• Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com

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Overview

Restaurant.com has a rating of 1.2 stars from 864 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Restaurant.com most frequently mention gift card, customer service, and minimum purchase problems. Restaurant.com ranks 337th among Restaurants sites.

  • Service
    107
  • Value
    107
  • Shipping
    48
  • Returns
    74
  • Quality
    93
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
21
17
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How would you rate Restaurant.com?
Top Positive Review

“Up to 50% off on a meal, once a month per restaurant. Read the rules.”

Paul G.
12/9/15

So you see all these bad reviews of Restaurant.com. I took advantage of a great deal. 100 - $50 cards for $500 from Citi Easy Deals. That $4500 of free food Just avoid these assumptions: 1) It's not off any restaurant. Get a Visa Gift Card if you want that. Enjoy your fees. 2) It's not a free meal. It's up to half off the total bill. You can use the remainder elsewhere. 3) It's one use per restaurant per month. Not getting 1/2 price sushi every weekend. Goto a different restaurant tomorrow. 4) You have to log into the app to find the card to redeem. Yes it shows your name. Got to log in anyway. That bugs me! Lose one Star. 5) Let the server tap the screen to redeem. You will hit one of these the first time through. After that it's discount city. Got my food budget in line through some hard times.

Top Critical Review

“A scam”

richard t.
11/1/24

The entire experience was a scam in conjunction with a travel service. Was promised $100 in Restaurant coupons for attending sales presentation. Spent hours on the phone, with email, and online trying to obtain four $25 restaurant certificates. Never received any certificates and gave up.

Reviews (864)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

gift card (158) customer service (125) gift certificate (113) credit card (32) phone number (19)
Thumbnail of user jessicab23
Massachusetts
1 review
1 helpful vote
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May 16th, 2013

If I could give them less than 1 star I would. $#*!tiest experience of my life. I got a $100 gift certificate to their site and set up my account. I added the certificate to my account and ordered a $50 gift certificate to use on my birthday. First of all they write insulting things all over the gift certificate like, "please remember to tip your server." No $#*! Sherlock. I feel like I am a child being punished. Then I get to the restaurant, and they aren't even open anymore! So I sign back on to my account to get my money back and order another one somewhere else and they didn't have my remaining $50 on my account! So I call customer service, no help at all. NEVER AGAIN. $#*! this site. End Rant Here.

Thumbnail of user rubyh185
Alabama
1 review
10 helpful votes
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February 1st, 2023
Verified purchase

I basically gave them money. Thankfully not much but this is useless.
Read the fine print before you purchase and find out if there's even any restaurants near you that take this.
Such a scam.

Tip for consumers:
Read all the fine print. Read reviews.

Products used:
We weren't able to use this.

Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user kimb840
Nevada
1 review
24 helpful votes
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February 18th, 2020

I received a coupon for a "FREE" Dinner and a Movie when i purchased my KIA. We went to use it and its totally NOT FREE at all! You have to spend a certain dollar amount to get the amount of the so called "FREE" gift card! This resturant.com website is hard to use/redeem and confusing as hell! The entire thing is lame as $#*!!

Thumbnail of user joes442
California
1 review
5 helpful votes
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October 16th, 2014

Ordered tickets to pippin. And was til on phone the seats were 'premium balcony'. I asked what that meant and the cust. Svc rep said "first three rows of balcony". (this was a couple months ago when they used to take xalls, Which they no longer do). The tickets were mailed to me and finally arrived showed 10 days before our performance date. They were 2nd to last row in balcony. I wouldn't have purchased had I known that.

After sending several emails explainimg and letting them know we won't be using the tickets and asking for credit, I have not received any responses.

I am done w restaurant.com

Tip for consumers:
Terrible customer svc. They mislead. Stay away.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user theresaa30
Texas
1 review
2 helpful votes
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May 8th, 2017

Restaurant.com called wanting to sign my business up, said they were like groupon but better. I told them I would think about it. I NEVER agreed to do business with them. Had a customer come in on a Sunday night with gift certificate. Customer was PISSED when it wasn't honored. Called Restaurant.com and they called that my bartender agreed to do business with them. First of all they need to have someone with the authority to agree to do business with them. Second, my employee said that she told them no! Now the customer is posting all the internet give us bad reviews for not take the gift certificate.

Thumbnail of user rickl2
Texas
1 review
4 helpful votes
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February 17th, 2010

I have mixed feelings about restaurant.com... I bought 800.00 for 64 dollars so it could have been worse. I think I'd be upset if I'd spent anymore money. I'm disapointed because these aren't really gift certificates but more like coupons. With 800.00 worth you learn really fast what you can and can't do... For exAmple, when you redeem the certificates, you find out that you can only use one per visit, so unlike a gift card, you aren't able to use it in any incraments. Also, the restuarants are not the best quality and you do have to spend more money than you normally would... so buyer beware and read the fine print... On one hand you'll support small businesses, but I find the whole site to be misleading.

