Restaurant.com Celebrates the Gift of Giving, ‘Feed It Forward’ Lets Nation Give $30 Million in 30 Days for Free

Arlington Heights, Ill., Nov. 26, 2009—Household cutbacks, job losses and foreclosures still loom large, affecting people’s lives and abilities to give during the holidays. A down economy also has the potential to deprive people of the gift of giving, a harsh reality during the time of year when giving matters most. Restaurant.com announced today the return of “Feed It Forward,” a 30-day initiative to support the important act of giving, despite these persistent economic hardships. Now until Christmas, individuals are entitled to give up to $9,000 in Restaurant.com gift certificates, from a total pool of $30 million, to family, friends and co-workers located anywhere in the country—at no cost.

“People are challenged right now to get what they need for themselves let alone for others. We are enabling a nationwide giving movement and ‘feeding frenzy’ that allows everyone, no matter what their financial situation, to experience the gift of giving,” said Cary Chessick, president and CEO at Restaurant.com.

The Feed It Forward initiative is built upon a single giving Web site, www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward, stocked with a total of three million, $10 Restaurant.com gift certificates totaling $30 million. The site will be live through midnight PST on Dec. 25 and allows individuals to go online to give gift certificates on a first come, first serve basis. Gift givers choose whom to give to and gift recipients then decide where to dine among more than 6,500 participating Restaurant.com restaurants nationwide.

To send free $10 gift certificates, gift givers simply enter their name and email address, as well as information for the people they wish to give to—as many as 30 people each day for the length of the initiative. They can go to www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward every day and share gift certificates with people anywhere in the country, giving out a total value that far exceeds even the most impressive holiday gift giving budget during the healthiest of economic times.

Once a participant selects their chosen recipients, they can share a brief note about why they are giving. Restaurant.com will feature some of these messages of appreciation on the Feed It Forward home page and, if chosen by the individual, will send the giver’s personal message along with the gift certificate. As people join in the celebration of giving and give away gift certificates, a U.S. map displayed on the site will depict the areas of the country where the giving is happening along with keeping track of the amount given in real time.

Feed It Forward 2009 features include:

• Generous “daily give” allowance - Givers can give to up to 30 people per day, with the potential of giving up to $9,000 worth of Restaurant.com gift certificates through the duration of the program.
• Feed It Forward Facebook application – The application allows givers to easily access their friend network and select those they wish to give to. Recipients are sent messages alerting them of their free gift and givers’ status updates will reflect the amount of gift certificates they have given and who has received them.
• Personal message delivery – Beyond sharing their giving story publicly on the giving site, participants can choose to write a separate, private note that will be sent along with the electronic gift certificate, making the surprise of a gift certificate that much more meaningful.

Supporting the initiative are leading companies, which like Restaurant.com, believe the gift of giving will inspire hope and bring people together during challenging times. Companies backing the effort include Orbitz, the leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of travel products; Bradley Systems, makers of Clean’nSafe, a non-toxic NSF-certified cleaner/degreaser used by leading food service and food processing companies; eMagazines, a global, cross-platform marketplace for digital magazines and newspapers, and Upromise, a major private source of college funding contributions in America.

“We know what it feels like to give and the timing is right now for us to do our part,” said Chessick. “There is absolutely no cost for giving through the site. So, please give to families. Give to friends. Give to neighbors. Give to grandparents. Give to co-workers, but most of all, give.”

Individuals nationwide have equal opportunity to give the free gift certificates away while the quantity lasts. Individuals can visit www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward to participate and learn more about the “Feed It Forward” initiative. Also, visit http://press.restaurant.com for a fact sheet, Q&A, images and more.

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About Restaurant.com
Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. The company offers savings at more than 13,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 20,000 gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings people together to relax, converse and enjoy well-prepared and -served meals at affordable prices. To date, Restaurant.com customers have saved more than $100 million through the gift certificate program. Restaurant.com has operated since 1999 and is based in Arlington Heights, Ill.