Food, Home and Style

Eating for Free

Restaurant owners certainly aren’t having a good year. From widespread job loss to lingering worries about the country’s economic future, record numbers of families have begun cooking at home rather than spending money eating out—leading to a 14 percent drop in business at fine-dining restaurants so far in 2009.

For customers still going out on a regular basis, however, the dining scene has never looked better.

That’s because many restaurants are finding that coupons and discounted specials just aren’t enough anymore. Instead, they’re being forced to go the extra mile and get creative—letting kids eat free, giving away discounted tickets to movies, and even throwing in complimentary cocktails and wine.

Many restaurants are finding that coupons and discounted specials just aren’t enough anymore; they need to offer some meals for free.

A roundup of just a few of our favorite—and most inventive—restaurant deals going on right now:

Longhorn Steakhouse is giving away a free appetizer with the purchase of any entrée through September 20th.

As part of its new Reel to Reel deal, McCormick & Schmick’s is selling movie tickets for just $5 to any diner who orders an entrées at the restaurant through the month of September.

New York’s 21 Club is giving away one cocktail or glass of wine to guests who make their lunch or dinner reservation online through the end of October.

Applebee’s is throwing in a free appetizer to customers who choose two entrees from the restaurant’s two-for-$20 deal.

At Villa-O and Trece Mexican Kitchen, in Texas, diners get their entrée and appetizer completely free every Monday night.

And other good deals that restaurants recently had on offer:

For concertgoers, Subway offered customers the chance to buy $5 tickets for lawn seats at Live Nation concerts all summer long.

Ikea promoted a kids-eat-free deal in its food court with no strings attached over Labor Day weekend. That means parents don’t even need to buy anything for their kids to get the deal.

Tags: dining, eating out, restaurants, saving money