Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

Restaurant.com offers inexpensive gift certificates to local restaurants throughout the country.

Gift certificates from Restaurant.com are great inexpensive presents for friends and family--or even as a treat for yourself.

I have bought certificates from this site for family members in Upstate New York with success. With a coupon found at dealcatcher.com, a $25 gift certificate at a relatively upscale restaurant cost me only $4. Restrictions apply, but they are not so onerous that they detract from the gift certificate's overall value.

Here's how it works: go to Restaurant.com and search for a restaurant in your area using a zip code or a state map. After refining your search to your specific location, the site displays the participating restaurants and available offers. A common option is a $25 gift certificate for $10, with restrictions. This option at the Mundo Grill, an upscale eatery in Rochester, N.Y., for example, requires the diner to order a minimum of $35 and include an 18 percent gratuity. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Casa Del Rey, a Mexican restaurant, offers a $25 gift certificate for $12.50--valid only at dinner, not on Saturday, and with a $35 minimum purchase.

Before you buy the gift certificate online to print out at home, first check dealcatcher.com for any coupons. These can save you up to 70 percent and make the dining deals even more attractive.

A caveat: the swankiest or most popular restaurants in your area may not participate in Restaurant.com. It's a place for up-and-coming establishments to attract customers and spread the word about their food. Also, not every geographical area is represented at the site.

For the price, however, the gift certificates available at Restaurant.com are a good deal, especially if you have a coupon.

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