Five Tips for Saving on Restaurants

Eating out is one of the great pleasures of life, but with all the economic uncertainty, the wise diner looks for ways to cut the tab while still having a blast. Here are five easy ways to eat economically.

1. Join the club.
Many mid-priced and casual dining chains have their own insiders clubs that offer discounts and first looks at new menu offerings. For example, Pizza Uno, has an insider's club that offers a free appetizer with dinner purchase for all new members. Their seasonal menu offerings are announced first to new members as well, and a two for the price of one coupon often accompanies the emails that announce new offerings. Uno also has a lunch club where patrons who purchase 5 lunch entries within a 3 month period get the sixth free.

TGI Friday's Give me More Stripes Club offers patrons a one time pass to skip to the front of the line, free appetizers and discounted food. Qdoba Mexican Grill club offers patrons free chips with their first order and information and discounts on new menu offerings. The sandwich chain, Cosi, gives patrons who register their Cosi gift cards a freebie after 10 purchases.

2. Become a fan.
TGI Friday's recently stormed Facebook with a fictitious character named Woody to drum up interest in their Jack Daniel Burger and Jack Daniel Chicken offerings. All fans received a coupon for a free Jack Daniel Burger or Chicken and additional enticements such as five dollar salads or free appetizers with beverage purchase are e-mailed on a regular basis. If you become a fan of Au Bon Pain you will be the first to know about events like free iced coffee day.

3. Happy Birthday to You
Many firms provide free entrees, deserts, and deeply-discounted meals on your birthday. Birthday freebies is a clearinghouse of such offers. Coldstone Creamery, Houlihans, Red Robin, Baskin Robbins, and Red Lobster are just a few of the participants. But Birthday Clubs aren't just for casual dining. Some of New York's high-end restaurants including: The Sea Grill, Brasserie, and Rock Center Cafe, are part of the Patina Group which offers $30.00 or $50.00 off coupons for participant's birthdays. Membership is free.

4. Restaurants.com
Patrons can buy certificates that offer a $10.00 or $25.00 discount on lunch or dinner at a huge number of independently-owned restaurants throughout the United States. The website allows you to search by State, City and Zip Code and further refine results by cuisine or atmosphere. This is an especially valuable site for ethnic foods or family owned restaurants. Although the certificates can be purchased directly through this site, buying through some partner sites such as Working Advantage or Borders Rewards yields the same certificates for a fraction of the price.

5. Lighten up on the Booze.
Alcohol is the big money-maker for restaurants. If you skip the booze in favor of a glass of tap water, soda or cup of coffee you can save big. Some chains such as TGI Fridays even offer free refills of soda or coffee. Try that with the hard stuff. Instead of imbibing, have a Bloody Mary at home before you dine out or a little coffee with Frangelico at home later. Although BYOB is technically illegal in New York City and a big no-no for restaurants awaiting licensing from the State Liquor Authority, some restaurants allow patrons to bring their own bottles while others include inexpensive wine with food. If you're dining in downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn you may want to check Myopenbar.com for free or cheap liquid refreshment. This website has recently expanded to Chicago as well.

If you insist on a cocktail, have it at the bar. Fridays offers a free appetizer to members of its Give Me More Stripes club, if they order the beverage at the bar. Pizza Uno offers deeply discounted appetizers with cocktails at the bar during snack hours in the late afternoon.

Using just one of these five tips will save you money regardless of whether you enjoy fine dining or casual family fare. Bon appetite.

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Here is a list of all my entertaining, dining and money saving tips:
www.associatedcontent.com/user/583548/mary_finn.html

Sources:
www.getcosi.com/cosicard_learnmore.html
www.birthdayfreebies.com/
www.patinagroup.com/joinus.php
www.workingadvantage.com/products/subcategory.cfm
www.borders.com/online/store/BRLandingView
Myopenbar.com