Want to save money while still enjoying your favorite restaurants? This article provides a quick guide to discounts, strategic ordering, and smart timing. Keep reading to discover clever hacks that ensure you can dine out without breaking the bank, from exploiting restaurant reward programs to making your home feel like a restaurant.
Dining out provides a delightful social experience, but regular restaurant visits strain most budgets. Enjoying restaurant meals without overspending is possible through mindful spending and strategic planning. You can savor your favorite dishes while keeping your finances in check by implementing a few clever hacks.
I. Restaurant Discounts and Rewards Programs
- Military and Veteran Discounts: Many restaurants offer discounts as a thank you to veterans and active military members. Ask if a restaurant participates before placing an order and show your military ID to claim the discount.
- Birthday Freebies: Restaurants celebrate your special day. Sign up for birthday clubs to reap rewards such as free meals, discounted entrees, or complimentary desserts. Restaurants often send coupons for free desserts or appetizers to celebrate your birthday.
- Rewards Programs: Loyal customers can benefit. Join restaurant loyalty programs for special offers and rewards, often received via email.
- Coupons: Coupons are valuable. Find them in mailers or on websites like Valpak.com. Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) coupons provide the best value. Always read the fine print; a buy-one-meal, get-one-half-off coupon gives a discount of only 25%, and even less if you have to buy two drinks just to get the deal.
- Discounted Gift Cards: Purchase discounted gift cards online. CardCash is a site that sells discounted gift cards for restaurants. To save even more, buy discounted gift cards through cash-back websites and use a good cash-back credit card.
- Credit Card Special Offers: Credit card benefits and incentives tied to specific restaurants are common. Check the benefits section on your credit card account page. Offers are tailored to individual accounts.
II. Strategic Ordering
- Share a Meal: Split entrees to manage portion sizes and costs. Some restaurants may charge a couple of dollars for the extra plate, but even then it’s a way to reduce a dinner bill substantially.
- Kids Menu: Ordering from the kids’ menu is an option. Opt for it for smaller portions and lower prices. Be sure to respect any age limits the restaurant has.
- Appetizers and Sides: Side dishes and appetizers can be a good alternative. Making a meal out of appetizers and sides can be a cheaper alternative to entrees.
- Drink Water: Choose water to save money. Opting for water avoids the high cost of other beverages. Water is usually free. A family can save $20 to $40 every time they eat out by ordering water instead of other drinks.
- Skip the Appetizers: Appetizers add to the bill. Avoiding unnecessary appetizers can save money.
- Daily Specials: Look for restaurants that offer daily specials. Order the daily special, it could be cheaper than the other entrées. The regular specials that rotate by day are a better bet for a fresh meal at a lower price.
III. Timing and Location
- Happy Hour Deals: Discounted drinks and appetizers can add up. Take advantage of happy hour for savings. Check ahead and see what time happy hour prices start, as every place is different.
- Lunch Dates: Lunch menus are almost always cheaper than dinner. Choosing lunch over dinner provides cheaper menu options.
- Early Week Specials: Take advantage of Monday and Tuesday specials. Many restaurants run awesome weekly specials like discount wings, cheap pizza, and 2-for-1 deals to lure in customers on off-peak nights.
- Avoid Major Holidays: Holiday pricing on intimate Valentine’s dinners or Mother’s Day brunches means inflated costs. Suggesting dining out the day before or after holidays avoids fixed-price menus.
- Casinos: Casinos sometimes offer inexpensive options. Eating at casinos might provide cheaper meals to attract customers. Check casino websites for upcoming events that offer free food, like slot tournaments.
IV. Alternatives to Dining In
- Takeout: Takeout saves money on tips. Getting takeout or delivery requires a lower tip than dining in.
- Picnics: Pack Chinese takeout and head for the park or lakeshore. Taking food to go and enjoying a meal in a park or scenic location makes for a nice, cheap outing.
- Just Desserts: Eat at home, then go out just for coffee and dessert. Eating at home and only going out for dessert offers a smaller bill while still enjoying the restaurant atmosphere.
- Pizza or Fast Food: Instead of dining out, pizzas or fast casual food for pickup offers a lower price point. Ordering pizza or fast casual food for pickup is cheaper than delivery and still earns points for future discounts.
V. Budgeting and Planning
- Create a Budget: Start with a budget, a zero-based one. Setting a restaurant budget line in a zero-based budget is the best way to curb restaurant spending. Use a budgeting tool like EveryDollar to track spending.
- Meal Planning: Take control by planning meals. Planning meals will avoid impulse restaurant visits.
- Leftovers for Lunch: Pack leftovers to save money on lunch costs. Bringing leftovers to work saves money.
- Convenience Buys: Limit convenience purchases to stick to your budget. Cut down on convenience buys.
VI. Additional Considerations
- Tip Amounts: Avoid being a bad tipper. Mindful of tip amounts and opting for counter service when on a tight budget is considerate.
