Last September I attended a press conference for a new initiative in Sevilla called Restaurant 50. The idea was a simple one, to have a select group of restaurants offering discounts to its members. I was given a card to try out, put it in my wallet and kind of just left it there, other than once using it while out for lunch with a friend at Zarabanda’s. At first I thought I wouldn’t get much use out of it because I tend to go to tapas bars rather than restaurants (some of the R50 restaurants offer tapas but the 50% discount only applies to raciones/large plates). Then the other day I stopped in at Room Zero and thought I’d try my Restaurant 50 card again… and I think I’m hooked now. Especially after doing the math on the R50 website and realising that even using my card once a month would save me close to 200€ a year (150€ after paying the annual fee).
There are actually two fees: 50€ annual and 15€ for three months. You can also get a 30-day trial card for free, but these are only sent out to addresses in Spain so are not useful for visitors just here for a short time. However, plans are afoot to have R50 cards available in selected hotels and tourist offices. Will update that info here when it happens.
At the moment there are 21 restaurants to choose from, with more being added all the time. Certain restrictions apply in terms of days and times that you can use your card, and also how many people you can include (usually it’s weekday lunchtimes and good for up to six people). As mentioned before, only main dishes or raciones are eligible for the discount, drinks and desserts are not included, and neither are daily specials, such as set lunch menus. But it still works out to a substantial saving, especially if there are a few of you. There are basically two steps for using your card.
- Call and reserve a table saying you are a R50 member (also check on the restrictions).
- Show your card when you pay and get 50% off main dishes or raciones.
So now that I’ve blown the first six months of my free card (duh!) I plan to make good use of it between now and September. Especially when friends are visiting, or for a special occasion meal. And then I will happily renew it. Also looking forward to seeing which other restaurants end up on the list.
