It has been a busy month with many new products, features and functions being launched.

Restaurant and Consumer News

For the restaurants that will never go hi tech, do not have a Point of Sale (POS) or just have an obscure POS system, we have a solution.  Just show the card at the end of meal for two and the diners get $10 off, nice and easy.

For consumers this means more savings and more restaurants to choose from have a look on www.letsgofordinner.com

In August, we will be looking to launch our automated telephone redemption service for a similar audience where the server just calls up our back office and the certificates are redeemed.  Watch this space.

Another new product is our pay as you go or annual membership

1) Free Membership with 40% discount on certificates or

2) $15 membership for a year and a 50% off certificates

Allowing potential new members to decide if they want to save money upfront or just see how things go.

Password Change

Last easy thing now if you want to change your password you do not have to contact us, you can just log in and change it your self.

Have fun

Hi all,

Mia Stainsby of the Vancouver Sun gave us a plug in her “On the Burner” column of June 1.  Here’s a screen grab in case the story goes away:

On The Burner article in Vancouver Sun on June 1, 2009

While I was born and raised in Vancouver, my parents were European immigrants.  A regular summertime ritual during my childhood were long drives out to the airport to pick up what seemed to be a never-ending stream of relatives from the Olde Countries.  These visitors always seemed to bring a good stack of recent issues of The Beano that my brother and I would pore over with great interest.

When really special visitors would come, my parents would suggest to them that they take in the views of the city from Cloud 9, the revolving restaurant high above the corner of Robson and Broughton.  It and the hotel beneath were new and chic.  One would read in the newspaper about how local notables and imported U.S. starlets were seen perched in the restaurant, struggling to enjoy the amazing view while presenting their best face forward for the cameras.  Their brunch was particularly well-known and well-publicized, with CKNW broadcasting regularly from there.

I was therefore really pleased when the Cloud 9 became the latest addition to our growing stable of fine restaurants.

If you haven’t yet, try another view of Vancouver by using a Lets Go For Dinner 50% off gift certificate.  The hotel and restaurant have been recently renovated, and is a great place to go for dinner, particularly during our lovely spring and summer evenings.  Ken Ly, the Food and Beverage Manager, goes to great effort to make guests’ experiences the best they can be.   Check it out!

We had lots of people come up and say they liked using Lets Go For Dinner… it was a very pleasant surprise.

Here are a few of them…

Thanks

Charities

Just read a very interestng book review in the economist - which discusses using capitalistic methods to generate more revenue for charities.  The heart of the matter is paying people who do great fund raising  very well.  The specific example is Avon Breast Cancer Walk.  Avon started its own walks and generated $22.7 million.  They started the walks after leaving a firm that generated $70.9 million annually for the same walks. They left because the CEO  and founder was paid above the average.

Jealousy and charities should not mix and this is a great case.  Further, you get what you pay for.

Think big and you will be big.

Congratulations to all the winners of our Eat! Vancouver giveaway!

Our grand prize winner of $300 is Norman T.

Our two $100 prize winners are Amber O. and Nati H.

Our 100 $5 prize winners are listed below.

Congratulations to all our winners. Please send us comments and photos from the great dining experiences you have with the LetsGoForDinner service to feedback@letsgofordinner.com.

$5 prize winners:

Lesley L.
Lorraine C.
Trish G
John V
Bryan Y.
A A.
Alfred W.
Anitan S.
Karen S.
Jason K
Jones H.
Michael H
Mary I.
Reza J.
Peggy C.
Helen A.
Lupita J.
Quinn D.
Cade S.
Noreen B.
Desiree Y.
Mary D.
Charlene C.
Alex K.
Murray S.
Michael S.
Jill M.
Helene D.
Deborah L.
Jennifer F.
Colleen W
Jake R.
Rick R.
Alicia P.
Jenny L.
Kevin C
Emily Y
Jonathan S.
Erin F.
Dan Y.
Marina G.
Cheryl B.
Ellen G.
Diana L.
Jessica G.
Samuel S
Kouros J.
Alwyn L.
Raymond F.
Chantel S.
Christie K
Joanna S.
Charlie J.
Harry S.
Paul R.
Seunghee N
Brian C.
Andrew K.
Stan C
Eric S
Henry K.
Kathryn F.
Ryan Q
Tony K.
Maryam B.
Michelle S.
Wilhelm T.
Emma L.
Gillian Y.
Vivian C.
Ivar B
Shirley R.
Barbara M.
Kim S.
Becky S.
Zhu C
Ryan B.
Stella C.
Debbie A.
Natalie R.
Scott M.
Janet L.
May F.
Bridgette L.
Helene V.
Laura L.
John B.
Andrew G.
J M.
Katrina G.
T S.
Dana H.
Kyna M.
Reena M.
Elise T.
Evelyn L.
Jane C.
Peter J.
Allison S.
Craig G

