# Restaurant discounts with church flyers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439 "2011-05-02T02:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/201 "2011-05-04T16:04:40Z")
> [@treis](#): > > It would be pretty difficult to come up with a church flier at a Synagogue, Mosque, or Hindu temple. As has been said earlier, if the restaurant accepts the equivalent from those places and something for atheists, there is not going to be a problem. Atheists can get the discount for even less effort than church-goers. Church-goers have to expend the extra zillionth of a calorie to carry the flyer, then another zillionth of a calorie to say, “I have my flyer and want the discount.” All the atheist has to do is ask for the discount. The purpose of these promotions is not to support the churches or subsidize the lunches of their members. It’s to get asses in the seats of the restaurants. All you have to do to get the discount is to know about it and goto the restaurant/ball park/etc. on the day it’s good. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/202 "2011-05-04T16:07:37Z")
And we’d appreciate it that, if you’re offered the discount _and refuse it_, that you don’t go into a whiny fit about not being a “religious person” and then get all lawsuity. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/203 "2011-05-04T16:07:54Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Anyone big enough to be worth suing is in compliance with the law. IHOP’s pretty big. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/204 "2011-05-04T16:10:44Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > IHOP’s pretty big. About $2.5 billion in sales big. And they have a legal department. And they offer church flyer discounts. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/205 "2011-05-04T16:11:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > About $2.5 billion in sales big. And they have a legal department. And they offer church flyer discounts. Which you can get without a church flyer by asking for it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/206 "2011-05-04T16:18:37Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Which you can get without a church flyer by asking for it. An act, I’m sure, their well-paid legal staff has signed-off on. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/207 "2011-05-04T16:18:45Z")
_looks out her window, sees the church two blocks over_ I wonder if my local IHOP offers this discount. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/208 "2011-05-04T16:19:31Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Which you can get without a church flyer by asking for it. Yeah, I got to think that there is still some psychology at work for the business to still advertise the discount as a “bring your church bulletin in and get 10% off” as opposed to “come in on Sunday afternoon and get 10% off”. Even if though they will give anybody the discount, the “church bulletin” advertising probably draws additional church goers that may not have been enticed with just a 10% blanket discount to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/209 "2011-05-04T16:23:35Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yeah, I got to think that there is still some psychology at work for the business to still advertise the discount as a “bring your church bulletin in and get 10% off” as opposed to “come in on Sunday afternoon and get 10% off”. > > Even if though they will give anybody the discount, the “church bulletin” advertising probably draws additional church goers that may not have been enticed with just a 10% blanket discount to everyone. And it doesn’t do IHOP’s PR any bad to give the general impression in the very religious USA that they’re supporters of Christianity, in its most vague and nonspecific forms, however inaccurate that impression may be… ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/210 "2011-05-04T16:24:42Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > And it doesn’t do IHOP’s PR any bad to give the general impression in the very religious USA that they’re supporters of Christianity, in its most vague and nonspecific forms, however inaccurate that impression may be… That too. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/211 "2011-05-04T16:27:46Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > About $2.5 billion in sales big. And they have a legal department. And they offer church flyer discounts. Well, at least, _that_ IHOP offers them. I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s a company-wide policy. According to [IHOP’s web site](http://www.ihop.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=5), 99+% of their restaurants are franchised. It’s far more likely that this is something that the individual franchisee in question has offered on his own. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/212 "2011-05-04T16:41:25Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yeah, I got to think that there is still some psychology at work for the business to still advertise the discount as a “bring your church bulletin in and get 10% off” as opposed to “come in on Sunday afternoon and get 10% off”. > > Even if though they will give anybody the discount, the “church bulletin” advertising probably draws additional church goers that may not have been enticed with just a 10% blanket discount to everyone. Exactly. There is certainly a subset of churchgoers who welcome any affirmation that they are right and good in their beliefs and actions. This sort of thing massages that spot in their psyche. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/213 "2011-05-04T16:44:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > _looks out her window, sees the church two blocks over_ I wonder if my local IHOP offers this discount. Hold on just a second, 2 blocks away from your house? Where’s the threshold, in distance, for oppression? I think some of the people in this thread that talk about what a hardship it is for them to drive across town to get a bulletin from a church (you really don’t have a church nearby?) would be making the same argument if the church was next door. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/214 "2011-05-04T16:47:12Z")
