5 Best Restaurant Gift Cards for 2009

Chances are you know someone who would love to receive and use a restaurant gift card. Many people who love to eat out are reluctant to treat themselves to a meal out so a gift card gives them a guilt free way to do so. Gift cards can also be a great way to budget your spending. You can purchase the amount you are willing to spend on dining for a week or a month at time. With a restaurant gift card, eating out becomes guilt free. Your meal is already paid for; you just need to show up.

Purchasing a gift card online can be great for busy people or people who want to buy a gift card for a restaurant outside of their local area. As a gift card is considered equivalent to cash so you can expect to pay shipping fees which require a signature or verification of delivery. These fees can range from $1.95-$20.95 depending on where you live (Alaska & Hawaii residents will generally pay more) and your shipping options (the sooner you need it, the more you pay). If you need a gift card for restaurants outside your local area or you are pressed for time, the shipping fee will seem well worth it. Here are my top 5 restaurant gift card choices for 2009:

1. Landry's Restaurants
landrysrestaurants.com

This gift card can be used at a variety of restaurants. Some restaurants only have one location such as an old favorite of my dad's The Rusty Duck in Sacramento. Others like my personal favorite, the Rainforest Café, have several locations around the country. The extensive list of restaurants accepting the Landry's Restaurant gift card is as follows: Aquarium, Downtown Aquarium, Babin's Seafood House, Big Fish Seafood Bistro, Brenner's Steakhouse, Cadillac Bar, Charley's Crab, Chart House Restaurant, The Crab House, Fish Tales, Fisherman's Wharf, The Flying Dutchman, Grotto, Harlow's, Kemah Boardwalk, La Griglia, Landry's Seafood House, Muer Seafood Restaurants, Peohe's, Pesce, Rainforest Café, Red Sushi, The Rusty Duck, SaltGrass Steakhouse, Simm's Steakhouse, T-Rex, Tower of the Americas, Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, Willie G's and Yak & Yeti.

If you are not familiar with all the restaurants on the list, you learn more about each of the restaurants by visiting the Laundry's Restaurants website. This restaurant gift card is my number one choice because of the variety of restaurants & quality of restaurants where it is accepted.

2. Darden Gift Cards
dardenrestaurants.com

Ok, I'd get this card even if it was only good at Red Lobster. Boy, do I miss their hot biscuits and mouth melting shrmip...oh and the all you can eat crab Mondays! Wonder if they still have that? Anyway, this gift card is not only good at Red Lobster, it is also good at the Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and other Darden restaurants. You can customize the amount you want to purchase with a minimum of $5. Discounts of 5% are available for purchases of $500-999 and of 10% for purchases above $1,000.

3. Todai
todai.com

This is a One restaurant only gift card, but it's the restaurant that makes this difference. I absolutely love Todai. If you like sushi or sashimi, you know that you can easily spend over $30 in one sitting. For under $25, you get a drink plus all you can eat fresh sushi, sashimi and other Asian seafood dishes. The food is fresh and carefully monitored so you can eat your seafood heart out. $15, $25, $50, $100 or $200 gift cards are available for purchase. The gift cards are only available at the following participating restaurants: Todai Arcadia, Todai Concord, Todai Fairfax, Todai Houston, Todai Las Vegas,Todai Orange, Todai Portland, Todai Puente Hills, Todai San Diego, Todai San Jose, Todai Shaumburg, Todai Seattle, Todai Waikiki, Todai Westminster.

4. Brinker Gift Cards
brinker.com

Got a hankering for Chili's sizzling hot fajitas? Then this is the restaurant gift card for you and it's not only good at any Chili's but also at Marconi Grill, On The Border and Maggiano's Restaurant. For an additional, $2.99, you can personalize your gift card by uploading a photo on their site. Gift cards are available in amounts of $10, $20, $25, $50 and $100 gift cards.

5. Real Mex Restaurants Gift Cards
realmexrestaurants.com

If you love freshly made guacamole, you probably love El Torito and Mexican food. This restaurant gift card will work at El Torito, Acapulco, El Torito Grill, Who Song & Larry's and El Paso Cantina. They are available in multiples of $5 to $100.