Thumbnail of user pamm653
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 5th, 2021

I've been trying for over two years to get a refund for the $100 I spent on these so called 'deals' (in 2019). Read the fine print! None of the restaurants are in my zip-code area, as I live in a suburb of Rochester, NY. I have repeatedly told them (thru emails) that I want a REFUND, but they do not reply. The 'fine-print' on the certificates tells you the Minimum purchase should be $30, the Certificate is only for $15, that's $45, before tip. You're taking a chance on an unfamiliar restaurant, in a neighborhood you wouldn't be caught dead in! DO NOT BUY... TOTAL RIPOFF!

Tip for consumers:
Read the reviews 1st...I should have! If I could have given them Zero-stars, I would have!

Products used:
NONE...Still waiting for a REFUND!

Thumbnail of user tonyac5
Texas
1 review
14 helpful votes
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August 4th, 2015

I purchased a $100 certificate using my e-Rewards points (I had to use 75 of those) only to lose but my points and the certificate! First of all I couldn't get on the website due to incorrect password (so they say) then it wouldn't allow me to reset my password.

Thumbnail of user nonyab11
Washington
1 review
11 helpful votes
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December 13th, 2017

Heres a $25 gift card. But you have to spend $50 first in order to use it. And you have to be a first-time customer. And you can't use it with any other deal, including Happy Hour. And none of the restaurants are that good. Enjoy!

Absolutely garbage. A huge scam website that bilks you out of your money and sends you off to other scammy websites to do the same.

Thumbnail of user det15
Texas
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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February 7th, 2024

This is a scam. You can't get any restuarant to take the cards so they are WORTHLESS. You email them for help iin using these csrds and they NEVER respond. You call them for help in using these useless cards and you end up talking to a trained monkey instead of a human being. BEWARE THESE CARDS ARE USELESS.

Tip for consumers:
This business should be closed down immediately.

Products used:
Restaurant gift cards supposedly.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user patriciaw17
North Dakota
1 review
1 helpful vote
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September 21st, 2012

I bought the savings certificate from restaurant.com for Viiolas in Quincy.!
$10 for a $25 certificate. The comments were all fantastic. When our party of 3 arrived we were told they did not have the veal, beef, or chicken listed on the menu. (hadn't been delivered that day). Turns out they are going out of business. We were told this after our arrival. The wonderful waitress accepted our certificate (Thank you), but shame on restaurant.com for not using due dilligence in restaurant reviews. I wonder who on the staff of restaurrants.com actually verified all those comments of excellence.

Thumbnail of user katiec669
Nevada
1 review
2 helpful votes
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February 23rd, 2023
Verified purchase

So you basically bought fake money. Ex I spent 11 dollars for their $100 fake crap money. Then I find a restaurant and spend a small amount of fake money say $5 for a $25 certificate for that restaurant. But the stipulation is I must spend $75 at the restaurant. So now I have $95 of fake money and I have spent 11 +5O real money. No chance of ever spending the whole $1Oo at one place. Though they market it as though it's great you can spend as little as you want at a time but you are really forced to do that. 2$ will get you a 5$ certificate to a place but you have to spend 1O minimum.

Tip for consumers:
Don’t use this site .. red flag red flag!

Products used:
Who cares nothing will be worth it

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user adams
Louisiana
1 review
3 helpful votes
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December 21st, 2008

Fraud/ tricky website. Don't get allured by the discount provided in the website. - hi,
I bought 4 gift certificates worth 25$ each at restaurant.com valid only online through mrsfields.com. It was on a sunday, so I couldn't inquire either of them (restaurant.com or mrsfields.com) about the expiry and the minimum order. I came to know about the fraud after I bought the mrsfilds.com certificates that I need to purchase a minimum of 75 dollars (excluding shipping charges) and can use only one coupon for redemption at checkout. So, I need to pay 50 dollars from my pocket everytime I make a purchase. Buyers, be aware.

Thumbnail of user julies324
South Carolina
1 review
9 helpful votes
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May 4th, 2018

I got an email yesterday, reminding me I had unused certificates and could exchange them but when I look at my account, it doesn't show that I have any certificates. YOU PEOPLE sent me the email! How do I not have certificates in my account now? And it's not like I can connect to customer service so now I remember why I stopped buying certificates in the first place.

Thumbnail of user markg82
Florida
1 review
6 helpful votes
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September 10th, 2014

I received a $100 gift certificate over a year ago and have never used it. The restrictions are totally confining. Many restaurants won't accept it for various reasons. What a waste of money and time. The only restaurants that subscribe to this scam are the ones that have little or no patrons. SAVE YOUR MONEY DON'T buy anything from this outfit NOT WORTH IT. If they had a minus star rating I would use a MINUS 5!

Tip for consumers:
Save your time and money it's a total rip off.. Groupon or others are more honest.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user troyv57
Michigan
1 review
5 helpful votes
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July 9th, 2022
Verified purchase

This website is worthless and you might as well throw your money into a bottomless pit. On the lesser side of the problems this dumpster fire of a website has, it is misleading about the "certificate." It only says "must spend $50" so I assumed they could stack but they cannot (which is my fault for assuming) but they also only let you use 1 a month and cannot be refunded.

