Primed for a Philly Nomad; what gives with Groupon?

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat:

C.L.: I heard Night Market in Mount Airy was awesome. I was so jealous not to taste the artisan pizzas from Nomad's REO Speedwagon pizza truck that I took a road trip to Nomad's home base in Hopewell, N.J. Nomad, for folks who don't know, is opening a branch in Philly in October, in the former Horizons space at Seventh and Bainbridge. Based on my visit, I am S-T-O-K-E-D! Across from a postcard-perfect white church, this little clapboard building is like a dreamy pizzeria chapel. Inside is all rustic chic with its long wood community table. With a gorgeous cerulean blue-tiled Neapolitan pizza oven roaring hardwood flames, this kitchen turned out some of the best artisan pies I've had in this region. Fantastically fresh, local ingredients. Perfectly leopard-spotted, heat-blistered crusts. Reasonably priced ($16-$18 a pie). And everything I ate was great - from the simple bufala mozz Margherita to a delicious white pie topped with fresh Jersey corn.

Reader: What are your thoughts on the proliferation of the "Groupon" offers w/regard to restaurants from the small cafe/restaurant establishments? Is this a fad? an ongoing "Restaurant week" event? Here to stay? We have signed up for two offers and have been discouraged by the lack of return business.  

C.L.: Great question. I've never used Groupon, but I'm curious to hear from diners who have.  

Reader: Groupon keeps an otherwise empty place looking full. It's certainly best to hand it over after your meal, though. I've heard some stories about that.

Reader: Groupon and other deals have changed in recent months from what I can tell. Now very small deals to get you in the door: pay $10 to get $20. Years ago you would see $40 for $80, etc.

Reader: I have used Groupons for restaurants and they work well for the customer if you read the fine print and are OK with the terms (e.g., minimum party of 2, most only valid Mon-Thurs). However, I've read on the Internet that it is not such a great deal for restaurants and some can even go in a loss if they do not leverage appropriately.

Reader: Had Santucci's delivered from the new location in the city. I love that place! Sauce on top! Have you been?

C.L.: Glad to hear good things about that recent arrival in the Italian Market - in the works for what seemed like forever - but it's too new for me. From the blogger pics I've seen, those looked like some pretty messy sandwiches. In a good way.

Reader: One recent happening in my mind is Matt Levin's diminished role at Adsum and the change of concept. I chalk it up to the dreaded location. I also am weary of Jason Cichonski's efforts across the street. My question is, will Philadelphia have an honest, creative, chef-driven restaurant any time soon? Something like a Chang spot or L'Astrance in Paris. I'm anticipating Sbraga for this reason. I hope the city is ready to support such a venture.

C.L: I don't think many people really know what the situation was at Adsum - I personally haven't talked to Matt - but these kinds of shifts, especially with the founding chef leaving, are always complicated. But why would you be weary (or even "wary") of Jason Cichonski's efforts to rehab the former Ansill/Judy's? The guy hasn't even opened yet! I consider him to be one of the best young chefs in the city. If he was opening a casual, fun place in my neighborhood, I'd be thrilled. I'm not quite getting what it is about those concepts (the casual/bar/culinary hipster angle?) that rubs you wrong. Chang didn't start off fancy at Momofuku, which was all about reinventing (or inventing) an American take on Asian street food. Also, I hate the phrase "chef-driven" restaurant. Who else is doing the cooking? Robots? Not unless you're eating at the Olive Garden. Ditto for the "ingredient-driven" restaurant. Can't we assume our best restaurants are using good ingredients? Wylie Dufresne said about exactly that in the recent debut edition of Chang's fan-zine, Lucky Peach. And I have to say I agree with him. That said, I'm looking forward to what Sbraga's got for us. I'm guessing there will be a chef and some ingredients behind the counter, at the very least.

Reader: Any predictions regarding Matt Moon's move from chef at Talula's Table to executive chef at Talula's Garden? Will TG transform into a large-scale version of Talula's Table; the TT experience turn into something different?

C.L.: That's the million-dollar question, right? I've loved the food Matt Moon has cooked over the years. Can that vision be translated from a mellow 18-seat-a-night operation to a big, bustling, full-service restaurant with 150 seats doing 300-plus covers a night? There's a big difference, a lot of management involved. We shall taste and see! I sure hope they can retain the magic of Talula's Table.