8 Ways to Save Big When Going Out to Eat

Sign up for Rewards to Cut Your Bill in Half

“If there’s a restaurant you eat at frequently, see if they have a rewards club. One of my favorite places to eat is Outback Steakhouse, and with their reward system, on your fourth visit the bill is 50% off, up to $50. The rewards also apply to their sister restaurants: Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s and Fleming’s! For the four of us, we end up paying about $30 for a meal using this deal, which is a steal considering that during the dinnertime rush, our local McDonald’s drive-thru can have a 20-minute wait and the price isn’t much lower.” —Marci Loehner, food blogger at MyHeavenlyRecipes.com

Drink $2 Beers at the Supermarket

“Grocery stores like Whole Foods, Albertsons and Hy-Vee now offer dine-in options at in-store cafés with prices so low you can save quite a bit. And there’s usually no wait staff to tip. Depending on local ordinances, many of these places allow you to purchase and consume alcohol on the premises, so it really feels like a night out. For example, on Thirsty Thursdays at many Whole Foods locations, you can get slices of pizza for $2 and bottles of beer for $2!”— Carol Cavazos, money-saving expert at LivingOnTheCheap.com

Snag Big Discounts on Takeout Pizza

“Having a family of five can make it difficult to eat out or even get takeout on the cheap. But I’ve figured out some tricks that can sometimes make it even cheaper than cooking at home! For example, for our weekly pizza night, I often order Little Caesars $5 Hot-N-Ready Large Pizzas or pick up Walmart’s $7 extra-large ready-to-eat pizzas. I serve them with a bagged salad for a full meal that comes out to be less than $2 per person! And for those times when we want a smaller serving, warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco offer pizza by the slice for about $2 per slice with toppings— and they’re about twice the size of a regular slice, so you’re filling up and spending less!” —DeeDee Weber

Save a Bundle with “Kids Eat Free” Nights

“We are a family of five and eat out more often than we do at home. We make it affordable by doing a quick online search of ‘Kids Eat Free’ and the name of our city to find restaurants in our area that offer the deal. One of our top choices is Tuesday night at our local Texas Roadhouse. Kids eat for $.99, and they often have fun activities for the kids to do.” —Marci Loehner

Feed the Whole Family for $10

“One key to saving? Split your entrée. At Subway, if you opt for the $5 footlong, you can eat half now and save half for tomorrow, or split it with a family member. My spouse and I often share one and split a second one among our three kids and pair it with whatever we have on hand at home, like chips, fruit or yogurt.” —DeeDee Weber, money-saving blogger at ChasingABetterLife.com

Make a Reservation to Earn Free Food

“Book a table through a reservation site like OpenTable.com, and you can eat at no cost! Simply join their rewards program to earn at least 100 points for each reservation you make through them. They also have special offers where you can earn up to 1,000 points at certain restaurants. Once you have 10,000 points, redeem them for a $100 gift certificate to use at a restaurant affiliated with the site. Plus, you can stack the rewards with coupons.” — Kari Cullen, EsavingsBlog.com

Do Dinner and a Movie to Score a Deal

“Restaurants and nearby entertainment centers sometimes have arrangements with each other. For instance, La Creperie, the oldest creperie in the U.S., offers free chocolate crepes if you bring in a ticket stub from the theater across the street. And some Pizzeria Uno’s offer 10% off the bill if you show your movie stub. Just check the back of your ticket stub or the restaurant website to find out.” —Samuella Becker, NYC event coordinator and food expert

Order à la carte to Slash Costs

“Find an entrée you love on the menu? Check the à la cart options and prices before ordering it. Often you can build the same dish yourself at a lower cost. This works especially well at Mexican restaurants. For example, a two-enchilada plate with rice, beans, lettuce and tomato will run you $7 at our local Mexican restaurant, but it’s a dollar less when ordering two enchiladas and the sides à la carte.” —Veneta Lusk, money-saving expert at WellKeptWallet.com

This story originally appeared in our print magazine.

More from FIRST

Pre-Meal Rituals Can Help You Lose Weight — If You Pick the Right Ones

The Underwhelming Reason Restaurants Give You Bread Before You Order

23 Long-Lasting Foods to Buy in Bulk and Save Money