A better Groupon

WW has an article on the frustrations and problems of contracting with Groupon. It got me thinking.  How to do it better?

For starters, I’d use a different middleman.  Groupon reaches an audience that self selects for cheap eats.  Why not reach out to alternative local communities- for instance blog readers?  There are all kinds of local interest blogs like Blue Oregon, Portland Transport, Bog Blog, etc.  Why not reach out to them? 

Offer a theme night, with customers claiming “the Blog” sent them getting an x% discount.  The blog gets a reasonable kickback for promotion and generating traffic, the restaurant gets control over how much and when a discount is offered so disruption to existing clients is minimal, and blog fans get to show their support for their favorite bloggers while also getting a discounted meal and (depending on the venue) an opportunity to socialize with fellow fans.  If a particular audience proves a poor fit then they’re gone after one night and you never see them again.  If an audience fits in and does well then invite them back once in a while  What’s not to like?.