Can you actually eat at a decent restaurant and take advantage of the $25 for $4 gift card deal that we see from Restaurant.com? We took the challenge, in the name of deal research, of course.

Typically, Restaurant.com offers a $25 certificate for $10, which, while not a bad deal, doesn't really inspire us to jump on the pre-paid meal bandwagon. From time to time, however, you'll see a one day deal like this one that gets you up to four $25 pre-paid gift cards for $4 each. Coming away with $100 worth of gift cards for $16 works for us.

The question is, where can you use the gift cards? Your mileage may vary, but Restaurant.com does offer a quick way to check your surrounding area for participating fine dining establishments, before you purchase. In our case, everything from Pizza to fine French cuisine was available. Being that we're in the SF Bay Area, our options may be broader than what is available where you live. Reading the fine print, a minimum $35 total purchase is required for each $25 discounted coupon that you use. Order four of the $25 coupons and you'll need to spend at least $200 on the meal to use them. We took the plunge and ordered $100 worth of GC for $16 total and guess what happened. It worked. We printed out the discounted coupons and presented them after we had our food and adult beverages at the Tower Grille in Concord, CA (food was great, BTW). The waiter took the coupons without grumbling and we were able to try out a new local dining spot with friends at a great discount.

To take advantage of this deal, you'll need to use coupon code ONEDAY when ordering. We do see this deal offered from time to time, but currently, this special is only valid on 11/13.