7 Best e-Gift Cards for Restaurants
When it comes down to gift cards, lugging around a physical piece of plastic invites danger. They can be lost, broken, or forgotten about. On top of that, oftentimes you have to go to the restaurant and ask for a gift card. Now, these are all minor inconveniences, to be sure, but you’ve got a better option right in front of you! E-gift cards. E-gift cards for restaurants create the perfect gift for just about every occasion and they are super simple to procure and spend when the time comes.
Getting someone a gift card when it is time to give gifts is an amazing way to show appreciation, and we totally understand why you would want to get them an e-gift card for a restaurant! Getting a gift card to a restaurant is the first step, but you still have to figure out what that restaurant will be. That’s where we come in. We will provide you with a list of potentially excellent locations to spark your imagination. Perhaps one of these items will be the one for you but perhaps nothing really catches your eye. If that’s the case, we hope this list is the inspiration you need for that lightbulb moment where you know exactly what gift card to get for your friend!
Before we jump into our list, we want to give an honorable mention to food delivery services like Uber Eats and Door Dash. They grant your friend access to countless restaurants for takeout and delivery that they can pick out at any moment. They are not e-gift cards for restaurants per se, but they are amazing gift cards and provide excellent value to food-loving friends. You can buy an Uber Eats gift card here and buy a Door Dash gift card right here. Without further ado, in this article, we are covering the top 7 e-gift cards for restaurants.
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As a quick reminder, we’ve pointed out all of the retailers on this list that you can find on Gift Card Granny as of this writing. Gift Card Granny makes it easy to buy and send customized gift cards online and earn cash back while you do. Gift Card Granny carries thousands of local and national brands including Visa gift cards, Mastercard gift cards, and gift cards for many of the awesome spots on this list.
Now that we’re on the same page, let’s jump right into our list!
1. Noodles and Company
A noodle-filled e-gift card is always appreciated
Get a Noodles and Company gift card.
It is rare that people are not interested in noodles. They come in so many shapes and sizes and are the honorable bearers of sauces, meats, and vegetables. Noodles and Company has a huge variety of dishes that are sure to satisfy any palette, and they have locations all over the country. This is a spectacular gift for your friend to provide some top-tier comfort food in this cold winter. The dishes are affordable, the portions are immense, and we are certain that your friend will appreciate their e-gift card for Noodles and Company.
There are a lot of amazing restaurants out there. We hope that this list will inspire you to find the perfect gift card for your friend to celebrate the special occasion.
Get a Noodles and Company gift card.
2. Olive Garden
A gift card for Italian food
Get an Olive Garden gift card.
Olive Garden is an amazing restaurant for, well, noodles! They have a similar feel to Noodles and Company. They provide great portions of comfort food to their customers and they have locations all over the country. Sure, this is no gourmet Italian restaurant, but it is affordable and the food is pretty darn good. We think that this is one of the best e-gift cards for restaurants because there are few who would not enjoy a meal at Olive Garden with a gift card in hand. You, of course, know your friend better than we do, but we think this is a great place to get a gift for your friend.
We would be remiss not to mention the neverending soup, salad, and breadsticks available at this amazing restaurant! Make sure they come hungry so they can enjoy the bottomless appetizers to the fullest extent. This is the kind of restaurant where you go if you are ready to leave with the desire to get home, lie down, and enter a delicious food coma.
Get an Olive Garden gift card.
3. The Cheesecake Factory
A restaurant with loads of fantastic dishes. Pasta and cheesecake included.
Get a Cheesecake Factory gift card.
Oh, Cheesecake Factory. We are big fans of this place. They occupy a fantastic middle ground of a great atmosphere and decor paired with great food without getting too expensive. It is more than your Red Robin’s and Applebees, but it is far less than any gourmet restaurant in the area. Oh, and one more thing: the cheesecake! Their cheesecake alone makes this a top pick for e-gift cards for restaurants, but the rest of the package elevates it even further. We really like it here, and we think your friend will too! There are a lot of options for every kind of diner, and your friend is sure to find something that they like for dinner. That being said, this gift card also opens up the possibility for them to swing by and pick up some cheesecake to go!
