A LA CARTE: RESTAURANT NEWS – February 5, 2004

Dining On A Discount

By JOHN AVIGNONE, Special To The Courant

You don't always have to find a posted special to pay less for
lunch or save on supper. Dining discounts and savings
opportunities abound, as do the restaurants eager for the
business they bring in this time of year.

"We are the hotels.com of restaurants and want to help
restaurants fill their empty tables," says Steven Savad, vice
chairman of restaurant.com. The website sells gift certificates
to participating restaurants available for a 50 percent discount,
or by auction on eBay.

Find the auctions on restaurant.com by scrolling to the bottom of
the page, then click on the eBay icon; another way is to visit
eBay.com, click on travel, then hit the restaurant.com icon.
Either method leads you to a window where you can buy the
certificates at 50 percent off, or a map linking you to auctions
of gift certificates in the state.

Information on the program: 800-979-8985.