Prandium Offers Gift Certificates

Prandium Inc., parent company to the El Torito and Koo Koo Roo restaurant chains, is going online to sell gift certificates to Internet shoppers.

The Irvine-based chains have joined forces with C-TRIBE.com, a private San Francisco Internet start-up that offers its members the opportunity to bid for gift certificates to various businesses for a discounted price.

C-TRIBE purchases a bulk of gift certificates at a discount from its clients, which also include Tower Records, Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster and Foot Locker. Consumers then put bids in for the gift certificates for less than their face value. Successful bidders can save anywhere from 5% to 15%, depending on overall bidding. They then receive their gift certificates through the mail.

“People want the best cost, ultra-convenience and they want things executed flawlessly,” said Prandium spokesman Robert L. Carl. “This is a way of distributing gift certificates through the Internet that we think meets all three requirements.”

The first round of bidding for El Torito and Koo Koo Roo gift certificates began Jan. 11. Bidding typically lasts a week.

More information is available on the Internet company’s Web site: https://www.c-tribe.com.