How to Save When Dining Out
I was telling a friend at work that my dad’s birthday dinner (last fall) seemed to cost an arm and a leg. For all four of my family members to dine, my brother and I split an almost-$100 bill.
“That’s not so bad for four people,” she responded. “My family’s lucky if we can keep it under $200 [for six].”
She has a good point, turns out. I’ve done a little asking around, and most people seem to spend upwards of $20 each (even for lunch?) when enjoying restaurant fare. That’s high for me, but it’s normal, I’m told.
What about you? What’s your average?
In my frugal self, I cringe at spending more than $10 for lunch or $15 for dinner, per person. For anyone looking to lower the bill, consider these spend-less tips for the savvy diner:
1) Split an entree with someone.
Even though I love food, I can seldom pack away the whole portion of a restaurant meal. When possible, I like to split something. This means a lower bill and a smaller portion–both pluses for me.
2) Split an entree with yourself.
When I can’t share with someone, I often take leftovers home with me. I love when I can get two great meals out of an order. True, I’m still spending full price, but I consider it a deal when I’m getting another day’s dining out of it.
3) Drink tap water.
I don’t drink alcohol and rarely drink soft drinks, so water’s the way for me. Usually I ask for a slice of lemon, and I go through three or four glasses. It costs nothing and is good for me!
4) Don’t get appetizers.
Same goes for desserts, though I’ll admit I seldom resist. When trying to save, it’s a wise plan to just get one course at the restaurant. Maybe go out just for dessert or just for appetizers, if your friends are game.
5) Order like a child.
This is so tacky, but I still love ordering from kids’ menus, when I can. Obviously this wouldn’t work at a four-star establishment, but at weekly stops like a Steak N’ Shake or something, I happily order the child’s portion. Delicious and much lower prices.
Have an idea I missed? Share it here! I’ve heard a lot about the restaurant.com certificates and coupon books… anyone a fan?
Filed under food, frugal foodie Thursdays |
6 Responses to “How to Save When Dining Out”
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One thing I DON’T recommend: ordering like, a supposedly-cheaper appetizer and a salad, or something. It usually costs almost as much as a regular meal and I’m still hungry.
If you’d like to be able to take the family out, sign up for emails from restaurant.com. The regular prices they have are only as good as those big coupon books charities sell for fund raising, but sometimes they put their “gift certificates” on pretty good sale.
Their front page says “$25 gift certificates for $10″, but their gift certificates are like “$25 off if you spend $50″, not $10 for a $25 dinner. When they’re on sale, though, they might be 90% off and that’s pretty good: I’d spend $1 to get a “$25 off” coupon on a $50 meal!
Where I live, most of the restaurants they cover are the kind of neighborhood grill, not big chains or the really fancy places. I’ve used them at 2 of my favorite places and didn’t have any trouble using the certificates.
Cracker Barrel’s kids meal is for “kids of all ages,” meaning that anyone can order them. When I worked there, adults ordered them all the time. The lunch/dinner menu comes with a free drink, and you can always get free unlimited biscuits and cornbread or pay for an extra side if you want. It is plenty of food, and it’s really good and an awesome deal!
I remember one older couple who would come in every day and get the kids’ grilled chicken meal. Delicious and cheap!
I LOVE Restaurant.com! In my large Midwestern city it’s mostly the local joints that use it- we have about 55 options within 5 miles of me. Like a previous poster said, don’t ever pay $10 for the certificates- wait until the end of the month, Google “restaurant.com discount” and you can usually get them for $4 or so. You do have to watch the requirements, as some of my favorite restaurants have started only taking the certificates on weekdays, but I have seriously reduced my dining out budget with this site.
Regarding coupons- I also purchase an Entertainment Book each year, and always get my money’s worth. There will usually be 8 or 9 really great featured deals, and I trade the coupons I don’t use for more of my favorites via Craigslist. Both methods of discount dining have helped my BF and I really get to know our city and try new places after only living here for a year and a half.
I love restaurant.com for trying new restaurants in the area, but I’m not sure they really SAVE me much money because of those restrictions. We usually end up ordering more stuff that we would normally, just to reach those minimums. (min. 2 entrees, $X total, etc) Your savings recommendations are pretty thorough though. If I go out with my mom and/or sister we usually try a combination of most of those! hehe.
I tend not to like those Entertainment books because I feel like its forcing me to spend money, but I’ve honestly never looked into it seriously.
I’ve seen people’s bills go up significantly when they start to order wine or alcoholic drinks. I try to never order alcohol at a restaurant…unless its a very special occasion, but especially not if they dont’ have the prices listed on there!! (and most nice restaurants don’t!)
$100 for four for a nice dinner definitely seems low. Last night, I spent $380 on dinner for me and my boyfriend–but it was a seriously special occasion (his 30th birthday), and definitely not a usual occurrence.
Generally, when I’m paying, I try to get out of a restaurant for $25 or under, but that’s a cheap night. Granted, New York, but still. If I splurge on dinner out with a couple of friends and we split appetizers, desserts, and a bottle of wine in addition to an entree, that’s an easy $50/head.
I rarely eat lunch out, but when I do, it’s not so much “eating out” as “buying a sandwich or a couple of sushi rolls and a drink,” and it costs $5-$15.