Experiences while using Tastecard

[Type R Tom]

I know the Tastecard seems to divides opinion but personally I think it’s great, it allows me to eat far more often than I could.

I've not had a bad meal outside of usual problems with food until Saturday when at a steak restaurant I booked with the Tastecard we were (at 7:30pm) told they had run out of fillet and T-bone. Now is may be the case but I was rather suspicious of them pushing us towards the cheaper cuts as we were paying half price.

Has anyone ever experienced similar, i.e. smaller portions, items “unavailable” when using the Tastecard? My faith was restored a couple of nights later with one of the best curries I've had for a long time while using the Tastecard.

[Carlton Banks]

The trick is to give them the taste card after the meal at bill time

[cheechm]

Until you realise that a lot of places require phone booking for tastecard....

[21TonyK]

Carlton Banks said:

The trick is to give them the taste card after the meal at bill time

At which they should refuse the card and insist on payment in full. However having been put in an embarrassing and potentially inflammatory position they will probably accept the card gracefully.

This is why I cancelled the taste card agreement the first day I bought a restaurant.

[sidekickdmr]

I have and use my taste card all the time!

95% of the time it's great and enjoy checking out restaraunts that I would never had without the taste card. For example "the Highwayman", it's a local indipendiant pub/restaraunt in a village about 5 miles away, never even heard of it before but went along as it was on the taste card, been back 5-10 times since and reccomended it to friends and family, great food great service!

The only issue I had once was booking a place and informing them we have the card, getting the menus and both ordering starters and mains from said menu, it wasn't until the bill came that we got told that the taste card discount only works on a certain section of the menu and none of the courses we ordered were included.

This was then served with a side dish of attitude and rudeness

No issue really, just never been back since!

[Type R Tom]

I’ve always tried to make sure I enter in to the “spirit” of the tastecard, i.e. tipped at the full meal value, bought alcoholic drinks, booked as per the venues request etc. I therefore hope the restaurant uphold their side of the deal by offering the same meal they would to any paying customer.

There is obviously a mixed view by restaurant owners regarding its use, personally I’ve eaten in places that I wouldn’t normally go to, for example, a pub well outside of town offers 50% off for 6 people on a Saturday night. We have been several times with friends so the restaurant takes an extra £100 that they would not have got as we wouldn’t have gone there otherwise and we get a “cheap” night out. Everyone’s a winner!

Another pub I went to quite often was excellent but eventually cancelled their membership, apparently people would eat in the place and order tap water. I personally think this is wrong and spoils it for everyone but I might consider it in a Pizza Express type place to keep the bill down but never in a small pub or restaurant

21TonyK said:

This is why I cancelled the taste card agreement the first day I bought a restaurant.

So was that the only reason for you removing it? I’m interested to hear the restaurant point of view

sidekickdmr said:

The only issue I had once was booking a place and informing them we have the card, getting the menus and both ordering starters and mains from said menu, it wasn't until the bill came that we got told that the taste card discount only works on a certain section of the menu and none of the courses we ordered were included.

This was then served with a side dish of attitude and rudeness

No issue really, just never been back since!

If I’m a little suspicious of a menu I always check with the staff having nearly been caught out in a similar way

[21TonyK]

Type R Tom said:

I’ve always tried to make sure I enter in to the “spirit” of the tastecard, i.e. tipped at the full meal value, bought alcoholic drinks, booked as per the venues request etc. I therefore hope the restaurant uphold their side of the deal by offering the same meal they would to any paying customer.

21TonyK said:

This is why I cancelled the taste card agreement the first day I bought a restaurant.

So was that the only reason for you removing it? I’m interested to hear the restaurant point of view

The way you use your card is how the scheme is supposed to work and from the sound of it you are the sort of customer restaurants are more than happy to offer a discount.

Unfortunately from my experience you are in the minority. The majority of my experiences with the taste card are people not booking, eating the most expensive things they can find, drinking tap water and then presenting a card. Normally on a busy weekend lunch or evening.

We run promotions and deals all the time but now do it ourselves which we can control.

[Pet Troll]

I mainly use the tastecard at Pizza Express, my closest one started saying we had to book online to use it (although they never refused it if we hadn't) so I do book online with no mention of the tastecard when I go there. If you mention the tastecard before you eat at this particular branch they seem to take extra long to serve you.
But my next closest branch is excellent, they don't ask us to book in advance and are always friendly and provide good service, as a result I go there more often even though it is further away.

When using the tastecard I always tip (I wouldn't otherwise) and I always have one or 2 drinks at £2-3 a time, likewise with whoever I am eating there with.

I have also been to a few local places that I would never have been to without the tastecard. Also with the tastecard discount my mate and I see it a pretty cheap meal out, so we go at least once if not twice a week whereas before I got a tastecard it would be more like once a month.

[davek_964]

My previous g/f had a taste card, and we always had very positive experiences with it. We did use it "as intended" though - always booked in advance and told then we had the card, and ate / drank exactly the same stuff we would if we were paying full price.