[Scoundreller]

My real worry is that if the restaurant goes under (or sometimes, even changes ownership), your gift card is worthless.

Dunno if a chargeback would go through, since you technically received what you paid for.

[tomchuk]

The website lists a restaurant (Southern Proper in Boston) that shut its doors months ago. The space already has a new tenant, has been renovated and has new signs up.

Edit: It appears the site immediately posts any user submissions without any verification. I posted Toro, and it immediately went live on the site. They’re worth posting, because they’re sharing 50% of gift card proceeds with staff through the end of April: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zIuPkB4U-/

[smt88]

Yeah, these gift cards are essentially free loans given to borrowers with extremely poor credit. I’m still going to do it, but I’m considering it to be a donation to my local restaurant scene.

[chii]

it sucks - but i think a better option is to use a charity to do this rather than give 'em cash. You lose taxes twice - once from your own end, and once from the restaurant's end.

[smt88]

I don't think you can "donate" to a for-profit private business without paying taxes...

[chii]

no, i meant donate to a charity, whose sole purpose is to help those businesses in need. You don't donate directly to the business (which is the tax hit).

[tylerhou]

Are charities allowed to give assets to for profit corporations?

[techbio]

Whawhawhat? How about to the workers those for-profits are currently not supporting?

[mihaaly]

It is a bad idea anyway. The revenue will be missing anyway, if not now then later when they are trying to re-bounce but most of their guest come to eat for 'free' (well, already paid, but not for the food).

If one genuinely interested in saving a restaurant should invest or better, donate.

[sokoloff]

Many of those later meals will have a ticket higher than the gift card, so will still generate some cashflow.