Dispatch: Ohio restaurants push gift cards to pay the bills
UC economics professor Michael Jones discusses gift cards as survival strategy for small businesses
Ohio restaurants and bars have taken a beating because of the coronavirus pandemic, but selling gift cards during the holiday season may be just what the doctor ordered to keep them afloat.
In a Columbus Dispatch trend piece, reporter Patrick Cooley takes a look at how restaurants and bars are offering discounts on gift cards to get the cash infusion they need to survive until the country moves past the pandemic. Cooley turns to Michael Jones, assistant professor of economics at the University of Cincinnati, for his thoughts on this strategy and its advantages for businesses.
Jones, who is also executive director of the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute at UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business, told Cooley gift cards are essentially short-term loans for restaurants and other small businesses.
“Given the precariousness of finances right now, a restaurant gets an immediate cash infusion with the expense coming later,” Jones told the Dispatch.
Jones noted that a small portion of gift card recipients never use them, giving the businesses what essentially amounts to free money.
Related Stories
UC marketing class featured in Super Bowl Ad Meter School Spotlight
March 4, 2026
University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business was one of just 16 institutions representing USA Today’s Ad Meter School Spotlight program, where students got to evaluate the ads and publish their findings alongside industry professionals. The students' top-rated commercials largely aligned with Ad Meter’s official rankings, with Budweiser's "American Icons" earning the highest score. The participants included over 300 students across two marketing classes taught by assistant professor-educator Summer Shelton. She came to the University from a marketing research firm and brings experience ranking Super Bowl commercials as an industry professional herself.
UC leaders recognized for excellence in technology leadership.
March 4, 2026
University of Cincinnati Vice President & Chief Digital Officer Bharath Prabhakaran was named a finalist in the nonprofit/public sector category for the National ORBIE Awards 2026, in rapid succession to last year’s nomination, where Prabhakaran was named the 2025 Ohio CIO Enterprise ORBIE winner.
Study: There might be 3 different types of ADHD
March 4, 2026
The University of Cincinnati's Melissa DelBello was featured in a National Geographic article discussing recent research she coauthored that used brain imaging to identify three distinct subtypes of of ADHD, each with its own chemical interactions in the brain.