With thousands of votes being cast in every race — and results that go down to the wire — the eight remaining restaurants in The Big Dance Restaurant Challenge are pulling in all their resources to stay ahead.

At The Tasting Room and Max's Wine Dive (two concepts both owned by Lasco Enterprises), the original plan was to set up an in-store computer terminal for patrons to vote. One caveat: The system only allows an IP address to register votes once per day.

Instead they are now encouraging customers to vote while at the restaurants using their own smart phones, says Jonathan Horowitz, vice president of marketing and communications for Lasco. To sweeten the pot, any visiter that shows the server they voted for their restaurants is entered in a drawing to receive a gift certificate at the end of the round.

It seems to be working — The Tasting Room and Max's Wine Dive are both up nearly 20 percentage points, with less then three days of voting remaining.

Ninfa's of Navigation is taking a more low-tech approach. As announced in an e-mail blast to fans, anyone who tells their server they voted gets a free appetizer of their choice. (Seafood ceviche, here I come!)

Ninfa's started the promotion during their tough second-round matchup against Niko Niko's and is currently ahead of Quattro 57 percent to 43 percent.

Brands like Sullivan's and Del Frisco's are harnessing the power of a corporate office with national reach by encouraging employees around the country to weigh in. Whether this validates the race-throwing theory of Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen is impossible to tell, though. After all, Del Frisco's is currently locked in a tie with local favorite Arturo's Uptown Italiano and Sullivan's is losing to Max's Wine Dive.

Every vote definetely counts, but with the sheer amount of votes being cast, the voice of the people is going to be heard. Have you voted yet today?