Restaurant Gift Cards Online: Best Gift Ideas

Food brings people together, whether it’s enjoyed at a favorite restaurant or at home. If you’re seeking one of the best gift card ideas, everyone appreciates a favorite meal in or out. Unlike traditional gift cards, this is an experiential gift that makes everyone’s life a bit easier.

What are the best restaurant gift card ideas? We’ve done the hard work for you to share the best restaurant gift cards that are always delicious! Dinner’s on you this week!

Multi Restaurant eGift Cards 

If you’re not sure what restaurant someone prefers, the best option is to gift a multi-restaurant egift card. This is a type of gift card that can be used at multiple restaurants, giving your recipient full freedom to choose the best gift card for their taste. 

BuyGiftCards flexible gift card

The ultimate multi restaurant online gift card is a BGC Card. This is redeemable for any restaurant (or multiple restaurants) on the BuyGiftCards site, ensuring your recipient finds exactly what they’re looking for. With hundreds of places to redeem this card, this is the ultimate gift idea. 

Restaurant franchise cards

Another multi restaurant egift card is the Mix It Up card. This is redeemable at places like Jamba Juice, Aunty Anne’s Moes, Carvel, and Cinnabon. 

Another franchise card is for Darden Restaurants. This can be redeemed at 7 restaurants like Olive Garden, Yard House, Cheddar’s, and more. Talk about flexibility! This means your recipient can use their gift card at any (or all) of their favorites.

Other favorite franchise cards include Brinker gift card. Redeemable at Chili’s Grill & Bar, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, and Maggiano’s. Bloomin Brands gift card is honored at Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Roy's, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Finally, Laundry’s destinations include Morton’s-The Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick’s, Claim Jumper, Chart House, Saltgrass Steakhouse and experiential dining destinations such as Rainforest Café.

Food delivery gift cards

Who doesn’t love to get take out? Make it easy for your recipient to get their favorite meals delivered with a food delivery gift card.

These are available for Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. Each gift card can be redeemed for take-out and delivery at local favorites. Check which services are popular where they live to treat them to take out on you.

Favorite Restaurant Online Gift Cards

Aside from these multi restaurant egift card ideas above, you might also want to give a textable or digital gift card to someone that they can use at a specific place.

This is a good idea if you already know their favorite place to treat themselves, whether they eat lunch out on special occasions or you want to make their life a bit easier. Here are our favorites they’re sure to love no matter their taste.

Fast-casual gift cards

One of the trendiest restaurant gift ideas of the moment is to give a gift card to a fast-casual restaurant chain. These are popular amongst kids, teens, and even adults on-the-go. With both mobile and in-person ordering available, this is a gift card they can use any way they’d like.

What are the best fast-casual gift cards? Some popular choices include Panera, Chipotle, and Tijuana Flats. These are always a hit—and with good reason. They’re delicious and fast.

Special restaurant gift cards

For special occasions, your recipient might want to treat themselves to something more upscale. These restaurants are perfect gifts for couples, coworkers, clients, or family members. 

Our favorites include Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3), and Red Robin. This gives them the freedom to enjoy a night (or lunch) out with someone special. With every denomination of gift cards possible, this is a personal way to gift an experience and lasting memory.

Coffee or smoothie gift cards

For a smaller gift card that’s still sure to impress, a coffee or smoothie gift card is the perfect pick. Ideal for kids, college students, and those in need of daily sweetness, a gift card that covers the cost of a favorite coffee, tea, or smoothie offers an upbeat pick-me-up.

The best coffee picks are the Coffee Bean and Peet’s Coffee. For a sweet and fruity treat, gift a Jamba Juice gift card. This is a fool-proof online gift idea that everyone always appreciates.

Bonus: Bring the Restaurant Home

Last but not least, turn your home into the fanciest restaurant in town with an at-home meal kit gift. These deliver the freshest ingredients and best recipes from top chefs right to your door, no experience needed.

HomeChef empowers your recipient to whip up a restaurant-quality meal in minutes no matter their skill level. You can gift a monthly membership or more, simplifying mealtime for the whole family. 

Give the Gift of Food and Flexibility

A restaurant gift card might not be your first thought when it comes to popular gift card ideas, but it’s truly the perfect fit for everyone. From birthdays to holidays to “just because,” this is an experience that tastes as good as it looks. 

Regardless of your recipient, restaurant gift cards are always welcome. Nowadays, there are so many restaurants to choose from, and it’s never been easier to understand how to send a restaurant gift card from your phone or computer. With textable, emailable, and printable gift card customization options, this is the ultimate all-in-one gift idea you can count on.