> [@treis](#): > > It would be pretty difficult to come up with a church flier at a Synagogue, Mosque, or Hindu temple. As has been said earlier, if the restaurant accepts the equivalent from those places and something for atheists, there is not going to be a problem. So, if a company refused to take fliers from Temples and Mosques, then they’d be in violation of the law. Please find me a pancake house anywhere that advertises a “church flier discount” where if you present your Mosque flier they’ll refuse to give you the discount. The reason you aren’t going to find such a place is that the pancake house doesn’t give a shit about Christianity, they’re trying to drum up business, and if your Atheist and Satanist Alliance prints up a flier, they’ll take that. In fact, they don’t give a fuck if you’ve even got a goddam flier, just say you want the discount and they’ll give you the fucking discount. Before you complain about the horrible places that refuse to give discounts to Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Atheists and Wiccans and Satanists and Pantheists, first find me such a place, and then I’ll join you in your outrage. The fact is, you aren’t going to find such a place, and even if you did, the second the owners find out that the waitress refused to give the discount they’ll make it clear that everyone gets the discount. And why? BECAUSE RELIGION ISN’T THE POINT. The point is, it turns out there are a lot of people in their cars at 11:00 on Sunday, and what if instead of going home those people stopped off and had some goddam pancakes at our goddam restaurant? And it turns out that, in fact, anyone who wants the discount can have it, whether the “church flier” is really a Mosque flier or not, whether they picked it up off the parking lot or not, whether they printed it from the internet or not, whether it’s really a GI Joe coloring book or not, whether they even have a piece of paper or not. Gosh, wouldn’t it be terrible if a restaurant discriminated on the basis of religion? Yes it would. Find me that restaurant first before you complain about it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/215 "2011-05-04T17:24:41Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The point is, it turns out there are a lot of people in their cars at 11:00 on Sunday, and what if instead of going home those people stopped off and had some goddam pancakes at our goddam restaurant? Just because, here, from the OP, is the actual text of the sign at the IHOP in question: > [@](#): > > “On Wednesdays and Fridays, bring in your church bulletin and get a 20% discount on your entire meal” So, no, even if you’re driving home from church on Sunday at 11am, and you have your bulletin in hand, you won’t get the discount then. The IHOP is undoubtedly using it as a way to attract business on days that their business is a little slow. (Personally, I’m surprised that they offer the discount on Friday, which is usually a busy day for restaurants, but perhaps this IHOP is finding that the local customers go to other restaurants on Fridays.) BTW, I think that **treis** ’s point was that synagogues, mosques, and Hindu temples don’t usually hand out church bulletins (or that they wouldn’t technically be “church” bulletins), not that the IHOP wouldn’t accept them… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/216 "2011-05-04T17:38:01Z")
I don’t see why they wouldn’t. Bulletins are usually just newsletters for what’s going on. Like, “we’re having a _heh_ pancake brunch this Sunday to help raise money for such and such charity”, or “First Communion is next week”, blah blah blah. Then the back two pages are full of ads. (My dad has an ad for his funeral home) The first page usually lists what the week’s gospel topic is, but other than that, it’s really not religious. When I was little I used to color on them during Mass when I’d get bored. I would imagine most religious institutions have newsletters about weekly goings-on. Don’t synagogues and other places have events that they hold? Charity auctions, fairs, dinners, etc? Wouldn’t they have a weekly schedule? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/217 "2011-05-04T17:39:52Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > So you don’t believe that having a church bulletin is the same as being a coupon holder? Seems like it is doesn’t it? I suppose the problem is the coupon isn’t available to everyone since they are not provided by IHOP. I say we just make a fake church flier on any print shop program and make minor changes, especially the date, when we want to go to IHOP. pursuing it legally strikes me as petty BS. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/218 "2011-05-04T17:46:01Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Well, at least, _that_ IHOP offers them. I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s a company-wide policy. According to [IHOP’s web site](http://www.ihop.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=5), 99+% of their restaurants are franchised. It’s far more likely that this is something that the individual franchisee in question has offered on his own. True, that. But since one requires a minimum of a million $ net worth with $250k in liquid assets, these franchises tend to be bought by well-heeled companies to begin with. For example, the largest IHOP franchiser here in Texas owns 61 of the restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/219 "2011-05-04T17:55:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > True, that. But since one requires a minimum of a million $ net worth with $250k in liquid assets, these franchises tend to be bought by well-heeled companies to begin with. For example, the largest IHOP franchiser here in Texas owns 61 of the restaurants. Yeah…many restaurant chains won’t offer to franchise you a single restaurant (McDonald’s and Subway are notable exceptions). I used to have Applebee’s\* as a client; franchisees for that chain had to “own” an entire market area (and many franchisees operated multiple markets), which meant that those franchisees were pretty major operations in and of themselves. - - parenthetically, Applebee’s was bought by IHOP a couple of years ago. The CEO of IHOP had formerly worked at Applebee’s, and was my primary client while she was there. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439/220 "2011-05-04T18:05:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Bulletins are usually just newsletters for what’s going on. No, in my experience what is called the bulletin is the program for a particular worship service, listing its hymns, prayers, sermon, etc. It may also list some events. Typically, there will also be an actual newletter – usually called a newsletter – that has church news, events, and other info not specific to a single worship service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-discounts-with-church-flyers/580439.md?page=12)