Earlier this week, my husband received an email from one of our favorite restaurants. They were having a 50% off deal on their lasagna and he couldn’t resist. So he picked up the lasagna along with some free bread sticks on his way home and I made a salad to go with it. When we were finished eating we still had some lasagna leftover, so he packed it in a container and took it for lunch the next day.
While it’s not advisable to eat at restaurants often while you are trying to reach your financial goals, there will of course be times when it’s unavoidable, convenient, or when you feel like rewarding yourself for all the sacrifices you’re making. When you do find yourself getting food from a restaurant, remember that there are ways to keep from blowing your budget. I have 12 tips for saving money at restaurants. As you read through them, see if you can figure out which ones we used in my lasagna story!
1. Go out for lunch instead of dinner
Most restaurants have a lunch menu and a dinner menu. The lunch menu is usually cheaper because there is less of a selection and the portion sizes are smaller, whereas the dinner menu is usually more expensive. You will save money on the bill just by going at lunchtime.
2. Go on “kids eat free” days
A lot of family friendly restaurants have “kids eat free” days, usually on Tuesdays. Take advantage of this deal to save some extra money. Even if your kids are small and won’t finish an entire meal off the kids menu, you can take the rest home and give it to them for another meal.
3. Try to find a restaurant coupon
You usually have restaurant flyers/coupons mailed to you along with grocery store ads. Or you can check out your Sunday paper for some good restaurant coupons. Try to choose one that will save you the most money.
4. Buy discounted restaurant gift cards
Get gift cards from a retailer that discounts them and use those gift cards when you go out. You can find discounted gift cards from warehouse stores like Costco, or from online sites such as Cardpool or Raise.
5. Subscribe to restaurant email lists
If you subscribe to the email lists of your favorite restaurants, they’ll email you coupons and deals pretty frequently. Just don’t do this if the emails will tempt you to go more often than you should.
6. Get your order to go
You won’t be tempted to order extras, and if you order entrees you can make your sides at home.
7. Don’t order drinks
Drinks have some of the biggest markups at restaurants. If you consider that they will charge you at least $2.50 per soft drink and that you can go to the grocery store and buy a 2 liter for about $1.00, you’ll realize just how much you’re overpaying, even if you get multiple refills. And alcoholic beverages – don’t even get me started! You’re better off just ordering water and having the more fun drinks at home.
8. Share your food with your kids instead of ordering a separate meal for them
When it comes to smaller children who take 2 bites and are suddenly done, it doesn’t make sense to order them a separate meal from the kids menu unless it’s a “kids eat free” day or unless they are too picky to eat whatever you ordered for yourself. Instead, give them a little off your plate. Or even for older kids, decide on an entree to split with them. That way you’re not paying for a separate meal for them, and as an added benefit, it helps you with portion control.
9. Order an appetizer instead of an entree
Appetizers are generally less expensive than entrees, and if you can find one on the menu that is a meal in itself (think nachos or sliders, not mozzarella sticks or chips and guac) you will save money on your bill. You could even order a large appetizer like a sampler platter for multiple people and then just order some sides and forgo entrees altogether if your fellow diners will agree to it.
10. Don’t get tricked into adding extras to your meal
If your waiter asks if you’d like to add something to your order, it’s probably going to cost you extra. For example, they might say “would you like a salad with that?” or “would you like to add guacamole?” More times than not they will charge you extra for those extras! Before you agree to add something to your dish make sure to ask them if it costs anything extra first.
11. Eat only half your meal
Most restaurants serve large portions, so do yourself a favor and only eat half. Then box up the other half and take it home with you. You can pack it for lunch the next day or have it for dinner again. This way you get to enjoy it twice and only pay for it once! Stretching out your dollars is the name of the to-go-box game!
12. Don’t order dessert
You can pay between $5 to $8 per person for a slice of cake at a restaurant, or you can stop at the grocery store and buy a whole cake for about $12 to $15. Desserts are one of the most marked up items at restaurants. Skip it entirely or else stop at the store on your way home and pick yourself up a treat for a much better price!
There you have it – my 12 tips for saving money at restaurants! Give them a try next time you go out and you’ll notice such a huge difference when you get the bill. Let me know which tips you tried and how they worked for you!
This is fantastic! Will be using the information in future. I have two kids and we always end up leaving food behind. Realised a few things now.
Wonderful! Glad I could help. Going out to restaurants with kids can be tricky because you never know how much or little they will eat or how picky they’ll be if you choose to share your food with them instead of ordering them something separately.