$1.50 off Take Out Pho Restaurant is completely different than a 10.00 coupon for a full dinner in a Restaurant. You have to turn over a hell of a lot more customers than a restaurant does to make money. Why work harder and make less money? I’m sure those $10 dollar coupons are based on a purchase of a certain amount of food or one per visit max of 2 per table or something like that.

It is also illegal to advertise or give away free alcohol and you’d be shut down fast for doing so. A free can of pop is more expensive than a glass of pop in a restaurant as they use bags and per glass it’s about .03 – .07 cents.

These small businesses have to pay recycling fees on canned/plastic/tetra beverages so that makes it even more expensive due to the fact that they don’t get these back. The margin for profit is already lowered by these circumstances.

You want your customer to have a discounted or coupon advertise that every day the Fresh Sheet has nothing priced over $10.00 and give them something with perceived value with the same profit margin as selling something off of the regular menu.

I give that coupons are great for promotions in certain businesses. In others it’s a sign of desperation for a business. In my opinion as soon as you see a good restaurant start advertising coupons it’s a sure sign that they are going under. While if you open a new restaurant and always have coupons from the get go it’s impossible to lose that coupon or those coupons customers will stop coming in. If your a huge chain people expect to see them in those coupons books or have special dishes created just for that time running, like Panago or say Swiss Chalet.

So I’ve said enough I’m sure. Hope you don’t mind my rant !

Cheers

Do you also have to spend a minimum amount to get that free drink? :P