Menus & Coupons in Yellow Pages??A good idea?

[Banana-Girl]

I recently overheard that Yellow Pages are going to be displaying both Restaurants and Take away menus in to the full range of their directories of Yellow Pages, along with coupons available from their subscribers, what are your thoughts on this, do you currently use Yellow Pages, if not what do you use or do you use Yell.com, this has been a very interesting topic at our get together tonight and just wondered what everyone thought baring in mind me personally, I use the internet so use Yell.com or Google but would love a coupon to help me save money in these hard times however they are only available in the book so looks like I will be picking up the Yellow Pages and pulling out my coupons look forward to your thoughts Banana-Girl

[CheekyChops]

It depends really, if I am at home with a group of mates and we fancy a takeaway then I generally haven't got my laptop switched on and wouldn't put it on just to use Yell.com.

I do use Yell.com but only if I am at a computer when I think of something I need to find the number for. If I am sitting on the sofa whe inspiration (or hunger!) strikes, the yellow pages is handier.

The takeaway coupon/menu thing is a good idea because as I say, if I was considering a takeaway I wouldn't have the computer on anyway and so would normally use the yellow pages.

In fact thinking about it, I am a tightwad and would probably use the yellow pages because their was a coupon in it, even if I was sat surfing the web anyway!

[Banana-Girl]

Sensible, I like your answer, \i wouldnt say you were a tight wad we are just heading into a recession and 42% of people admitted using coupons its nothing to be ashmed of is it??

[Lakitu]

Some take-away places do list their menu in my YP already. If I were to use yell.com for a number, it would be handy if they had a link to the establishment citing I can view their menu.

[jno]

you see that a lot in the USA - yellow pages and local directories full of menus. It's very helpful, saves you going some place then finding they don't do anything you like.

[Banana-Girl]

Lakitu where abouts are you from in the Uk where menus are already displayed in the Yellow Pages, this must be good for you, I dont think our edition is due until January, so I will just have to continue taking pot luck with restaurants or go somewher I know, and if I'm a little typsy at the weekend rake through the knife and door drawer for a crumpled leaflet lol!! Didnt know they already did it in the US though, always ahead of us I suppose but I can't wait and I agree to be able to know what you want before you go out to eat is a really good idea instead of geting there and realizing the menu isnt what you hoped for and as far as coupons are concerned, I just hope there are loads with offers on somethig I can use, like everyone looking after the pennies is quite a task nowdays.......

[Buenchico]

There's never been anything to stop takeaways & restaurants from listing their menus within display advertisements in Yellow Pages. The only real difference is that Yellow Pages now has a specific section which only includes menus. (i.e. there's a 'Restaurant - Menus' section which is separate to the main 'Restaurants' section). The pages have a green & white chequerboard pattern on the edges, so that they're easy to find.

Our local Yellow Pages (Ipswich) have recently been delivered. (I know because my legs are still aching from delivering them and my head is still hurting from dealing with all of the problems of supervising deliveries by others!). The dates for other areas, up until March 2009, are listed here:
http://www.deya.co.uk/index.aspx?pageref=5300

Most of the vouchers in the Ipswich Yellow Pages are for things like double-glazing or driving lessons but there are a couple of restaurants with vouchers for 2-for-1 meal deals (not valid on takeaway orders) and one establishment giving 50% off on either restaurant or takeaway meals.

Incidentally, the paper version of Yellow Pages remains far superior, for many purposes, to Yell.com. That's because far fewer traders pay for advertising on Yell.com than in the book. For example, if you look under 'Garage Services' online, most of the listings are limited to name, address and phone number. If you look in the book, many traders have adverts telling you which services they offer and which makes they repair. Similarly, if you're looking for a dry-cleaners which also does repairs, you're far more likely to find an ad (with the relevant information), under 'Dry Cleaners', in the book than online.

Chris

[sue11]

Hi, I would imagine that yp would not be as good a place to advertise as other places because it has such a long shelf life and restaurants menus may be changed in that timeframe, I believe each yp is around for 18 months? Also a lot of places will want to see a paper copy of the voucher to check their redemption rates and also may wish to apply a short deadline to their offers. For myself I would keep an eye on the local free paper or paid for paper which carries a few discount vouchers. I expect as times get harder a lot of restaurants will struggle for custom and may start to do more offers and discounts.
Cheers Sue

[Banana-Girl]

Hi Buenchico, gawd the size of one Yellow Pages is imaginable to be pretty heavy never mind a sack full, you must feel like santa claus lol without the prezzies lol.

Its interesting what you say regarding yell.com, because of internet usage growing and yells reported usage figures for yell.com I personally find it much simpler to use than going from section to section in the book, although as said love the idea of coupons and menus and agree with what someone said earlier it would be good if there was alink on yel.com to restaurants menus that would be cool too.

I think with Yellow Pages or Yell.com its down to preference isnt it which we use at least we have access to both because me personally if I had to rely on other directories or a newspaper to find what I am looking for in a hurry I would be either stupid or demented

[Banana-Girl]

Hi Sue 11 , I know what you are saying but I get a new yellow pages every year and throw my old one out, I agree restaurants may change their menus or go out of business , whatever, but as Yellow pages is free to me and newspapers are not I still stick to what I have said I think its a cracking idea, and as far as places wanting to see a paper copy of their voucher my understanding is you can only for coupons get what the offer is if you take the coupon with you , so they will see hoe much money they are making from yellow pages, the coupons and menus are completely sepaprate and nothing to do with each other so I undertand from an answer I received from an earlier answer from a guy that delivers them. I personally dont get a free newspaper as I live on a newish estate and for whatever reason we are missed out, no one on the estate gets one so I couldnt rely on that and dont buy a newspaper every day so that would do me no good either, the only time I usually have access toa newspaper is when I buy the family fish & chips lol and its wrapped in it ha ha , butno I undertand your point I just think because unlike free newspapers not being delivered to all households and yellow pages is that, without it I would be lost (We also dont get a Thomsons directory or whatever it is called and the classified secton in the bt phonebook is a waste of time as there is only about 10 advertisers in it so I have no choice. And finally I agree and scarily I think times will get harder before they get better so restaurants will do more offers, wich is good news to us as we will still be able to afford the odd niht out to a nice restaurant, hopefully knowing what we are going to eat thanks to good old yellow pages lol, take care.

[sue11]

Hi Banana girl, fair enough answer, I must admit I have not seen the seperate coupon part in yp, so will look out for it!
Cheers Sue