If you are anything like us, then you probably enjoy going out to eat. It’s nice to not have to cook for a night, and it’s fun to eat foods that you don’t make at home. Even though we love going out to eat, it can be so expensive (especially if you have a whole family to pay for). We rarely go out to eat without doing one of these 5 things. We have come up with these restaurant deals to save you money. Our hope is that you can enjoy dining out without breaking the bank.
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#1 Restaurant Deals to Save You Money — Coupons
Sometimes some of the best deals come in the form of coupons. You don’t have to be an extreme couponer to get discounts.
Every week we receive coupons in the mail for different restaurants or fast food places.
They may only save you a few dollars, but sometimes they are really good deals.
For example, we received coupons in the mail from Qdoba, and one of the coupons is buy one meal and get one FREE! That is an awesome deal.
You can find coupons for a lot of different restaurants.
Here is a list of some of the coupons we receive:
- Qdoba
- Red Lobster
- Olive Garden
- Denny’s
- Arby’s
- Steak & Shake
- Long John Silvers
- Subway
- Burger King
- Fazoli’s
- + many more!
You can also sign up for emails from restaurants, and they will send you coupons to your email. We talk more about that later on in this post.
#2 Restaurant Deals to Save You Money — AAA Discount
We’ve talked about AAA for discounts on museums before, but AAA can also save you money at restaurants.
If you are a AAA member, you can receive discounts at hundreds of places.
You can sign up using our link to get $20 towards your next renewal.
Here are some of the food discounts they currently have:
- Papa John’s: 25% off when ordering online
- Rainforest Cafe: save 10%
- Denny’s: save 10%
- Hard Rock Cafe: save 10%
- Adam’s Ribs Co.: save 10%
- Caddy’s: free appetizer or dessert
They also have a lot of deals to local restaurants listed on their site.
#3 Restaurant Deals to Save You Money — Birthday Freebies
Many restaurants offer free or discounted meals, desserts, beverages, and appetizers for your birthday.
Some places require that you visit on your actual birthday, and others send you a coupon that is good for several weeks.
Restaurants change their policies often, so it is best if you call ahead to make sure that your restaurant is still participating in that deal.
Here are some places that have birthday freebies right now:
Free or Discounted Meals:
If you join bd’s rewards program, you will receive a free meal on your birthday.
On your actual birthday, you can get a free steak (worth $10.99) or apply the $10.99 to any dinner menu selection. If you are visiting at lunch, you can get $8.99 toward any lunch selection.
Earn free food and a drink for your birthday when you join their rewards program.
Join Red Robin Royalty and get a free burger during the month of your birthday.
Get a free burger or garden bar entree on your birthday when you join their rewards program.
Free or Discounted Desserts:
Receive a free birthday treat every year when you join their Birthday Club.
Get a free Bo-Berry biscuit on your birthday every year with a purchase when you sign up for the Bojangles e-club.
Receive a free birthday sundae when you dine in. Or, you can purchase cheesecake and have a special message written on it.
When you join their rewards program, you get a free dessert on your birthday.
If you are part of their rewards program, you get a free dessert on your birthday. Note: not all restaurants participate in this rewards program.
Get a free dessert during your birthday month when you sign up for their rewards program.
Free or Discounted Beverages:
When you sign up for Biggby’s rewards program, you get a free drink on your birthday.
Get a free beverage on your birthday when you sign up for DD Perks.
When you join Starbucks rewards, you can get a free beverage or treat for your birthday.
Other Birthday Freebies:
Receive a birthday treat when you sign up for their email.
Get a free birthday treat when you download their mobile app.
When you join the Blizzard Fan Club, you get a birthday freebie and a surprise on your half birthday!
You will receive a gift every year on your birthday when you join their rewards program.
When you join the Good as Gold club, you receive a birthday treat every year.
You will receive a birthday treat when you sign up for IHOP’s rewards program.
Get a free birthday treat when you sign up for Krispy Kreme Rewards.
Noodles offers a birthday treat to their rewards program members.
Get a free birthday treat when you join their rewards program.
If you join their rewards program, you get 10 extra points for your birthday to redeem a free treat like bread sticks or a dessert.
Get a free birthday treat when you join Panera’s rewards program.
Pizza Hut offers Hut Rewards members birthday rewards.
Get a birthday offer when you sign up for the Fresh Catch News (not the same as the rewards program).
Get free birthday and anniversary treats when you join their e-club (not the same as the rewards program).
#4 Restaurant Deals to Save You Money — Kids Eat Free
There are lots of restaurants where kids can eat free on certain nights of the week. Some places also offer discounts for children.
Note: all of these restaurants have the right to change their promotions at any time. It is best to call ahead to make sure.
Here are some of the places where your kids can eat for free or at a discounted rate:
Bd’s Mongolian Grill
Kids get a discounted rate for their meal on Kids Night.
The discounted rate and night depend on the location you visit.
View their website for more information.
Chili’s
When you join Chili’s rewards program, you can get rewards for free kids meals.
Denny’s
At Denny’s kids can eat for free on any day of the week.
Children must be 10 years old or younger to participate.
Finley’s Grill & Smokehouse
Finley’s offers a deal where kids can eat free on Monday and Tuesday nights from 4 pm to close.
This offer is only for kids 12 and under.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut has a program called “Book It” through school districts or to homeschoolers.
If your child’s teacher participates in the Book It! program, the teacher sets monthly reading goals for the students to meet. When students meet these goals, they can redeem a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut. If your child’s teacher does not participate in this program, feel free to ask them about it. They may not know it even exists!
If your child is homeschooled, you as a parent can set these monthly reading goals.
The program is offered October 1st to March 31st. Each month, your child can earn another personal pan pizza if s/he meets the reading goal.
This program is offered to kids ages 5-12 (kindergarten-6th grade).
For more information on this program, check out their website.
Ruby Tuesday
Every Tuesday night kids get to eat for free.
Steak ‘n Shake
Steak ‘n Shake has an offer going right now where kids can eat for free all weekend.
This offer is only for kids 12 and under on Saturdays and Sundays.
#5 Restaurant Deals to Save You Money — Rewards Programs
Almost every restaurant now has a rewards program. Each program is different, and some have better deals than others.
A lot of rewards programs allow you to earn points that you redeem for free food.
Others send you coupons to your email for discounts and free food.
We wrote a separate post all about reward programs. You can see an A-Z list of restaurant reward programs in this post: How to Save Money with Restaurant Rewards.
If you have any other tips or want us to add missing deals to this list, feel free to comment below! We will try to keep this post up to date.
Related post: How to Save Money Shopping
