12 ways to save money on eating out

by Jen

Eating out is never your most cost-effective option. But sometimes it’s so enjoyable it’s better than therapy (compared to which it actually is cost-effective). If you love to eat out, there are a lot of ways to trim your costs. Some of these are really basic, and many of you will already know them. But a few of them are, as far as I know, not already all over the internet.

Remember: If you’re eating out for enjoyment, don’t follow any savings tip that’s going to make you enjoy it less. Otherwise, you’ve just thrown away whatever you did spend. Just follow the ones that sound agreeable to you.

Drink water instead of soda or tea; skip cocktails and alcohol altogether.
Pick restaurants with low corkage fees and bring your own bottle(s) of wine for the alcohol. Even if you buy expensive wine, you’ll save compared to paying the restaurant for a glass from that bottle. If the corkage fees aren’t a cost-effective option where you’re dining, consider ordering a bottle for the table. Again, that’ll save you at least a little compared to everyone buying by the glass.
Skip appetizers or dessert – or both, if you won’t miss them.
Order for the table, not individually. If you can agree on what to eat, order a collection of meals and/or appetizers from which everyone will grab individual servings. Two meals might feed three people – or at Claim Jumper, one meal could feed a whole table unless there are pro wrestlers in your group! Be careful with this tip: at most mid-price restaurants, appetizers are a fantastic value (twice as much food as the meals for a couple of dollars less than a mean) and at others they’re a waste (almost the price of a meal, and maybe half the food).
Order an appetizer instead of a meal. Again, this is only a great idea if the appetizers provide plenty of food compared to a meal.
Check out sites like Restaurant.com and OpenTable. OpenTable lets you collect points by reserving tables at restaurants. Restaurant.com sells gift certificates for less than their face value, but with a catch: you might, for example, get a $25 gift card for $10, but have to spend $50 to redeem it. That means you must be prepared to spent $50, and then you’ll save $15. Both of these are designed to make you eat out more often than you normally would, so don’t fall for that. If you use them strategically, you can save money and enjoy doing it.
Bag up the leftovers unless you know you won’t eat them. I very often get 2-3 meals out of a single restaurant trip because I bring home enough food for lunch or even dinner a day or so later. That’s a great savings right there.
Lunch menu! If you can eat while the lunch menu is still on (especially on weekdays), you’ll often get excellent bargains designed to lure in business people who will come back for (much more expensive) dinner.
To-go food. If it’s not the dining experience you’re into – just the food – consider picking it up and taking it home. This way you can skip paying for beverages and tip altogether (actually, you should tip a couple of bucks on to go food, but that’s a lot less than 15+%).
Split dessert. Not only is this better for your wallet: some restaurant desserts have up to 1600 calories all by themselves!
Local coupons. Small local restaurants may offer coupons in fliers you get in the mail, in the newspaper (especially free newspapers for small neighborhoods or towns) or on their own websites or a website for your town or your town’s newspaper.
Frequent diner/rewards cards. Some restaurants offer cards that track your spending and give you freebies. Watch out: some of them give you an expiration on the points you collect to encourage you to come in more often so you’ll get your freebie. That’s a false economy: the best way to save money at restaurants is not to go more often than you really enjoy.