When you are trying to live thriftily, one of the first money-saving tips you hear is that you can save money by not eating at restaurants. One of the best ways to save money on food indeed is to cook and eat at home. Eating out is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I love food. Restaurants are a great place to hang out with friends and family. I’m here to help you save some money at restaurants and allow you to eat out more often. Save money on eating out with these frugal living tips and tricks. These money-saving hacks for restaurants are fantastic for keeping your budget under control and saving money while still dining out occasionally.
Set some ground rules
One of the best ways to eat out on budget is to limit what you order. One idea that will not leave you feeling deprived is to “Pick ONE of drinks/appetizers/desserts”. That way you still get one treat but do not blow the budget.
Buy Restaurant.com Gift Cards
With Restaurant.com, you can purchase gift cards to cover 18,000 restaurants across the country for pennies on the dollar. for as little as $10 you can receive a $25-dollar Restaurant.com gift card that can be used in ton of location near you.
Friend your favorite Restaurant on Facebook
You can like most restaurant on Facebook as well, even moms and pops location now finding their way online in an effort to drum up more business, this is a great opportunity for you to find new deals and coupons online.
Eat at the bar.
Many restaurants have a separate bar menu that is often cheaper than the main menu but with similar items.
Checkout Groupon/LIVING SOCIAL
Using living social and Groupon are great resources to save money eating out at restaurants download the app and start saving on local deals daily.
Weekly Specials
One thing that many people may not realize or utilize are weekly special that almost all restaurants are implementing these days. Play close attention to the restaurant that you frequent most often.
Go to BYOB places
If you do want to drink alcohol during your meal, consider picking a place that lets you bring your own in. It is one of the best ways to save money when eating out although you will have to pay a corkage fee to the restaurant.
Look for Happy Hour Food Specials
Many restaurants offer special prices on food if you dine early or late. Other restaurant might offer half price appetizer along with drinks.
Join Restaurant Loyalty Clubs
Many restaurants will send you coupon for free items or discount in exchange for your email address. They may offer meals or dessert for your birthday or send coupons throughout the year. Some restaurant will reward you for downloading or using their mobile app.
Use Online Deal Sites
Open table is a reservation site every-time you make a reservation you receive points. Once you reach a certain number of points, open table send you a certificate. Good for a discount at any participating restaurant. For example, once you reach 2,000 point, you can get a certificate for $20 dollar off Yelp.com, the restaurant review site.
Get Cash Back
use a cash reward credit card to get money back on your purchase. In addition, some restaurant participates in promise, letting you get even more cash back. Promise is a free reward programed signed to help you save for higher education expense.
Ask About a Half Portion
Some restaurant will gladly make a half meal for half the price. It will help cut out the extra calories too.
Eat For free at a Trial Night
When new restaurants go up, ask when the kitchen will do a practice run. I have eaten free a few tie the night before a new restaurant opens. Often a limited menu to give the staff a chance to practice. But it’s always great food at an unbelievable price. Some time you can find ads on craigslist advertising these deals or google it.
Use coupons
This is one of the best ways that you can save money when you eat out. Coupons can save you so much money on the cost of your meal. Look in your local paper or watch for flyers that come in the mail.
Visit on Kids Eat Free nights
There is no need to pay full price for a kid’s meal. A lot of restaurants offer kids eat free night. Some examples are Applebee’s, Denny’s, and Texas Roadhouse.