- Surveys: Restaurants often have surveys. Taking advantage of survey offers can lead to discounts on future meals.
- Potluck Dinners: Consider joining local groups for potluck dinners as a social and affordable option. Find vegan groups on MeetUp and join one that regularly has potluck dinners.
- Sampling: Free samples can help keep costs down. Free samples at stores like Whole Foods or Costco can substitute for a meal.
- Travel: Save money when traveling. Book accommodations with meal prep amenities.
- Cashback Apps: Cashback apps provide savings. Apps like Upside offer cashback on restaurant purchases.
- Replicate Favorite Meals: Become your own barista, at least some of the time. Recipes and cooking tips can bring favorite meals from restaurants into your home.
- Cook With Friends: Cooking with friends or making it a date night makes the experience more enjoyable. There are few things better than sharing a meal with the people you love.
- Home Restaurant: Give your dinners a ‘theme’ so they feel different. Make the home environment feel like a restaurant. Light candles, change the music, or even burn incense to give your home-restaurant a nicer smell.
- Intermittent Fasting: Consider intermittent fasting or “no cook” meals to reduce meal frequency. If you’re short on time, you can also build up an arsenal of delicious “no cook” meals to keep in your back pocket.
- Meal Prepping: Make a large amount of food in one go and eat it throughout the week. Meal prepping saves time and money during the week.
VII. The Benefits of Reducing Restaurant Spending
- Financial Savings: Savings can help achieve financial goals. Reducing restaurant spending will create savings.
- Healthier Eating: Cooking at home contributes to an overall healthier lifestyle. When you cook at home, you’re in charge of all the ingredients that go into that meal.
- Setting an Example: Lead by example for friends and family. Show the people around you that you don’t need to go to a restaurant in order to socialize and that home cooked meals can be delicious and nutritious.
Conclusion
Enjoying restaurant meals while saving money is possible by making dining out a rare treat. Implementing these strategies will lead to financial and health benefits. You can savor restaurant experiences without the guilt of overspending by embracing mindful choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I save money when dining out?
To save money while dining out, consider strategies such as using coupons, taking advantage of military or veteran discounts, buying discounted restaurant gift cards, using cashback apps, ordering from the kids menu, and sharing meals. You can also skip appetizers, drink water, and take advantage of happy hour deals.
- What are some strategies for strategic ordering to save money?
Strategic ordering involves sharing a meal, ordering from the kids menu, making a meal out of appetizers and sides, skipping appetizers, and avoiding expensive drinks. Ordering the daily special can also lead to savings.
- How does the timing of my restaurant visits affect the cost?
The timing of your restaurant visits can significantly impact the cost. Consider going out for lunch instead of dinner, taking advantage of early week specials, and seeking out happy hour deals. Avoid major holidays when restaurants often have fixed-price menus.
- Are there alternatives to dining in at a restaurant to save money?
Yes, consider takeout, having a picnic, ordering just desserts, or opting for pizza or fast food for pickup.
- How important is budgeting and planning for saving money on restaurant expenses?
Budgeting is crucial. A zero-based budget that includes a specific restaurant budget line is the most effective way to control spending. Also helpful are meal planning to avoid impulse decisions, using leftovers for lunch, and limiting convenience purchases.
- What are some additional ways to save money while eating out?
Additional ways to save include being mindful of tip amounts, taking advantage of survey offers, participating in potluck dinners, enjoying free samples at grocery stores, and saving money when traveling by booking accommodations with meal prep amenities.
- What are the benefits of reducing restaurant spending beyond financial savings?
Reducing restaurant spending leads to financial savings and contributes to a healthier lifestyle through home-cooked meals. It also sets a positive example for friends and family.
- How can restaurant rewards programs help save money?
Joining restaurant rewards programs provides access to special offers and can earn you free appetizers. Fill out your restaurant rewards or diner club profile completely, including your birthday, as restaurants sometimes send coupons for a free dessert or appetizer to celebrate.
- What if I don’t want to cook at home?
If you don’t want to cook at home, consider stocking up on a few convenience items to make quick meals. Another option is to have buns, sliced cheese or cold cuts, soup for dipping and a salad mix from a bag.
- How do I handle the temptation of frequent convenience buys?
Set yourself up for success by keeping quick and healthy snacks in your car and stocking your kitchen with some frozen pizzas.
- What if I have kids who waste food at restaurants?
If you have kids or family members who routinely leave half their meal behind, only order entrees that can be shared with someone else at the table or be taken home and reheated for a bedtime snack or lunch the next day.
- How can I make eating at home feel more like eating out?
Try upgrading or changing your dining areas. Eat outside more. Use your yard, patio, and lawn for meals and change the environment. Light candles, change the music, or even burn incense to give your home-restaurant a nicer smell! Dress up a little! Or give your dinners a ‘theme’ so they feel different.
- What are the best days to dine out for deals?
The first few days of the week are notoriously slow for restaurants. Because of this, they’ll usually offer specials to entice customers to fill their booths.