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Home » blogs » The Pinch » Let’s Do Lunch

Let’s Do Lunch

Posted by LaTina Emerson on August 28, 2008 - 3:28 PM

Most people enjoy sharing a meal with friends, so why not dine when it’s cheaper? Lunch specials can help you save tremendously on restaurant meals.

Here’s the tip of the day:

Meet your friends for lunch instead of dinner – you’ll save money. Most dine-in restaurants offer lunch specials at considerably lower prices than the dinner menu. Contact your favorite restaurants to determine the schedule for their lunch prices.

Many restaurants also have a special of the day, which is usually cheaper than the menu price. This is another money-saving option if you choose to dine away from home.

You can visit the following Web sites to find prices or savings for dining out, according to USA Weekend:

  • OpenTable.com – At OpenTable.com, customers can reserve a table at their favorite restaurant and earn dining rewards for online reservations. The site also provides details about local restaurants and links to restaurant menus.
  • Entertainment.com – This Website site provides a link to your neighborhood’s entertainment books, which include information on dining, shopping and traveling. The books aren’t free, however. The 2009 Augusta Entertainment Book costs $25. For this fee, you will find more than $15,200 in savings with 53 dining discounts, 55 attraction discounts and 177 travel discounts and other specials, according to Entertainment.com.
  • Restaurant.com – This resource helps restaurant owners promote new and unique aspects of their restaurant while providing savings to diners. A gift certificate worth $25 costs only $10 on Restaurant.com.
  • Epicurious.com – This site provides special offers and promotions such as coupons on grocery store and food items. Epicurious.com also offers recipes and information about the food industry.
  • MenuPages.com – Browse the menu of restaurants in several major U.S. cities at MenuPages.com. Then you’ll know if you can afford a particular restaurant before you visit during a business trip or vacation.
  • Newspapers – Your local newspaper also has coupons for major restaurant chains. Clip them and save for discounts on your next meal.

Do you have any other tips for saving money when dining out? Write in to The Pinch to let me know.

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Submitted by cthrelkeld on August 28, 2008 - 3:38 PM.

Restaurant.com is well known for their $25 gift certificates for $10 deal. But what is not as well known is that they frequently have sales. You can find coupon codes online for 50-60 percent off, so a $25 gift certificate can be had for $5 or less.

Last year, for Christmas, I used Restaurant.com to buy gift certificates for family and friends all over the country. All you have to do is print them off your computer or email them with a link to collect their gift. Looks like you're a big spender, but it's only a few bucks!

One note about the gift certificates: The rules of the program usually require you have a minimum order of $10-30 higher than the gift certificate, and drinks are usually not included. But it's still a great way to put a big dent in the bill for an expensive meal.


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