to the commenters, who all seem to indicate that it's worked fine in the past.
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by KansasMom October 14, 2008 5:11 PM PDT
Restaurant.com has been a really great addition for us...great way to make our money go a little further and these special deals just sweeten it all the more. As others have said...make sure you check out the restrictions before buying for a new restaurant...some limit the hours you can use them...or say that you have to spend a certain amount of money for it to be honored. But don't hesitate to take advantage of this!!!
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by thebargainhunter October 14, 2008 8:25 PM PDT
This is a great coupon code. You can find a lot more deals on restaurants, groceries, gasoline, clothes, and other everyday items on the Bargain Hunter blog at blogs.dailynews.com/bargain
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by dye187 October 14, 2008 10:05 PM PDT
Thanks Rick, I got 40 dollars worth for $2.40
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by dyre42 October 14, 2008 10:14 PM PDT
You just turned my wife into a regular reader.
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by rufustel October 15, 2008 5:57 AM PDT
Nice deal, but too bad Restaurants.com and its participant restaurants generally discriminate against singles--the fine print restricts usage, generally, to 2 or more ...
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by sparky1962 October 15, 2008 12:45 PM PDT
Hey, Rick I just tried today to get the deal you mentioned and it did not reduce my cost to $2.00. Was yesterday the last day or was it today October 15th?? Thanks!
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by rickbroida October 16, 2008 7:03 AM PDT
I think it ended at noon on the 15th. Sorry you missed it!
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The best things in tech are cheap. "The Cheapskate" scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets, and all the other tech stuff that makes life worth living. Send your own cheapskate tips to thecheapskate@gmail.com. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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