Dine Smart! Easy Ways to Enjoy Dining Out For Less!

Who doesn’t like to eat out? It is a great way to socialize or to spend time with a loved one. Unfortunately, it is also expensive. While there are certainly ways to cut down that cost (not drinking or eating light) are other, less restrictive ways to save.

First, know the specials. Your favorite $10 burger might be $2 on Tuesdays. Or that great new Cuban place might be ½ priced on Wednesdays. Even the nicest restaurants often offer deals, whether it is reduced price food at happy hour or pre fixe menus on off-days. Whatever the places you love or frequent often, find out their daily deals. Also, sign up for their email list! Restaurants often send coupons or specials to their recurring customers.

Alcohol can easily be 30-50% of your total bill at a restaurant! One option for trimming the bill is to refrain from imbibing, but that takes a little bit of the fun out of dining out. BYOB (that’s ‘bring your own beverage’) eateries used to be passé, but in recent years, and with the difficulty sometimes involved in getting a liquor license, the concept has become very trendy. Do a little research and find the new, hot spots that offer BYOB. Grab an inexpensive bottle of wine or a 6-pack of beer, and you have instantly saved yourself a fortune on your meal. One quick note: make sure to ask first that the restaurant does not charge a corkage fee (or charges a very minimal one). Fees associated with BYO can quickly eat up any savings bringing your own beverages might offer you.

Another fantastic way to save on dining is www.restaurant.com. This hidden treasure of a website offers dining certificates to a variety of restaurants, at discounted priced. Plus, they run specials all the time, and you can purchase a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant for $5. That turns a $50 meal into a $30 one. This is especially great for date nights, because you don’t have to stick to a select menu of specials to reap the benefits of the certificate. Additionally, you can use the website right before you plan on dining, because you simply print purchased certificates at home. Occasionally there are restrictions on usage, but for the most part these certificates are easy to use. And if you know you want to go check out a specific restaurant anyway, check and see if it is on the Restaurant.com site.

And just for all you naysayers… Here is an example of these principals in use: I am going to a Chicago restaurant called State with 10 girls for a birthday party. Wednesdays are their ½ priced night, and we have a $25 Restaurant.com certificate we paid $5 for. It’s BYO, and after checking out their website, we discovered they even offer a driving service for special occasions (no cab fare then!). So for all 10 of us to get to and eat at a restaurant where the average entrée is $15, our total bill will be about $50 (half of $150 minus $25), or $5 a person!! That’s a steal!! Of course, we’ll tip well!

A little research and a little flexibility, and you can enjoy eating out as much as ever, but without spending loads of dough!