Make a gift certificate for a place that doesn't do gift certificates?

August 30, 2022 6:45 AM

I want to give someone a gift certificate for a specific restaurant. The restaurant doesn't issue gift certificates. Is there a way to give my friend a generic gift card, but in a way that makes it more like a gift certificate for the restaurant? Or some other solution? I'm in Canada if that affects things.
posted by ManInSuit to Shopping (8 answers total)

What a great idea! I would order up a Visa gift card (or appropriate payment provider) for how much you want to give, and send it with a copy of the restaurant's menu.
posted by Stephanie Duy at 6:55 AM on August 30, 2022

Elaborating on Stephanie Duy's idea, could you give the Visa gift card (or your own credit card information) to the restaurant to hold and then apply to your friend's tab upon presentation of [something arranged beforehand]? That would make your gifted experience less transactional and more magically festive.
posted by carmicha at 7:04 AM on August 30, 2022

Put the cash gift card inside a card that ties to the restaurant somehow. Etsy will have you covered. Random example, I might pick this card for an Indian restaurant.
posted by veery at 8:19 AM on August 30, 2022

I've actually found Visa gift cards a bit tricky in restaurants at times, because they sometimes have weird holds on them to prevent people from not leaving a tip. I realize this is a little more unconventional, but what if you gave cash inside something that looked like a gift certificate? So some sort of fancy sealed envelope with the cash inside, and then decorate the outside or have the envelope printed to look like a gift card to the restaurant.
posted by LKWorking at 8:49 AM on August 30, 2022

Definitely cash inside a styled card, as per LKWorking. Maybe affix the bill(s) in place with old-style paper corners like these, make a story about the restaurant and your shared attachment... something deeply personal and creative, with a promise that they tell you the tale of the meal afterwards!
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 1:38 PM on August 30, 2022

I did what carmicha suggested once, which was to call up the restaurant, told them to expect a reservation, and provided my credit card number. I can't remember the details of how we coordinated the restaurant knowing which party was the correct one, but they knew exactly what to do and it went super smoothly. I also had glasses of champagne arrive at the table!
posted by Rora at 5:38 PM on August 30, 2022

Visa gift cards can be ordered with your own design, so you could make one look like a gift card to the restaurant. I don’t know which providers are reputable, though, nor which are available in Canada. On googling, giftcards.com is one that comes up with the option to upload your design — but again, I can’t vouch for them.
posted by daisyace at 9:36 AM on September 3, 2022

Oh, looking further, their restrictions on images are pretty limiting in terms of making it look like a gift card to a particular place. But I think a photo of the restaurant might work... though you might have to avoid having even their trademarked sign or anything like that in the photo.
posted by daisyace at 9:42 AM on September 3, 2022