Restaurant.com's First Daily Deal Set-up to Drive $105 MM Into Restaurant Industry and Fill 1.5 MM Tables

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Restaurant.com, the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide, launched its first-ever daily deal on Sept. 30, 2010 and connected consumers with unprecedented savings. The deal, which was extended one additional day, resulted in hungry deal seekers purchasing almost 1.5 million Restaurant.com gift certificates in just 48 hours.  In addition to the deal's positive impact on diners, the restaurant industry will reap the benefits of the sale, which has the potential to fill nearly 1.5 million tables and drive $105 million of incremental revenue into restaurants across the country.

"The overwhelming response to our first-ever daily deal not only means savings to diners, but also major profits for the restaurants on our program," said Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com. "Our program is a unique marketing solution for restaurants because when we run a deal or a promotion, the results drive a steady stream of business and not an unpredictable flood of traffic."

Purchases made through Restaurant.com's daily deal are divided up among more than 15,000 restaurants nationwide offering a total of 35,000 gift certificate options with no expiration dates. The variety of selection for diners and the customized gift certificates, which are tailored to meet the needs of each individual restaurant, ensures that the program drives stable traffic into restaurants during the times they need business most. By having this steady and predictable flow of guests, operators can reap the benefits of a well-received daily deal promotion, but still be able to appropriately and easily plan ahead for inventory and staffing requirements.

Based on the total number of certificates purchased through the promotion at denominations ranging from $10 to $100, Restaurant.com's daily deal has the potential to drive a total of $105 million in incremental revenue and $35 million in net profit into the restaurants that participate in the Restaurant.com program. All figures were calculated based on Restaurant.com's decade of experience working with restaurants understanding their estimated food and overhead costs in addition to knowing what the average guest spends on a meal when dining out with a Restaurant.com Gift Certificate.

In addition, the popularity of the sale represents eager diners who will not only bring their appetites to the table, but also valuable dining dollars that are spent on food and also on wait staff. Servers represent a significant population of individuals who have been impacted by the toll the economy has taken on the industry, and the success of the deal represents a potential of nearly $19 million left in tips by Restaurant.com gift certificate users.

Beyond the traffic and marketing exposure Restaurant.com drives for participating restaurants, the program sets itself apart from other deal sites by offering operators additional marketing tools. For example, after a guest redeems a Restaurant.com Gift Certificate they are sent a survey to collect information on their dining experience, which is feedback then made available to the restaurant. Operators are also given monthly reports that outline information such as profit estimates, number of tables filled, Web page traffic and more, all for no out-of-pocket costs.

"While we ran this one-day promotion to get consumers excited about dining out, we understand that it takes 365 days of attention to really fulfill the marketing needs of a restaurant," said Chessick. "This 'daily' deal is going to have a positive impact on the industry for days, weeks and months to come."

To learn more about how the Restaurant.com program works for restaurants, visit http://partners.restaurant.com/ or call 1-877-640-1844.

About Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. The company offers savings at more than 15,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 35,000 daily gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings people together to relax, converse and enjoy well-prepared and -served meals at affordable prices. To date, Restaurant.com customers have saved more than $500 million through the gift certificate program. Restaurant.com has operated since 1999 and is based in Arlington Heights, Ill.

SOURCE Restaurant.com