Can’t Decide Where to Eat? Ask Twitter!

Do you Twitter? Are you on Facebook? Do you like saving money when you dine out? If you answered “yes” to any of the three, then you might be interested to know that by using one (or more) of these social networking sites can save you money when visiting restaurants that you already dine out at. In today’s ever growing social networking world, businesses are turning to social networking media like Twitter and Facebook to promote coupons and dining deals.

As more and more business are finding out, Facebook and Twitter are quickly becoming the easiest way to get in contact with and get feedback from their valued guests. Due in part to the fact that many consumers are super fans and want to interact with their favorite dining spot, many restaurant companies have begun to utilize the “fan of…” pages in Facebook to promote their stores and offer deals to their loyal “fans”. Companies have also begun to use Twitter as well to “tweet” the latest deals and happenings of their organizations.

Twitterific Deals from Your Favorite Restaurants

Pizza Hut, El Pollo Loco, Church’s Chicken and Baskin Robbins have done a tremendous job of interacting with their followers on Twitter. In fact El Pollo Loco and Baskin Robbins have been holding contests on Twitter where the winners can receive gift cards and dining certificates to their respective restaurants. Pizza Hut has been using Twitter to promote savings on their daily deals by giving their Twitter followers codes to use when an order is placed using Pizza Hut’s online ordering page.

Finding restaurants on Facebook and Twitter is as easy as using the “search” feature on any given website. Simply type in the name of the restaurant you wish to follow and watch as the search results bring up your desired query. However, do be careful and make sure you’re accessing the official sponsored page of whatever restaurant you’re looking for, as some franchised chains might have more than one page listed. Plus one of the best things about following some of these restaurants is that a few of them have been known to send you a coupon as a way of saying “thanks.”

Who to Follow to Get “Tweet Deals”

But do you need to follow all of these restaurants on your Facebook and Twitter accounts just to get a deal? The answer is “no.” You can always find a great deal the old fashioned way; let a friend refer you. Or you can pick a site that lists all this information for you. There are great sites out there that will Twitter you and fill you in on deals, such as eMeal Alerts and DinerDave.com. Both sites will post all the “value priced” dining deals that they come across on the web through Twitter, Facebook, and all the different eClubs that restaurants offer. 

eMeal Alerts and Diner Dave update their blogs daily and actively scan through a multitude of Twitter accounts just to bring the consumer the best deals. They even have easy to use “keyword” or “tag” lists that makes searching for your favorite restaurant, food, or deal easy to find. With direct links to many of the offers, you can easily get to your deals without the hassle of searching for links on the restaurants site.  See below for examples of some “tweet deals” from eMeal Alerts and Diner Dave.

Let’s face it, there are so many different restaurants out there on both the local and national level, it would be hard to follow every single one just to get a great deal. But, with that in mind we encourage you to go out there and visit the websites of your favorite restaurants and see if they have a Facebook or Twitter account that you can follow. Not only can you be aware of what’s going on with your favorite eatery, but it also provides you with another way to leave feedback. However if you can’t decide, you can always check in with eMeal Alerts and Diner Dave to be exposed to a variety of restaurants and their promotions that you might not even be aware of. Enjoy your meal.

About the author:
Michael Reynaga is a Business Analyst with Synergy Restaurant Consultants (http://synergyconsultants.com). Synergy Restaurant Consultants has been one of the industry’s leading Restaurant Consulting firms for the past twenty years. Their expertise in the industry runs the gambit from menu design and development to marketing and training. If you are a restaurant owner or manger and want to learn how you can use Twitter or Facebook to promote your restaurant or find a great dining deal contact him at Michael@synergyconsultants.com.