I'm not a (restaurant) merchant, but my guess is that the "participant" restaurants may actually(?) be solicited by restaurant.com and are, (if they are actually contacted), most likely duped into paying restaurant.com for the "honor" of being listed as a "participant" on their website. Think of it as advertising money paid to restaurant.com by the "participant" restaurant to be listed on their website. So, even if restaurant.com charged the "participant" restaurant $0.00, my guess is that restaurant.com keeps all the money collected from the sale of their own gift cards, and ultimately, the sale of the "participant" restaurant coupons/vouchers. In other words, I don't believe the "participant" restaurant receives any financial remuneration of any kind from restaurant.com. The only possible thing the "participant" restaurant receives is possibly additional traffic from patrons eager to use (almost) 50% off coupons at the "participant" restaurant. "Almost" is in quotes because the consumer or a 3rd party had to purchase a gift card (or use cash) to purchase the (typically) 50% off coupon. And finally, "participant" is in quotes because MANY commenters have written that many "participant" restaurants refuse to accept the coupon/vouchers, indicating they are unwilling participants in this whole convoluted scheme. If restaurant.com is including restaurants they have never contacted, using the restaurant's name/info without their permission, then I would consider that out and out FRAUD. Note, I have no direct experience or proof that that has occurred, however, MANY commenters have written that they have experienced this situation. As with most things, BUYER BEWARE! Notice how many 1-star reviews restaurant.com has received. I suggest reading all the comments and Q&A. I think you will then have a better picture of what is going on with this "business".