Restaurant prices have gotten wild, but you can still save money eating out without giving up your favorite table. Food is one of the biggest line items in any family budget, and dinners out are usually the sneakiest part of your food budget.
The good news? A little planning goes a long way. With a few smart moves (think discounted gift cards, better timing, and skipping the drink upcharge) you can cut a restaurant bill nearly in half. Eating out on a budget is completely doable, it just takes a system.
Here are eight ways to keep eating out in the budget instead of blowing it.
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Table of Contents
Discount Dinner Coupons
Restaurant coupons didn’t die with the newspaper. They just moved.
Sign up for the email lists and download the apps for the places your family already loves. Most chains send a freebie or a BOGO offer just for joining, and loyalty apps regularly drop deals like free kids meals, discounted family bundles, and points toward free food.
Before you head out, take 30 seconds to check the restaurant’s app. Ordering through it sometimes gets you app-only pricing you won’t see at the counter. For a second layer of savings, run the bill through a cash-back app like Ibotta or Upside, restaurant offers show up there more often than people realize.
Purchase Restaurant Gift Cards (At a Discount!)
This one feels like a cheat code. You can buy restaurant gift cards for less than face value, which means you’re saving money before you even order.
CardCash sells discounted gift cards to tons of restaurants, some with as much as 25% off. Warehouse stores like Costco sell restaurant gift card bundles below face value too, so grab one on your next run. Groupon still has local restaurant deals worth a scroll, and Raise is another source for unused cards below face value.
And watch for holiday gift card promos. Lots of restaurants run spend $50, get a free $10 card deals that you can stash for your next family dinner out.
Quick tip: pair a discounted gift card with a weekday special and you’ve stacked two discounts on one meal. Here’s the bonus discipline: when the card runs out, dinner out is done for the month. The gift card becomes the budget envelope.
Join in the Fun on National Dining Days
You name it, and there’s a National ___ Day.
If you’re willing to do a little research you can easily plan your meals around these offers to take advantage of free food offered by participating restaurants.
Be sure to check out social media accounts of your favorite eateries as well to make sure you don’t miss out.
Meal Selection
Since the costs of meals on the menu are varied, it is best to have a price limit before sitting down at the restaurant. A great option to save money is to split a dinner meal. The cost of a la carte is usually at a higher expense.
Sharing a meal and an appetizer or salad will still provide a good meal for both. Two appetizers and a shared dessert often beats two entrees on both price and fun, appetizer portions are dinner-sized now.
Another choice is to dine at lunch instead of dinner. Often dinner meals are provided at a lunch price, and the portion is only slightly smaller.
Restaurant Deals
Many restaurants have weekly deals except on their busiest nights, such as Friday and Saturday. Some restaurants offer half-price appetizers, or children eat for free with an adult. For families, this can mean a big saving on the total cost. As for couples, appetizers can make a great meal with a little creativity.
Another suggestion is to eat between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00 pm for the early bird special. Arriving at 5:45 gives you the price of the early bird special but the ambiance of the evening crowd.
Master the Kids Eat Free Calendar
Most family restaurants run a kids eat free night, they just don’t all run it on the same night. That’s the opportunity.
Spend ten minutes building your local kids eat free calendar: which restaurant, which night, and what the fine print says (most require one adult entree per free kids meal). Then let the calendar pick your restaurant night. Tuesday might be one chain, Wednesday another.
For a family with two or three kids, this one habit cuts a third off the bill every single time. Search your town plus “kids eat free” or just ask at the places you already love.
Dine In, Takeout, or Delivery: The Real Cost Math
The same meal has three very different prices depending on how it reaches your table. Delivery is the expensive one: menu markups, service fees, delivery charges, and the tip can add 40 to 60 percent to the exact same food. Takeout you pick up yourself skips almost all of that, and you’re not tipping on table service you didn’t use. Dining in costs more than takeout once drinks and tips join the bill, but it’s the one that actually feels like a night out.
So match the method to the moment. Tired Tuesday: takeout, picked up on the way home. Celebration: the table, with all the trimmings, planned in the budget. The one to retire is default delivery, which charges special-occasion prices for eating on the couch.
Beverage Choice
One of the most expensive items on the menu is alcoholic beverages. Choose a less expensive option such as water with lemon, juice, or coffee. Alcoholic beverages can cost more than a meal. However, sometimes an alcoholic beverage is worth the cost; just make it last longer by putting the drink in a larger glass.
The same logic goes for sodas: four at $3.50 each is $14 nobody remembers drinking. Water for the table buys a dessert everyone will.
Give Eating Out Its Own Budget Line
The biggest restaurant savings don’t happen at the restaurant. They happen on payday, when eating out gets its own planned amount.
A dedicated eating out line does two jobs. It ends the guilt, because a planned restaurant night is a treat instead of a slip. And it ends the drift, because when the line is spent, the answer is the freezer until next payday.
Pick a number that fits your budget, even if it starts small. One planned family dinner beats three accidental drive-thru runs on both money and memory. If you’re paid weekly, here’s how to map it to your paychecks (RELATED ARTICLE:weekly-paycheck-budget). And if you want the whole month laid out this way, the Better Budget Calendar puts eating out right on the calendar next to the bills, so restaurant night is a plan and never a surprise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Saving Money Eating Out
How often can a family eat out on a budget?
There’s no magic number, only a planned one. Most budgets can hold one or two restaurant meals a month comfortably once eating out has its own line. Stack the savings in this post and that same line stretches to three or four.
What’s the cheapest way to eat at a restaurant?
Combine the timing and ordering tricks: go at lunch, drink water, split an entree or build a meal from appetizers, and pay with a discounted gift card. Together those cut a typical bill nearly in half.
Is eating out ever cheaper than cooking?
Occasionally, yes. Kids eat free nights, loyalty rewards, and heavy app deals can bring a family meal under what the same dinner costs to cook, especially once you count the time. Those nights are worth hunting for on purpose.
How do I stop overspending when we eat out?
Decide the number before you leave the house, not when the menu is in your hand. Check the menu online, pick the plan (who’s splitting what, water for the table), and bring the gift card. Overspending at restaurants is almost always a no-plan problem, and it has a plan-shaped solution.
Final Thoughts
Eating at a restaurant is an indulgence, and one meal can be the cost of a week of groceries. Rather than eliminate restaurants be creative with meal selection, coupons, and the time of day for the visit. As well, ensure to leave a good tip for good service. Saving money is not being cheap. It is spending money wisely and giving tips to servers should be calculated in the price limit of the meal.