Restaurant Coming the next 4-6 weeks or sooner

Cieli’s Irish pub and Restaurant
The New Bohemian
So.Cial at Le Magasin
Century restaurant
Monk McQueens
LIFT
Monks Grill
Players Chophouse
Saltaire
Players ChopHouse Whistler

As part of the Eat! Vancouver event, we’re having a signup giveaway!

We’re giving away:

1. One prize of a $300 site credit, good for purchase of any restaurant gift certificate
2. Two prizes of $100 site credits,
3. …and 100 prizes of $5 site credits!
4. Also, follow our Twitter feed — Craig will be giving away instant coupon codes good for $10 off any purchase.

Everyone who signs up for free membership between 12:00am Friday May 22 and 11:59pm Tuesday May 26 is eligible to win, so don’t delay and tell your friends.

We’ll be announcing the winners via email and on the blog on Wednesday.

The crazy day as expected .. what category of crazy not sure.. but everyone very friendly

Preparing for the www.eat-vancouver.com show was always going to be fraught.. always with the best planning, things go wrong
and it just depends on the degree of “wrongness”

Start really early planning where I have to go as I rarely drive to darkest Africa err Richmond and Burnaby. Need a
whole host of stuff for the show clips, posters, labels, stools, stands and assorted accessories as well as collect my
car from shop.. really boring but necessary things to get.

Got a call from the producer of talk1410.com wantimg us to come on the radio to discuss LetsGoForDinner.. of course my
bloody Iphone turns the ringer off regularly so I have to call her back. We (craig) are suppose to be on at 11:15am…
The interview goes very well and Craig is a star.. hurray.

Went to the Canadian Tire in Richmond on No 3Rd to find some clips and velcro and anything I could use at the show.. they all were really helpful automotive, gardening, general service, the two people
I spoke to at checkout.. were amazing..

Walk away and off to get our banner from the portables - they have been helpful but will the image quality be good enough and
will I be able to make it stand up. The guy in the warehouse took the time to explain how it is put togtether.

Off now for more boring material - labels and hanging clips… Home Depot, Fabric Land and Staples… all visited… too bad it was
not a pub crawl and I would be very happy by now.

But I am still smiling evryone has been great.

Need petrol for the car as this a loaner until get my car back… off course I do not put enough in… bloody
Chevy Malibu sucks gas… plastic interior with toy accelerator pedal and indicator sounds

Get my car… nice job… bumper as good as new and the car looks like it has been waxed to match the existing black… very nice

Car has a problem starting.. battery problems? …. Drive down to collect the posters from Kinkos park in the lot.. yeah.  Go in come out…. car dead…. ok, no jumper cables, no CAA I think, anyone near by to help… what do you do?
Bingo Carter Honda dealership 3 blocks away and they will ahve service… service a further 6 blocks away…

The salesmanager gives me jumper cables… I am thinking ok who will stop for me.. anyone in the lot no? back at the parking lot

I here a car, I see a car pulling in a girl… a guy in another car.. Mate do you think you could give me a jump… sure
30 secs.. a record… off I got to my dealerhsip

kingsway honda.. pull up leave car running.. ask them to fix it… say yes and I am out in 45 minutes…awesome.

Go to BC Place to drop off material get a little lost but bang .. set up in 20 minutes

Now for lunch

A crazy day but completely bearable as everyone was so helpful

See you at the www.eat-vancouver.com

It is great to have a new site and to have it fully supported. Very nice change.

My favourite feature is the new restaurant page with the 8 pictures in the middle and how they open.. very nice.

Saying that there a few things we still want to do and will be doing over the next few weeks to get it to the standard we want it to, so it is a work in progress.

Please have a look and let us know what you think. Hoepfully we will have the same thoughts and new ones always welcome.