THE BAD DEAL

If Groupon truly cared about its local merchants, it wouldn’t allow the use of bad food photography. This particular specimen looks like a plate of meatballs salvaged from a dirty corner of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. 

Let’s give credit where credit is due: Gilt City, a New York-based daily deal company, knows how to make even the most forgettable restaurants look like the palace of Louis XIV with its stellar photo slideshows. 

Out of respect, we won’t mention the name of the merchant pictured here. Then again, neither will Groupon, which requires you to click past the “jump” to find out the name of the restaurant. Would you click?