Eat At These Newton, Brookline Or Waltham Restaurants, Get Money

NEWTON, MA — If you eat out at one of several Newton, Waltham and Brookline restaurants between now and the end of the month you could get a 50 percent rebate.

Eat Out to Help Out MA, a collaboration between the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and the app Seated, is offering diners the rebate on their check if they go to a participating restaurant between Monday and Wednesday.

Eat Out to Help Out MA is an effort to encourage Massachusetts residents to dine out during off peak hours to support the recovery of the Bay State restaurant industry.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, some 20 percent of restaurants in Massachusetts have closed permanently, the highest concentration in the New England region, according to Massachusetts Restaurant Association president Bob Luz.

The National Restaurant Association estimates that the industry is estimated to lose $240B by the end of the year, with $2.3B lost in the state of Massachusetts alone, according to the Pioneer Institute, a conservative think tank.

So it's even more important to give such an incentive, say industry advocates.

The program is free for both restaurants and diners. To take advantage of the rebates, you download the Seated app, find participating restaurants, make a reservation or signal a walk-in visit. After you get your meal, you submit a photo of your receipt within the app to claim a rebate after the meal.

Arthur Andronic, owner of Moldova Restaurant said he got an email about the program earlier this month from the association.

"We thought of this as a no-brainer for a lot of people because it's no cost," he said.

Business has been steady, but not sustainable for the long run, he said, and any time someone comes in for take out or to have a meal, it helps.

Since the pandemic he's had to adjust like other restaurants with health and safety precautions. One perk, he said, has been that the state has allowed them to up their wine offerings.

"We've increased our portfolio of wines," he said. "So now you can come in and we can offer you a new kind of wine to try with dinner from Moldova, offering liquor store prices for take-out."

Andronic said he hopes people are coming in and taking advantage of the 50 percent rebate perk, but, so far, no one has mentioned Seated, the app where you secure the 50 percent off perk, despite them advertising it online.

"It is really a good program," Andronic said. "it's a nice idea, but I feel like it hasn't been used to its full potential."

Moldova Restaurant has been open for a little more than four years. This year it won't be open for Thanksgiving, but they are taking orders for Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time for pick up.

"We just want to support local and shop local, and for people to come in and dine, or for whoever doesn't feel comfortable to come to us for take out," he said. "Literally the only thing that can support us is by shopping with us."

During the year, Seated offers a program where diners can have other discounts of up to 30 percent back.

A list of participating restaurants in Newton, according to a spokesperson for the two companies:

sycamore.
Moldova Restaurant
Baramor
Rice Valley
Buttonwood
Cook Newton
Fiorella's Cucina - Newton
Little Big Diner
Farmstead Table Restaurant

In Brookline:

Pon Thai Bistro

Burro Bar
La Voile - Brookline
Anatolia
Omori Izakaya
La Morra

Cleveland Circle:

Cafe Landwer

In Waltham:

Osteria Posto
Copper House Tavern
Joe Sent Me - Waltham

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how .