[dropcap1][/dropcap1]Q. I heard you mention on your Food Show that a restaurant had closed. I thought, that can't be right, because a friend of mine gave me a $125 gift certificate to dine there just two weeks ago. I called the restaurant, but there was no answer. But I remember that the people who owned the closed place have another restaurant. They told me that they would not honor the gift certificate, because it was a different partnership. What can I do? Am I just plain out of luck? [dropcap1]A. [/dropcap1] Most of the time, to prevent bad public relations, the open restaurant will let you use a gift card from the closed place with the same owners. If they don't, a) it wouldn't be the first time and 2) the owners are idiots. There's not much you can do about that, short of having an attorney write a letter to the restaurateur. Or virtual-picketing the place on the web (assuming you do this in a legal, non-threatening way, and have all your evidence straight). You might also get immediate results by asking for half the value of the card, or make some other deal with the restaurant owner. Or, as you suggest, you may be out of luck. Gift certificates should be used as soon as possible after you receive them, because things like this do happen. A state law that works in favor of people with expired gift cards may also come into play, but again, don't count on it.
