Buy 1, Get 1: All You Can Eat at Sushi & Rolls

One of my favourite sushi restaurants, Sushi & Rolls, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, this weekend the owners are offering buy one, get one free deals on all-you-can-eat dinners; usually $19.95 each. The special is on Dec. 5 to Dec. 7 and next weekend from Dec. 12 to Dec. 14. Call early for reservations. By Friday night they already had bookings through Sunday. Fortunately, they're saving spaces for walk-ins. I'll likely be in that group.

*Catch: You can only get one deal per table.
It's still a great offer; especially for a cheapie date night... we're in a recession, after all.

Sushi & Rolls Japanese Restaurant

105 Bayly Street West

Ajax, ON L1S 7KZ

(905) 426-6868

|Image: The Discount Diva|

I'll add some food shots after dinner tomorrow

+Update+

Here are those shots I promised.

    

 

 

The meal was wonderful. I got a bit carried away, though. On the table: beef rolls, sweet potato hand rolls, shrimp tempura, sweet honey sushi (Yum!), spicy tuna sushi, fried calamari, edamame, ginger ice cream, and a few others dishes I ate before I pulled out my cam.

|Images: The Discount Diva|

Freebies: McDonald's Coffee Nov. 16 to 29

I had completely forgotten about this McDonald's promo until to my surprise, a smiley employee approaches, tray in hand, offering me a free coffee. Free coffee? I'm in. Well, free anything and I'm in.

That's it. No catch. No buy one, get one free. Just get one free. Yes! My morning double-double never tasted so good.

The offer's on during breakfast hours until Nov. 29. And you can bet I'm going to grab another one on my way through Union Station tomorrow.

|Image: The Discount Diva|

News: I'm back!

Hi everyone (if anyone's still here!),

I've been absent from The Discount Diva for a looooong while. Too long actually. Instead of apologizing endlessly or giving you a few sorry excuses, I have something even better: a new posting : ) And, some great news! First the news:

The Discount Diva is now on Twitter! I'll be sending you the latest deals and steals as I find them. Follow me at Twitter.com/DD_DiscountDiva

For those that check out this blog, I'll try not to forsake you again. In fact, up next is just one of the many regular updates to come.

So, if you stuck around. A big thanks for your loyalty.

If you didn't. Come on back. You don't want to miss out on all the goodies.

Sincerely,

DD

|Image: Here|

Travel Discount: 60% off with Via Rail Canada

Tired of your staycation? Want to really get away for a while? Here's your chance.

We've all had enough of strikes (Toronto civic workers' 38-day walkout, near strike action from OPSEU's LCBO employees, and Via Rail union staff's two-day strike), but at least something good has come from part of it. To placate upset passengers and restore customer confidence Via Rail Canada offered a 60% discount off travel throughout Canada.

Initially slated to end today, the offer's been so popular Via Rail has extended it until Friday July 31, 2009. Take advantage of huge cash savings and see more of our fabulous home and native land.

|Images: Via Rail Canada|

Remembering Michael: The Final Show

Today the world says a final goodbye to Michael Jackson, sending him off in a monumental spectacle befitting this supreme entertainer, the King of Pop. If you want to watch the memorial service, but weren't lucky enough to win a golden ticket, can't make it to the Staples Center or can't be at home to follow it on television, experience it the next best way: watch it online!


I'm going to keep an eye on the ceremony via the live feed at CNN. But you can also watch at Michael Jackson Live, the Staples Center website, or remember him in your own way. The public service begins at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).

Thanks to the above organizations for helping us all witness this incredible event... and to do it for free. Wow.

|Images: Amazon.com, CNN.com|

Freebies: Thousands flock to Mandarin’s Free Canada Day Buffet

So, what did you do on Canada Day? Well, if you’re like more than one thousand people in Pickering, Ont., you spent much of it waiting in line at Mandarin’s Kingston Road location.

To thank Canadians for their loyal patronage over the last 30 years, popular buffet restaurant Mandarin offered up free—that’s right, FREE—all you can eat meals to its customers on July 1, 2009. The Thank You Canada event was held across the chain’s 21 Ontario locations beginning at 12 p.m. and continuing until the last seating at 8:30 p.m. The opportunity was offered on a first come, first serve basis only. No reservations.

Well I can’t resist a great deal, so at 3 p.m. I headed to Pickering thinking that any swarms should have eased up a bit. Not a chance. While turning into the parking lot, I could see the line of people winding all the way down the shopping centre. I was warned earlier, by family in Markham, that customers waiting at Mandarin’s recently opened Box Grove restaurant had pitched tents in the parking lot. However, I was pretty sure my fellow bargain hunting Pickering residents (Pickeringers?) weren’t that fanatical. Clearly, I had underestimated their passion for free food.

Here’s a live shot of the scene. (Note: I’ll work on my cinematography)

Needless to say, I wasn't up to joining that line... this time; I was already sort of hungry when I left the house. But for those who decided to brave it, Mandarin thoughtfully handed out bottled water and other refreshments to keep patrons (and I'm sure tempers) cool and comfortable. "People were waiting for many hours," says Tina Chiu, Mandarin's spokesperson and chief operating officer. We wanted to give them "a little snack before they came in and enjoyed the buffet."

So how early did people start lining up for this incredible deal? “A few came the night before,” says Chiu. “I heard as early as 10:30 p.m.” She estimates that on Wednesday more than 30,000 customers were served, company-wide. Dining at the restaurant typically costs from $11.99 to $23.99 depending on the day of the week and whether you’re there for lunch or dinner. In total, Mandarin says it spent about $500,000 treating guests to the complimentary buffet meal. Soft drinks, tea and coffee were all on the house, too.

I’ll keep you posted on whether Mandarin plans on doing this again soon. Get your sleeping bags ready.

|Images and Video: The Discount Diva|