A fine-dining club that quickly pays for itself

Pricewatch Daily:An offer of significant savings on top restaurants and hotels tempts CONOR POPE

When Pricewatch received a press release from something called the G-Club recently, we fully intended to bin it, as we do with most of the promotional junk we get. In the 15 seconds it took us to get to the bin, however, we started reading about the club and it held our attention.

It was of interest partially because it claimed to be “aimed at people who enjoy the finer things in life” (which sounded like us), but mostly because it promised we could save ourselves €200 on a fancy weekend away by signing up.

For a €75 sign-up fee, we would be given access to an “exclusive” club and could take advantage of discount deals in dozens of restaurants and hotels dotted around the country. Critically, it seems very straightforward – you sign on via the website, www.thegclub.ie, pay your fee, and in return you get a credit-card sized membership card which you can produce at a participating restaurant or hotel to get free stuff.

The number of well-regarded restaurants and hotels that have joined the scheme is impressive. G-Club members who eat in L’Ecrivain, Il Primo, Locks, Fallon & Byrne and dozens of other restaurants in Dublin on certain evenings will get the least expensive dish of each course knocked off their bill. So if two dine, they pay for just one; if four dine, only three meals are paid for.

A range of upmarket hotels and country houses, including the Clarence and the Morrison in Dublin, Dromoland Castle in Clare and Rathsallagh House in Kildare, are also covered by the deal.

People who sign up can quite easily get the initial investment back after using the card just once. But in the current economic climate, is there really an appetite for an upmarket club such as this? Surely people are less likely than ever to be eating in posh restaurants?

The club is the brainchild of Georgina Campbell, who is responsible for a popular restaurant and hotel guide that bears her name. She told Pricewatch that it is precisely because times are tough that the club will work.

She says that as the recession took hold, she noticed standards in many places were slipping as people became more careful with their money. “Everything was being price-led, so owners were forced to offer reduced rates and in many cases these rates were simply unsustainable,” she says.

She believes many people who have a few bob to spend but are still inclined to watch their pennies “may be tired of eating early-bird and value meals but don’t want to pay for the full price à la carte menus that they would prefer. They don’t have an issue with dining out at quieter times if it means that they can dine from the best menu at better rates.”

She and her son have selected all the hotels and restaurants and most were “very keen to be involved”, although some have so far declined because, she says, they simply can’t afford to offer any more discounts in whatever form they come in. While the scheme is nationwide, it is concentrated around Dublin, something Campbell is anxious to address. She is looking to have three or four “quality establishments” in each city. “We are trying to get people back to the dining experience at the right price.”

SHARE YOUR TIPS

Stunned by high prices or bad service? Want to share a bargain? Let us know at www.irishtimes.com/blogs/pricewatch