How to save money eating out
This is a guest post from Rhian Westbury, sharing her top tips on how to enjoy eating out without breaking the bank!
Going out to eat is one of my favourite things to do and something I can spend a lot of money on. It’s always a go-to when meeting friends, or for a date night, but the prices can pile up. While I’d prefer not to turn down a meal out here are some of my best tips for saving money when eating out.
Sign up for restaurants mailing lists
Think about all the key restaurants you like to go to then go onto their websites and sign up to their mailing lists. Almost all restaurants will email out to shout about their latest promotions, send you money off vouchers and sometimes birthday discounts.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to Zizzi or Pizza Express and paid full price as they always send out vouchers to encourage you to come in and eat.
Make sure to add your date of birth and take advantage of birthday deals
A lot of restaurants will ask you for your date of birth when signing up to mailing lists. This is because chances are they’re going to send you a voucher or promotion when it’s your birthday. And some of these can be great deals so make the most of them.
Some of my favourite ones include Zizzi where you can get a free main course if 2 are dining, and a free bottle of Prosecco if 4 are dining. Las Iguanas, Frankie & Benny’s, and Beefeater will give you a meal. Whereas Ask will give you £20 back if you spend £50 and Yo Sushi will offer 1/3 off your bill.
Download restaurant apps
If the restaurant has an app then download it and sign up. Some restaurants offer welcome discounts for signing up, or you may get special offers through the app. Some of my favourites are Frankie and Benny’s who do great deals and TGI’s where you can earn points for each visit by scanning your receipt.
Get a taste card
I got a taste card through work, and although I didn’t think I’d use it it has saved me so much money on meals out. A lot of restaurants will offer you 2 for 1 deals when eating out. Some of them are Sunday – Thursday only, but places like F&B offer it all week long.
This is especially good if you’re in a new area and aren’t sure of the cheapest places to go. This is how I discovered a really tasty Lebanese restaurant in Camden just by opening the app.
You can get a card for £1 for 60 days by clicking here if you want to try out whether it’s worth investing.
Go out at the start of the week
A lot of restaurant deals tend to be Monday – Wednesday as they’re the quietest days for eating out. So don’t always arrange your catch-ups for Friday’s or the weekend and instead opt for mid-week meetings. Restaurants will do a lot to encourage people to come in on their quietest days such as Blue Monday’s and Veggie Tuesday’s at Yo! Sushi and Wednesday’s at Pizza Express.
Don’t just go out for dinner, try lunch
Lunchtimes tend to be even quieter than dinner for a lot of restaurants. So restaurants try and entice you in by doing special dishes or two/three-course fixed menu’s for a fraction of the cost of the dinner menu. Going out to eat at lunchtime as opposed to later can get you a great discount on your food.
For more tips on saving money on your food shop, have a read of this fab guest post on how to save money on your slimming world food shop!
