Whoever said there was no such thing as a free lunch clearly never knew about the wonderful world of restaurant coupons. Collecting discount vouchers used to be a question of sifting through local and national newspapers and clipping out the best deal. Now, thanks to the internet, you can obtain coupons and discount vouchers from a huge variety of eateries simply by going online.
This not only dramatically reduces your risk of missing out of great deals, it also allows you to search for specific discounts at your favorite haunts. Some sites will even send you an email alert whenever your favorite restaurant releases a new voucher.
With an increasing number deal sites around, restaurant owners are being encouraged to offer ever more generous discounts in order to get new customers through their doors. Though this is sometimes bad news for the business owners – they often barely break even and sometimes even make a small loss on coupon meals – it is great news for consumers who are increasingly getting access to first class cuisine at bargain basement prices.
Having a coupon is a great way to try out a new restaurant for the first time. If it turns out to be less good than you expected, you will be far less out of pocket than you would have been without the coupon. If it turns out to be great, you’ll have discovered somewhere new at a fraction of the usual cost. According to one owner quoted in the New York Times, around 80 percent of his discount customers have returned later without a coupon.
Always announce the fact that you have a coupon to your server as soon as you arrive at the restaurant. This will save them a double trip to the till when it comes to working out the final bill and will also provide you with confirmation that the coupon is indeed valid at the time and day that you are visiting the restaurant. For the same reason it is always best to check any small print on your restaurant coupons carefully before heading off to the restaurant to save yourself the embarrassment of discovering too late that the discount only applies to certain items on the menu and excludes your favorite dishes.
Most restaurant coupons have expiration dates within a month or so if you want to make the most of them you will need to plan your outings well in advance and leaving choosing where to go until you know which coupon will be available. You should also ensure you make the most of your savings. Some coupons offer a straight percentage discount off your check while others provide two main meals for the price of one. If you have an uneven number of people in your group it may be worth inviting a friend along to make up the numbers as they can effectively eat for free.
Although you may decide to treat yourself regardless, try not to fall into the trap of eating out more simply because you know you will be getting a great discount on the bill. If you truly want to save money you should simply make sure you use your restaurant coupons every time you eat out, not eat out every time you get a coupon.