Okay- want the good news or the bad news first? Let's go with the bad so we end on a good note!
I wouldn't call it bad news, just not thinking our game plan completely through and not understanding or remembering the time or year and the location of the restaurant in downtown Charleston. It was simply a multitude of factors that when all came together- made the gift certificate a bad choice for our family tonight. What happened?
I got a FREE GC for a restaurant called Charleston Beer Works. When we got there Friday night- it was full of 20 somethings and not a child in site. DUH! You are saying- "It's called Charleston Beer Works!" No- it is a child friendly place and I checked it out beforehand- what was wrong was WHEN we decided to go. Any weeknight or a time of year that Charleston tourism is not at its lowest- we would have no problems. There was an arcade, air hockey tables, a kid's menu- it didn't mislead when claiming to be kid friendly. What I forgot was when tourism is slow when the weather is cold, that downtown Charleston on a Friday night becomes your typical college town.
What I would do next time? Call ahead and find out if a certain night or the weekend is the ideal time to use your GC plus ask specifically if that particular time/night is kid friendly. No big deal- just hadn't thought of these factors in the past plus I was trying to use the GC in a different city.
Good news- we used a GC Thurday night for a place on Sullivan's Island called Seel's Fish Camp. I now have a new restaurant in my top 5 for Charleston. We all four ate like kings, the food was wonderful, the portions huge and the atmosphere was perfect to kick back as a family and enjoy our supper. We had fried scallops, oysters, shrimps, hand cut french fries and onion rings plus Blue Crab Dip for drumroll please... $12.80 plus tip! Came to just over $20 for a family of four and it was DELISH!
Lesson learned here- getting GCs for new restaurants whether in your town or for vacation can help you find some simply wonderful places to eat! And if they aren't much more than above par in the taste category- at least one of the nights you are gone, you saved some money. But more often than not- when we've tried new places- we are always excited and happy when we leave. And we come back for more.
Restaurant.com is a simple concept, a cheap way to eat out and splurge plus get to try new places. All that being said doesn't exempt this concept or you using it to avoid coming across some speed bumps from time to time. Just think ahead, have a Plan B and do some research so you won't have to slow down for the bumps in the road!
It definitely worth the hit or misses because you save a ton and get to enjoy great food!!
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