In this series of 5 posts, I am sharing 10 ways to cut the expense of eating out. How nice it is to have the privilege of taking the family to a restaurant to be served without preparing or cleaning up. On busy days away from home, I am thankful for this choice.
In part 1, we covered option 1 and option 2. Today, let’s consider Kids eat free and lunch vs. dinner suggestions to help us feed our families without over-extending our food budgets.
OPTION 3: Take advantage of KIDS EAT FREE nights.
Many restaurants offer periods of time where kids eat free. Many times the establishment will advertise on a marquee, through print material, or on their website. Here are some ways to find when kids eat free:
- Ask other parents.
- Check www.mykidseatfree.com. You can search by state and then by city to find the promotions. This site is great to use when you are planning your vacation. You can plan a busy day when a favorite restaurant has a kids eat free promotion.
- Consult your local newspaper.
- Subscribe to online newsletters, mobile/text, or e-mail notifications to your favorite restaurants.
- Visit the restaurant’s website.
In our area of the southeast, the following restaurants participate in kids eat free promotions:
- Atlanta Bread Company – every day from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Chick-fil-A – Wednesdays
- Denny’s – Tuesday and Saturdays from 4:00 – 10:00 p.m.
- Firehouse Subs – Sundays and Wednesdays
- IHOP – everyday from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Moe’s Southwest Grill – Tuesdays after 4:00 p.m.
- Steak and Shake – Saturdays and Sundays
Most of the businesses have restrictions on these promotions (i.e. one free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult meal). As businesses change their marketing strategies, these promotions can change quickly. If I am not sure if the promotion is still continuing, I will call ahead and ask before planning our evening out.
OPTION 4: Consider eating out for lunch rather than dinner.
Some restaurants have a lunch menu that is less expensive than the dinner equivalent. If we have the option of eating out at lunch or dinner, our family considers the lunch option. Sometimes time constraints will not permit an hour lunch, but other times (like on the weekend), the lunch option works perfectly with our schedule. Our family enjoys the hibachi-style eating at a local Japanese restaurant. The lunch menu price is $8 to $10 per adult, but the dinner menu ranges from $12-$15. Thankfully, this restaurant offers the lunch menu on Sundays. A special treat for our family is visiting this Japanese restaurant, where we also use a coupon (buy one entrée and 2 drinks, and get one entrée free), for lunch on Sunday after worshipping together.
When we can combine savings options, like using a coupon and eating during the lunch hours, our family may be able to eat out an additional day during the week. I love to maximize my savings. Though we are always looking for ways to get the most of our hard earned dollars, we also give freely. We may not pay for the second entrée when using a coupon, but we tip on the total amount the bill should have been. Our server, if attentively and friendly, will enjoy waiting on our family of five since the tip is worth the extra effort.
As you spend time your family this season and may need to eat on the run, I hope you will find these options helpful as you stretch your dollars.