Groupon Dinner Package – Deal or No Deal?

I have to admit that I am totally in love with the Groupon service and that I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, however when it comes to their dinner deals I wonder if the restaurants stick up to their end of the deal.

We had the opportunity of purchasing a dinner for 4 at a rate of R185 which included a sirloin steak and either a glass of wine, draught of beer or a soda each, needless to say we bought the offer from Groupon and headed to The Dross Malibongwe with the expectation of having a lovely dinner.

We were greeted with puzzled faces when we mentioned that we had a Groupon voucher, our reservation had been made but no table reserved for our arrival time so we were seated outside on a rainy and chilly evening.

It was evident that our waiter was not impressed with serving us, probably making the assumption that we were cheap skates just out to take advantage of the deal we had purchased from Groupon. Mom always said that assumptions are the mother of all f*@k ups, and in this case she was rite.

Instead of the waiter taking the opportunity and giving us super service in the hopes of getting a bigger tip as we had more to spare, he opted for the opposite, and the opposite is what he got in the end.

My concern is that although Groupon is offering these amazing deals, are you really getting the service that one would get when paying the full price? Are the restaurants briefing their staff on the opportunity they might have when serving Groupon clients?

Are the restaurants aware that Groupon clients could be turned into regulars provided that they enjoy the dinner and are offered the same service that usual patrons would be offered?

Yeah, maybe the Dross is not known for the best service around, but there is no excuse.

I believe that Groupon should ensure that the restaurants that they are enlisting should be informed and aware of the opportunity available and this needs to be communicated down to staff level, and maybe these restaurants should be rated first as it is Groupon’s reputation on the line as well.