Eating out can be enjoyable and easy when you’re short on time, but it can also be quite expensive. The good news is that there are ways to save money easily when dining out, even for the most budget-conscience spender. Use these tips your next time you’re in a restaurant to keep your stomach and your wallet happy.
1. Freebies
Many restaurants offer rewards for signing up for their newsletter or mailing list. Common freebies include coupons, free food and birthday specials. Take a look at your favorite restaurants and see if you can sign up for their rewards program.
2. Say No to the Extras
How many times have you looked at a menu, taken a quick glance at the entrée price and then did a mental calculation of what the meal is going to cost? Now why is that number always lower than the actual bill? Appetizers, drinks and desert add up quickly and can easily double your bill. Try to pass up on these extras and just enjoy your entrée. Your budget and your belt will thank you!
3. Strategic Ordering
If you or your spouse don’t typically eat much, try splitting an entrée or even order from the kids menu. Ordering two huge entrees may be a waste, especially if your meal comes with salad or bread. Also, when you wind up with leftovers, make sure to take them and save it for another meal.
4. Buy Discounted Gift Certificates
Many websites offer big discounts to restaurants. Typically, you will see discounts of up to 75%. Sometimes, there are special instructions for using these coupons, such as only being valid during the week or certain hours, but the discounts are well worth it.
5. Find Kid-Friendly Restaurants
Lots of restaurants have certain nights where kids eat free with the purchase of a regularly priced entrée. Find restaurants in your area that offer these types of discounts and you will be able to save money and keep the kids happy.
6. Lunch Over Dinner
Dining out for dinner is much more expensive than going out for lunch. A lot of the time, it is even the same food and portions on both menus. Switching from dinner to lunch will save you money and help you avoid the crowds.
7. Try Carryout
If it is the restaurant food that you want and not necessarily the experience, you can save a lot of money by ordering your food for carryout. A lot of restaurant chains now even offer car-side service, making it even easier to pick up your food. By skipping the actual restaurant, you are saving on a lot of extra costs, like gratuity, drinks and most importantly, the temptation to order appetizers, drinks from the bar and desert.
Kelsey Vanderberg likes to write about shopping, saving money & cheap auto insurance.