Dine Out on the Cheap

When it comes to dining out, there’s rarely a need to pay full price for your meal. Coupons & discounts abound–you just need to look for them. Rule #1: If you do cash in on a discount, tip your server on the total bill, not the discounted total.

Here are a few of the many ways to save:

For local restaurants, check your city’s daily deal sites, like Groupon, Living Social, Saveology, & Scoutmob, for deals. Most of the vouchers work out to 50% off (i.e. you pay $20 for a certificate good for $40 at the restaurant), and there’s generally minimal additional fine print. Think of it as a one-day sale that gives you a chance to dine at the “I’ve been meaning to try that place” restaurants on your list.
You’ll also find an ever-changing mix of discount vouchers to local restaurants on Restaurant.com. You can get $10 certificates for $5, $25 certificates for $10, etc. A couple of things: Restaurant.com offers frequent deals on the sale price of vouchers, saving you anywhere from 50%-80% of the purchase price. But read the fine print of any deal before you buy it. Restaurant.com vouchers often have fine print regarding making a minimum purchase at the restaurant or adding an 18% gratuity when you redeem the deal.
Check the gift card buy/sell/trade sites, like PlasticJungle.com and GiftCards.com. You can save up to 35% on gift cards to restaurants, shops, movie theatres & more, and shipping is often free, too. Since you’re buying an actual gift card, you can stack your discounts by redeeming a deal voucher or coupon and then using the gift card to pay the balance.
Entertainment books include city-specific restaurant coupons. Most often, I see deals for BOGO (buy one get one free) entrees, and some books include coupons for food freebies. When you buy the print edition, you also get access to extra coupons online. And now Entertainment has a mobile app; though it’s not a mobile coupon app, it will show you nearby spots that have deals, making it easier to maximize the savings in the book.
Let your favorite restaurants know that you’re a fan of their food. Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, check-in on Foursquare, or sign up for their email updates. Quite a few will reward your loyalty by emailing you coupons for cheap eats on your birthday, tweeting specials, or offering to buy a round for the mayor on Foursquare. You can check for offers on Yelp, too. Some business owners post Yelp-specific deals. And Yelp now offers daily deals in select cities.