As this list progresses, what are your thoughts so far? There are so many restaurants out there, certainly too many for us to get to in one list. Check your location for nearby restaurants and think about the restaurants they talk about the most, and then boot up Gift Card Granny to see if it is one of our many retailers! That is, of course, if you aren’t 100% sold by the Cheesecake Factory like we are.
Get a Cheesecake Factory gift card.
4. Chipotle
A gift card for fast bowls and furious burritos
If you’re thinking Chipotle — you’re on the right track. This is the kind of restaurant that is a real treat if they haven’t been there in a while. Their food is cheap, their service is fast, and it lets them enjoy a huge portion of rice and beans with their choice of toppings. Chipotle is a fast-food Mexican restaurant, but there are so many other Mexican restaurants all over the country.
If they are a fan of Mexican food, check out the area nearby! There are usually some amazing taquerias and other Mexican restaurants in the area, and you may have tried some of them out yourself. If your friend is a fan of Mexican food, this could be a great place to go or there could be a restaurant nearby that is a better fit. It is all up to you! Well, it is up to you and to your friend! If you aren’t sure, you can always ask. It does take a bit of the excitement out of the reveal, but an e-gift card that they are excited to use beats out one that is a surprise, but just okay any day.
5. Panera Bread
Not enough people take advantage of the bread from Panera Bread, do they?
Soup season is here! It is the most wonderful time of the year at Panera Bread, and they have been working hard over the years to create an impressive menu of dishes with a surprising depth of flavor. There are savory soups, fresh bread, awesome sandwiches, bagels, coffee, hot cocoa, tea, and much more. It is a little pricey, but, hey, that’s what your gift card is there for! If you get this e-gift card for your friend, they can enjoy a meal or two with your e-gift card where they can really splurge on something special.
Panera is a great place to stop on the way to work, or at lunch. That being said, they may have yet to have Panera Bread on their radar. If you know that they will like a trip or two to Panera Bread in the near future then this is the e-gift card for restaurants for you!
6. Applebees
A time for friends and family to meet
Applebees is a classic, chill restaurant where friends and family can go to enjoy a nice, affordable meal. It’s nothing crazy and it may not be at the top of your restaurant list, but it is a great place where there’s an option for everyone. This is an old classic. It could be the place you went to in high school to have a burger after the big game, and the nostalgia factor right there is fantastic.
This is one of our top picks for e-gift cards for restaurants because they can go and enjoy a meal and a drink that is entirely covered by a classic $25 gift card. With that, they can leave with their pockets just as full as when they arrived. Friends can meet up at Applebees to enjoy a great night of catching up with bottomless appetizers and a nice cool beer!
7. Panda Express
A great choice for express Chinese food
Get a Panda Express gift card.
Panda Express has just added new plant-based options to their menu, which we love. Their menu is full of delicious classics for everyone! Their restaurants are great for takeout, so your friend can pick up some Chinese that’s perfect for a night in with friends and family. This is a great e-gift card for restaurants for people who love a good night in on the weekend with takeout, a bottle of wine, and one of their favorite shows on television.
This also works as a great place if they are bringing food to a gathering. Movie night? Panda Express. Board game night? Panda express. Family dinner? Panda…well, maybe not for a family dinner. Regardless, we love this as a gift card and if you are thinking of getting a Panda Express e-gift card for your friend we think this is a great choice.
Get a Panda Express gift card.
And those are our best e-gift cards for restaurants!
No matter what the occasion, there is no better gift than a gift card. If you’ve gotten to the end of this food-filled list and are still uncertain of what kind of gift card to get, feel free to ask! You can ask some of their friends and family or just give them a call to find out about their favorite foods. That little bit of insight can lead you down the path to the perfect gift card, especially now that you are equipped with this list of excellent possibilities. Even if they may know that an e-gift card is coming, figuring out what restaurant they are really excited to try out is always worthwhile.
As long as your friend is going to be nearby the restaurant that you get for them, we think that they will love the gift card and, well, might appreciate getting a bit of money instead of another item to add to their home.
Gift cards make such amazing gifts for everyone out there, e-gift cards for restaurants make up some of the best gifts and are, truly, something for everyone. We hope that you have found the perfect gift card on this list!
Remember: many of the retailers on this list are available at Gift Card Granny, where you can earn cashback and rewards on all of your gift card purchases.
From all of us here at Gift Card Granny, happy shopping!