Restaurant Hacks to Save You Money (and Help You Eat Better)

Estimated Savings: $1-$3*
Recommended by: Social media

This one has been floating around social media for a while. If you want to get more bang for your buck at fast-food restaurants, order drinks without ice in them. The restaurant will usually fill your drink up to the top, giving you an extra $1-$3 worth of iced coffee or soda without you paying for it.

Lose the ice, double the drink ©Eakarit Thardpanya / Shutterstock.com

Some places might charge, however, if you ask for no ice. It depends on the branch. If a lot of people are coming in and doing that and costing the branch money, they could add a surcharge. It all depends on the location. 

Estimated Savings: Possibly the price of a drink
Recommended by: Food writers

It’s common practice to walk into a restaurant and want a table, but is it really the best thing to do? According to food writers, the answer is no. Instead, ask to be seated at the bar. Not only will your drinks arrive faster, but you’ll probably have more time. 

Sit at the Bar ©UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Servers are often in a rush to clear plates at tables to make room for more paying customers, but at the bar, patrons are quite often left to their own devices. What’s more, because you’re so close to staff, you’ll likely be checked on more and receive better service.

Estimated Savings: $10-$30*
Recommended by: Servers everywhere

It’s tempting to go in and skip appetizers altogether and go straight for the entrees, but you might want to pause for a moment and think about it. You don’t want this to turn into a situation where you spend $150 in two hours. Instead, look at the appetizers. 

Order more appetizers than entrees ©LaineN / Shutterstock.com

Order a few appetizers and less entrees. The price of appetizers is often much cheaper than entrees. Servers won’t mind, and the appetizers will likely fill you up anyway, so you can then go ahead and split an entree or skip it and save yourself a decent amount of cash.

Estimated Savings: $10-$20*
Recommended by: TheKrazyCouponLady.com 

When you’re looking for ways to save money on food apps, don’t just ignore the usual advertisements for referral discounts. If you have friends who are considering signing up for these apps, use that to your advantage. You can often save $10-$20 through these referral programs, as they pay off for the company in the end.

Refer your friends on food delivery apps for discounts ©Jacob Lund / Shutterstock.com

A new customer is worth more money than knocking some dollars off your food. For example, GrubHub gives you a $10 bonus if you refer a friend. Another way to get bonuses is for you to sign up. Uber Eats gives you $25 off your first order if you’re a new customer. Make sure to double-check, as bonuses are always changing. 

Estimated Savings: $3.29*
Recommended by: Consumer Queen 

Who doesn’t love a free deal? And, at Arby’s, you can’t just get a discount—they’ll give you a free sandwich. When you join the fast-food chain’s email list, keep an eye on your inbox. If you’re lucky, you’ll get an email offering you a free signature sandwich if you buy any-size soft drink.

Get a free roast beef classic (with any purchase) when you sign up for Arby’s Deals @DMFrank_/Twitter

If you’re a fan of Arby’s, it might be a good idea to sign up for the Extra Rewards program, as that will make you an “Arby’s Insider.” You’ll get free food, exclusive coupons, and notices when the roast beef house has new giveaways and events. 

Estimated Savings: $10-$30*
Recommended by: MoneyFCU

If you want to avoid all the cleaning up that comes with cooking on a major holiday, it might seem like a great idea to pop out for dinner instead. However, a lot of restaurants try to take advantage of this by introducing set menus for these special occasions. 

Don’t eat out on major holidays ©Yulia Grigoryeva / Shutterstock.com

Looking at what’s on offer, it might seem like a great deal, but in reality, you would probably spend less than half of that amount usually. It’s a clever tactic, especially when coupled with the right language. Before you know it, you’re spending way more than you had planned. 

Estimated Savings: $10-$30*
Recommended by: MoneyFCU

This is a simple tip that has nothing to do with the menu and everything to do with exercising self-restraint. Sitting in the restaurant is great fun, but as soon as your butt in the seat, you’re spending money. Even if you go out with a set budget in mind, it’s likely to go out the window. 

Take it to go ©Dejan Dundjerski / Shutterstock.com

Not only might you end up ordering extra sides, but you’ll spend extra money on tips as well as drinks. Instead, order over the phone and pick it up to go. Take it home, drink all the free water you want, and more importantly, save some precious dollars. 