Now as for actually redeeming it they have 3 different websites and an app. When I went to activate my coupon on my account to take my friend out to eat it asked me to log in once again. After I complied it said that I didn't have any certificates. So I tried all 3 of their websites (one you cannot log into) and their app and they all didn't have any Used or Unused certificates under my account. Went into my email to see if they had sent me anything in regards to my purchase, which they did not. Spent roughly 40 minutes doing this as their websites run so slow that you wait several minutes to get on. Decided to contact support, except that all websites and the app send you to a "502 bad gateway" error because there's no way to contact them.

If I had spent my $24 to have someone punch me in the face that would've been a more enjoyable experience.

Tip for consumers:
Don’t use this site

Products used:
4 restaurant certificates

Service
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user chanceh12
Arkansas
1 review
1 helpful vote
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September 3rd, 2018

Burned me for $45. Can't use my hotel discount unless I go through a middleman that overcharges more than what the hotel offers. It is cheaper to go through the hotel than to go through the discounted price. Do not use Restaraunt.com. Scam company.

Thumbnail of user williamg116
Illinois
1 review
8 helpful votes
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September 21st, 2016

I had several gift card credits to use so I followed the proceedure to redeem them and buy some new certificates. When i finished I noticed that they never did apply my credits and instead charged my credit card the full amount. I contact them and all they did was send me the standard procedure for redetermining credits. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE WHAT SO EVER... No real way to contact them & speak to someone and get issues resolved. This was once a good deal but now it is dishonest and will fail. I'll get refunded through my credit card company as fraud... beware those that stalk in cyber space for suckers.

Thumbnail of user pc97
Florida
1 review
7 helpful votes
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August 21st, 2016

I got a Restaurant.com card as a gift a year or so ago, only to find out that I can getgood deals on the coupon, but have to spend a minimum of $50 at most places, even Pizzeria's and cafe's, that I want to go to. I can't eat up $50 of food myself. Even with my wife, we can't eat $50 worth of food in a Mexican restaraunt. I'm in Florida, not New York, so prices are reasonable, but still... For instance, a $10 coupon for $4. But I have to spend a minimum of $50. Rediculous...

Thumbnail of user janed55
North Dakota
1 review
0 helpful votes
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February 6th, 2014

AVOID! AVOID! AVOID! They make it sound SOOO good, but the reality is not so good! The "gift certificates" are nothing more than forcing you to spend more than you would otherwise just to use your "gift certificate." I bought a promotional deal only to discover that I have to spend at least $50 at the restaurant we had hoped to go to just to use the certificate.

Thumbnail of user kellyr23
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 17th, 2013

restaurant.com is NOT A SCAM. I have been purchasing coupons and using these coupons for over 2 years. I do not work for the company or even know of anyone who works for them. After reading most the of comments here, I believe people need to read the "terms" of the coupon, just like any other store/restaurant coupon. Their coupons DO NOT EXPIRE. If a restaurant goes out of business or stops honoring the coupon, you can ALWAYS EXCHANGE THEM for a new restaurant. I use these coupons when I am entertaining family, company, or just want to take the whole family to a specific restaurant. It's a great way to try a new restaurant or keep going back to those you like. With many restaurants, you can only use the coupons, once every 30 days... get with the system people... it's a great deal and I know many people who have continually purchased them and use them.

Thumbnail of user mariaf57
California
1 review
5 helpful votes
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June 14th, 2016

I am a business owner of a restaurant listed on the site, when I called inquire why my business was on the site, I was put on hold, hung up and passed around to different reps until they finally "wrote down my info". This site is a fraud. DO NOT PURCHASE anything until you can verify the restaurant is using them. It's also a knock off of an accredited site (restaurants.com) - word to the wise- DO NOT USE

Fellow business owners- check for your restaurants- they have fake logos with our real information and we didn't sign up for his service.

Thumbnail of user tinab64
South Carolina
1 review
1 helpful vote
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October 3rd, 2015

I took my daughter out to dinner tonight for her birthday. The food was undercooked and now I'm crossing my fingers she doesn't get sick. I informed them of the problem and they didn't even remove the undercooked food from the buffet. I will never step foot into the CHINESE BUFFET in pineville again

Thumbnail of user dianeg181
Wisconsin
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 16th, 2018

So many places do not accept these anymore. I had MANY for $20. I used a bunch for $10-15 certificates, leaving the balances on each at $5.
Well, they will not combine the TEN $5 CARDS I have, so I now need to purchase a flock of small ones (not worth it).
Six emails later, they STILL will not combine these unusable certificates.

Thumbnail of user robk402
New York
1 review
3 helpful votes
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August 23rd, 2023

They still email me about offers, I have thousands of wasted dollars in certificates that cannot be used for those places. They are either out of biz or no longer take these. Customer service is non-existent. Even if you exchange the certificate for credit NO PLACE TAKES THEM ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY DON'T PAY THE RESTAURANT. STAY AWAY!

Tip for consumers:
Stay away from these liars they will rip you off with zero refunds

Products used:
None as no one accepts these certificates or credits

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality

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