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Last weekend, I took my family out to breakfast in one of the local hangouts in our neighborhood. When we were done, I paid about $55 for our breakfast for three. Kinda pricey if you ask me 🙁
Even though we have a $250 monthly restaurant (eat out) budget, it would have been better to not blow a 5th of it in one sitting.
Needless to say, that’s the last time we’re doing that.
In this post, we break down what we should have done and what we learned from this mistake so you won’t have to do what we did.
SKIP THE DRINKS
It’s one of the not so secret profit centers that restaurants have, conservative estimates peg markups for drinks as high as a whopping 250% -600% according to an AOL article; so by being mindful and only ordering water, you not only save a lot on your bill, but the food might also taste better.
In our case, the drinks cost almost a third of the total bill; we could have shaved that off our bill if we just stuck with water.
PLAN YOUR ORDER AHEAD OF TIME
Online resources such as Yelp or even google can provide online menus for ANY restaurant in your area.
If you took 10 minutes before you head out and plan your order ahead of time, you can save not only money but also the time it takes mulling over the menu at the restaurant itself.
Studies show that when you’re hungry you tend to consume more; translating to ordering more food than you really intend to. By deciding what to order in advance, will not only help you save time that you can then spend talking with your family, but eventually save you money and wasted food from ordering too much.
I could have been less aggravated had I done this since we had to wait more than a half hour and another half hour by the time we ordered and gotten our food.
ASK FOR MINI OR HALF PORTIONS
I don’t know about you but as a family, we just go out to eat to check out a new place, sample their food and ambience, or flat out just want to go eat someplace other than our house.
We don’t really care for the food sometimes and just want to spend time talking or making fun of ourselves, etc. The food is just secondary. So what we do is order a mini portion, or have one order and split it among 2.
Some places might not have it on the menu but you can always ask, most places nowadays accommodate this request since it’s reasonable.
One good thing is in case the food is not that good; at least you didn’t have a lot that you’d have to take it home with you.
By ordering a mini portion, it will help you to not over commit, especially if you’re trying out the food, and will also cut down on the final bill.
USE COUPONS
There are numerous online options like Groupon or Yelp where restaurants offer a 10% coupon or $50 value for $40, even Costco has those deals so it’s best to check them out.
I use our neighborhood weekly magazine Local Flavor where local restaurants and delis offer discounts for locals so they can check out the food.
They’re a great value when we feel like trying out new places around the neighborhood.
CHECK THE HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
Most restaurants have discounts DURING ‘Happy Hours’ and are a great value if you don’t mind coming in during those times.
Our favorite place is P.F. Chang’s where they offer $6 small plate menus; they’re very tasty and come in ample portions, not too overwhelming.
The good thing is you can sample as much as you want and not feel guilty once the bill comes in.
CHECK FOR DISCOUNTS
Majority of restaurants nowadays offer SENIOR or STUDENT discounts that you can take advantage of.
You can usually check online or call ahead to find out. If they do, all you have to do is have someone aged 55 and over or bring your child’s student ID to show the host.
If you don’t have someone, take either a senior or a student out to dinner, you not only end up saving money but also get a chance to make someone’s day and make friends.
WRAPPING-UP
Eating out can be a fun family outing, depending on how you plan it. If you’re on a budget like us, being mindful and planning ahead of time will surely stretch your budget and make it an even more enjoyable experience overall.
Do you have other restaurant saving tips you want to share? Please do so by providing feedback on our comments section below.
Peace and Blessings to you All.
Bkworm115
Great tips!
thedebtfreejourney@gmail.com
Thanks Bkworm115, i know i’ll pay attention now going forward 🙂