CREDIT-CARD DISCOUNT PROGRAMS EASY TO SWALLOW FOR SOME DINERS : SOME PROMOTIONS INCLUDE:.Byline: Susan SUSAN Smallest Univalue Segment Assimilating Nucleus SUSAN Sub Saharan African Network SUSAN Smart Ultrasonic System for Aircraft NDE Selasky Knight-Ridder Tribune tribune, in ancient Rome, one of various officers. The history of the office of tribune is closely associated with the struggle of the plebs against the patrician class to achieve a more equitable position in the state. From c.508 B.C. News Wire Chuck and Heather Collis eat out so often, they're willing to dish out To serve out of a dish; to distribute in portions at table. (Arch.) To hollow out, as a gutter in stone or wood. to dispense freely; - also used figuratively; as, to dish out punishment; to dish out abuse or insult s>. See also: Dish Dish Dish an extra $50 a year just to save money in restaurants. On recent weekends, the double-income, no-kids couple ate at their three favorite Italian restaurants. They like those restaurants not just for the Italian cuisine Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved from centuries of social and political change. Its roots can be traced back to 4th century BCE and into the Middle Ages which brought Arab and Norman influence to certain regions along with introduction of notable chefs , but because they're also spicing up their nights with a bargain. At all of these restaurants, the couple pulled out their GM Card - which they voluntarily paid $50 to link to the Transmedia Network for a year - to get a 25 percent discount on their food and beverage F&B is a common abbreviation in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Hong Kong. F&B is typically the widely accepted abbreviation for "Food and Beverage," which is the sector/industry that specializes in the conceptualization, the making of, and delivery of foods. purchases at area restaurants. ``It's a great idea,'' said 26-year-old Heather Collis, who lives in Royal Oak, Mich. No lowlife coupons. Lots of higher-priced and medium-priced restaurants from which to choose. Plenty of savings quietly rolling off the credit-card bill each month. Eating out - now more than ever - involves not only picking a restaurant, but also deciding whether you want to hook up with a network that gives you a discount. The choices include Transmedia Network Inc., Dining a la Card, the Dinner on Us Club, the Entertainment Gold card and the Diners Club Diners Club International, originally founded as Diners Club, is a credit card company formed in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara, Ralph Schneider and Casey R. Taylor. When it first emerged, it became the first independent credit card company in the world. . Take the Diner's Club discount program, for instance. The credit card has an $80 annual fee and offers a 20 percent discount off the total bill at many restaurants nationwide. All the cards are heavily promoting what's called ``electronic dining.'' You give your regular credit-card number to the dining network. The network then automatically sends you a rebate rebate, partial refund of the total price paid for goods or services. In the United States, rebates were historically given by railroads to favored shippers as a return on transportation charges. check or gives you a credit on your credit-card statement after you eat at a restaurant that participates in its program. Dining a la Card, which is shooting for a half a million members by the end of the year, is now offering a free one-year membership to MasterCard holders. As an ``appetizer,'' the deal includes a one-time, 50 percent cash rebate check for the first dinner at a participating restaurant. The maximum rebate is $120. Typically, consumers pay $49.95 a year to Dining a la Card to receive a 20 percent discount on food, beverages, taxes and tip. But consumers must spread out their dining; they can visit a specific restaurant only once each month. Call (800) 854-8708 anytime. Transmedia, which normally charges $50 a year for its discount dining program, has a direct-mail feature that offers to reduce the first year's fee to $25. Under that program, consumers can receive a 25 percent discount on food and beverages, taxes and tip excluded. There are no restrictions on how often you may eat at a single restaurant. But you must make advance reservations with Transmedia, not the restaurant, if you have a party of seven or more. Transmedia also has a no-fee plan for a 20 percent discount. Call (800) 787-3463 anytime. Discount cards have supporters on both sides of the kitchen. ``I'd rather have a card than a coupon,'' said Bernadette Thomas (language) Thomas - A language compatible with the language Dylan(TM). Thomas is NOT Dylan(TM). The first public release of a translator to Scheme by Matt Birkholz, Jim Miller, and Ron Weiss, written