Do you like to dine out? I love to eat out, but I hate how expensive it can be. I typically use coupons and try to find specials. It is harder to find coupons for nicer restaurants. Sure, you can find coupons for the chain restaurants on a regular basis, but when you are celebrating a milestone birthday, or a special day you might want to go somewhere nicer. Restaurants with a $100 price tag are usually out of my budget, but not with Restaurant.com.
I had the opportunity to participate in Restaurant.com’s Dining Destination. In the past, I have tried Restaurant.com and wasn’t quite sure if the program was a good fit for me. I decided to participate and give the experience a fair shot. I was worried the restaurant wouldn’t be nice or that it would be a hassle redeeming my certificate.
The process of buying my certificate was quite easy. After I purchased the certificate, I decided to download the Iphone app. One less thing to remember at at home. One tip for when you are buying your certificate – be sure to note the terms. I picked The Reserve Restaurant in Philly. The terms and conditions were clearly spelled out – I would need to spend $100 to get $50 off. I would also be required to tip on the original amount (something I would do anyway. I was a server for 7 years, so I know that tips are very important).
We headed into the restaurant – it was quite nice! I always wondered why restaurants were on Restaurant.com – I realized this restaurant was about 8 months old. It was gorgeous inside , it was a converted bank. I have to mention the decor. I tried to get a photo, but it was a little dark, so my camera wouldn’t cooperate. The interior is just something you have to see to appreciate for yourself.
The menu was great. The choices were plentiful – something for both me and my husband. We had an awesome meal. It included appetizer, dinner and desert. We both had steaks and they were great. Our server was awesome, attending to our every need.
Yes, the food was as good as it looks! This dessert was amazing! It is sweet potato cheesecake! This alone was worth the trip to the restaurant.
Here is what what the bill ended up at:
Total Bill: $102.00
– $50.00 Restaurant.com Certificate
+ 10.00 for Restaurant.com Certificate Paid Prior
$62.00 + tip
So the restaurant.com certificate took a night out and made it a reasonable splurge for our special night out. Are you wondering how easy it was to redeem the certificate? I just showed her the app on my phone!
So if you never tried Restaurant.com before, I recommend giving it a shot! If you have in the past, perhaps give the program a second look. It really is worth it at the right restaurant.
I wrote this review while participating in Restaurant.com. All opinions are 100% mine.
Bob Johnson says
I have often (30+ times) paid $2 to get a $25 off $35
In addition, I buy them through fatwallet to get 24% off (net cost $1.52)
Remember to pay using a credit card like Citi Forward, another 5% off
and make sure the credit card is registered with upromise, up to 8% off.
A $35 meal after adding tax and tip (18% required by most restaurant.com coupons)
and making all my other adjustments comes out to about $18
For the Mommas says
Bob,
Nice to see you! I hope you are well! That is great tip for Restaurant.com. The savings you get is excellent!
krissi says
I have also used restaurant.com on many occassions. There is a little dinner near our house that we have bought coupons for on several occassions. I have caught the sales when their coupons only cost $2 to get $25 off a $35 meal. So we end up paying only $12 + tip for a $35 meal which feeds our family easily at this diner. Better than Mc Donalds for my family of 6! I agree that you should sign up on their email list. they will notify you when they have even better deals.
For the Mommas says
Krissi,
Yep! Can’t eat at McDonalds for $12+ Tip! Good tip about using the mailing list for deals. I am going to try and post here on FTM too!
Thomas says
I have used Restaurant.com many times. I have never had a problem, the restaurant have never seemed to mind or treat me different because of the coupon. I would recommend the site to everyone. They also have sales very often, so sign up for their emails.
For the Mommas says
Thomas,
Thanks for the feedback! I didn’t feel weird/or treated different – I forgot to mention this in my post.. thanks for brining it up!