Treatful Launches New Restaurant Gifting Website Just in Time for the Holiday Season

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Treatful.com launches the first gifting site dedicated to experiential gifts at highly acclaimed restaurants across the United States.  This holiday season, gift givers can discover, select and instantly send personalized online gift certificates to many of the country's best restaurants. The list of award-winning restaurants available on Treatful.com continues to grow, with 250+ restaurants participating across the country, including:

• San Francisco – Aziza, Baume, Flour + Water, La Folie, Manresa, Quince and Saison
• Chicago – Boka, Leopold, Vie Restaurant, Arami and the Girl & the Goat
• Los Angeles – Angelini Osteria, Il Grano, JiRaffe, Joe's Restaurant and Villa Blanca
• New York City – Buttermilk Channel, The Four Seasons, Graffiti, and Todd English's Olives

Treatful is the answer to finding the perfect gift for life's year-round occasions with the convenience of purchasing from home. "Whether you need a last-minute birthday gift, want to take care of your holiday shopping or just show your appreciation for a colleague," says Co-Founder Brent Looney, "Treatful lets you send a gift with just an email address and with no service fees to the customer." Treatful also offers custom restaurant experiences such as Dinner for Two with Wine Pairing or Five Course Chef Tasting Menu.

This holiday season, 63% of Americans intend to purchase at least one restaurant gift card according to the 2011 Workplace Foodservice Consumer Survey. While today's consumers expect to be able to make these purchases online, they also desire the thoughtfulness that comes with sending a gift that is local to the recipients.  Until Treatful, local businesses have been unable to support this changing consumer trend. "Treatful provides our restaurants with the ability to better meet the needs of our visitors," says Michael Tusk Chef/Owner of the highly acclaimed Quince and Cotogna restaurants in San Francisco. "They have helped us increase our gift card sales and provide an all-around more convenient solution for us and our guests."  

Treatful was founded in December 2010 by Brent Looney and Hoon Kim, who met at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.  Realizing that local businesses make up a disproportionately small share of the $90 billion gift card market, they created Treatful to bring more dollars to local restaurants and communities, while providing consumers an easy way to send personalized gifts from the restaurants they love.  

To learn more about Treatful and see all participating restaurants, please visit Treatful's website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

SOURCE Treatful