at Digital Equipment Corporation's Cambridge Research Laboratory runs . It's more convenient and upscale, she said. Others also like the idea that neither your server nor your guest knows whether you're getting a discount. Thomas, who is single and eats out about five times a week, registered her Visa card to the Entertainment Gold program. That program offers a 25 percent discount for food and beverages on the first visit and a 10 percent discount on return visits to an individual restaurant. This year, consumers are expected to spend more than $100 billion on food and drink at full-service restaurants. Despite the rush to eat out, though, plenty of small restaurants have trouble making a go of it. ``We're helping (restaurants) to market a perishable per·ish·a·ble adj. Subject to decay, spoilage, or destruction. n. Something, especially foodstuff, subject to decay or spoilage. Often used in the plural. asset - an empty seat,'' said Russell Dash, Midwest regional vice president for Transmedia in Chicago. Transmedia, for example, ``buys'' food credits at a discount from the restaurant. ``It's worked pretty well for us actually,'' said Rick Halberg, owner and chef of Emily's Restaurant in Novi, Mich., which participates in the Transmedia program. The restaurant gets cash up front - and a little outside marketing. Even so, are any of these programs really good deals for diners Diners can mean:
Short answer: It depends on how often you eat out. ``One of the budget areas that has the most fat is entertainment - which dining out Dining Out is one of the many traditions held by the military today. The history dates back to when Roman soldiers would hold dinners in honor of an individual. Later, British naval officers held a "guest night" to relax with other military personal and honored guests. would go into,'' said N. Susan Abentrod, a financial consultant and author of the ``10 Minute Guide to Beating Debt'' (Macmillan; $10.95). Consumers must ask themselves whether they'd naturally spend more than $200 at a given group of restaurants in a year. You'd need to spend at least $200 to recover a $50 annual fee if the discount is 25 percent. Or will they end up stuffing themselves just to break even on a $50 annual fee? Many programs need a direct link to your credit card. So if you're having a hard time controlling spending now, it won't be any easier if you always have to pull out a credit card to save money. You also need to look at where you like to eat anyway - and recognize that many of the elite restaurants don't play along. ``We don't even advertise,'' said Jim Lark Jim Lark served as the United States Libertarian Party National Chairman from 2000 to 2002. Lark is a professor of systems engineering at the University of Virginia where he spends much of his time coordinating LP activity on college campuses. , proprietor proprietor n. the owner of anything, but particularly the owner of a business operated by that individual. PROPRIETOR. The owner. (q.v.) of the Lark restaurant in West Bloomfield West Bloomfield can refer to several places in the United States:
The reason: ``We're booked every night,'' Lark says. Tim Zagat, publisher of the restaurant surveys that bear his name, recently reviewed a list of restaurants participating in the Transmedia program and other programs. He was not impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: . ``Virtually none of the restaurants would be ones that I would be interested in going in,'' Zagat said. ``You're almost for sure getting second-class restaurants.'' But many people who subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; the program love the restaurants offered by their discount plans. ``I know we're saving money,'' said Chuck Collis, 27, who sells medical equipment. As for how much money, well, that is a little harder to judge. Chuck and Heather, who both have good-paying jobs, aren't certain exactly how much they spend eating out. Heather, who pays the bills, estimates that the couple spends about $300 a month for about four dinners out each week. Many nights out involve Taco Bell Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., is a Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain based in Irvine, California, United States. The restaurant has locations primarily in the United States and Canada, but also operates outlets in several other markets. or McDonald's, which don't offer Transmedia discounts. The couple, she said, probably spend about $150 a month - or $1,800 a year - using Transmedia. The discount, after paying Transmedia's $50 annual fee, would be about $400 a year. Well worth it, Chuck Collis said, especially because all those dinners out also add rebate points on the GM Card toward the purchase of a GM car or truck. |
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