Estimated Savings: $4.28*
Recommended by: CNET 

Sbarro is a common sight in malls across America. It serves up giant slices of pizza for just a few bucks, and it is a common stop-in point for anyone visiting the mall. Sbarro has a rewards club called the Sbarro Slice Society.

Recieve a free slice of cheese pizza with purchase of a drink at Sbarro when you sign up for their program @Sbarro/Facebook

When you sign up for the SSS, you’ll get a free New York XL pizza slice—all you have to purchase is a soft drink of any size. Plus, on your birthday, Sbarro will give you a surprise (probably another free slice of pizza). Joining the Society is the best way to score free pizza a few times a year.  

Estimated Savings: $5-$15*
Recommended by: Retail Dive 

Longhorn Steakhouse gives away a lot of free deals, and this is one of the best. If you join the Longhorn Hospitality Club, you can get a free appetizer. You have to sign up using your email, and then you’ll get a voucher giving you the discount. Alternatively, you can secure your free appetizer voucher by using a QR code or texting “Steak” to 346464.

Complimentary appetizer at Longhorn Steakhouse for signing up for their loyalty program @LongHorn Steakhouse/Facebook

When you sign up, you can also get a free dessert on your birthday when you purchase an entrée (the same with the appetizer). FYI, if you’re a veteran, you can get ten percent off your meal on Veterans Day without signing up.

Estimated Savings: 50% 
Recommended by: MoneyFCU

If you’ve been to a restaurant before and know that the portion sizes are absolutely huge, don’t waste it by ordering something you can’t finish. Instead, why not split the entree with your friend or partner? It’ll save you 50% and there’s nothing stopping you from ordering more, either. 

Split entrees ©LStockStudio / Shutterstock.com

Starters and sides are often just a few bucks each, so if you’re still hungry you can just order a couple of those instead. Don’t worry about what the server might think, too. Diners have been utilizing this trick for decades. 

Estimated Savings: $10-$15*
Recommended by: MoneyFCU

There’s no denying that restaurants want you to spend as much money as possible when you’re there. Part of this is offering you a dessert menu after you’ve finished your meal. You may have already had an appetizer and an entree, but most of us might end up ordering a dessert regardless. 

Skip dessert ©Pest86 / Shutterstock.com

More often than not, most of us aren’t even hungry by this point, but because it’s on offer we’ll shell out between $10 and $15 on something sweet anyway. Don’t fall into this trap and skip dessert. It will all add up, especially if you’re footing the bill for the rest of the party. 

Estimated Savings: N/A
Recommended by: Unknown

If you’ve never been to a restaurant before then it’s often tempting to look up the reviews online. We’ve all been put off of places because of a bad review, but remember this – satisfied customers are far less likely to rave about their experience than unhappy patrons. 

“Yelp” Isn’t Always the Best Resource ©Tero Vesalainen / Shutterstock.com

It’s not very often that people go out of their way to say what a great experience they had, while annoyed people are very gung-ho about naming and shaming. What’s more, online reviews can be posted by anyone, so reviews on sites like Yelp aren’t always 100% trustworthy. 

Estimated Savings: $10+*
Recommended by: The Financial Diet 

For those of you that don’t know, Restaurant Week is a week where eateries offer up discounts and cut-price meals in an attempt to get a little more cash in the register. Instead of going to the same restaurants you usually go to and enjoying some discounts, why not branch out? 

Don't wing it for Restaurant Week ©znatalias / Shutterstock.com

This is a great opportunity to try out places that you’ve never been to before. The Financial Diet suggests going to high-end restaurants to get the most bang for your buck. That way, you won’t be palmed off by thrown-together menus. 

Estimated Savings: $5+*
Recommended by: Spoon University

Truffle oil might sound like a fancy addition to your meal, but did you know there’s more to it than meets the eye? In fact, according to Spoon University, a large portion of truffle oils are made from chemicals and don’t actually contain truffles at all. 

Don’t Waste Your Money on Truffle Oil ©Dar1930 / Shutterstock.com

It’s certainly misleading, but now you know this info you can either ask to see the ingredients or just avoid it entirely. There’s no sense in splurging on something that turns out to be less than worthwhile, especially when it’s nothing like advertised.