With 3 young and growing kids eating out is getting more expensive. I do not like to buy kids meals as they are pricy and my kids hardly ever finish an entire meal. I like to buy an adult entree and have them split it. Now that more restaurants are offering kids eat free it makes it nicer to go out and the kids enjoy actually getting their own meal. Do you take advantage and plan your eating out days around what restaurants offer kids eat free meal?
I don't think I've ever heard of offers like this aside from a few buffets, at least where I am from. It's not common here so I think I'd be suspicious if it were suddenly offered by one of our restaurants but I wouldn't be that hesitant that I'd never try it. I think I'd give it a try but I would just be a little skeptical. I have experienced getting free meals for the kids at buffets and admittedly it was a good feeling to be able to cut that expense even if it's just a small one.
The deals are great I think if you have kids and regularly eat out. I wouldn't overdo it [dining out] though because though the deal might be great you'll still be spending a lot of money if you dine out regularly [with kids]. It hardly matters if the kids get their meals free or not. Good deals yeah but take advantage of them only occasionally.
We do this at East Side Mario's. It's a chain of restaurants in Ontario. They have all you can eat bread and salad/soup when you order an adult entree. I've also discovered they have a Kids Club, you sign up online and they send you a card for each kid. You can get up to 5 free meals per child. It's well worth it to get this card. It saves us over $20 each time we go out to supper. I'm sure other restaurants must do the same.
We have four (grown) kids, so that would have been great. The fact that we had four kids meant we didn't go out to eat very often, ha ha. So no, we never really had the chance to take advantage of that deal. I think I might have felt a little bad trying to do it with four kids. Yet, there was a place that had a rule two free kids under 10 with each adult meal. I think that's fair and makes sense. I think we went there once and got the deal.
When my grandsons were smaller we would go out to dinner to the restaurants that featured free meals for kids. It helps to stretch the budget and fun to see what the different place offer.
Try opting for the dollar menu items in place of kids meals. Not only are the portion sizes fine for kids, but paying $2 for a couple items per kid is much cheaper than buying kids meals for each of them. Also, try to get into the habit of keeping inexpensive bottled drinks in your car, if you are hitting the drive thru's with your family - places like Taco Bell are charging $1.98 for just a small soda these days. Some restaurants will let you split plates of food, or order smaller "lunch size" versions of their popular entrees. When I worked at TGI Fridays, you could order a "lunch size" version of most items on the menu - especially the pasta dishes.With places such as DiBella Subs, you could easily split one large sub among four people. So don't be afraid to ask them to cut it into four instead of two. Stick with plain water with lemon, in place of sodas and alcoholic beverages, which will quickly raise your total check. Even if you and your spouse drink water, that alone can easily knock $5+ off the check. With many sit down restaurants charging like $2.75 for a soda, if you go in there with 5 people, you're check is already at $13.75 before you even ordered any food.
There are no restaurants that offer free meals for children in my area but there are those which offer discounts or half the price for kids. We usually take advantage of those kinds of promos because at least we get to save a bit while eating out. We have to consider the overall quality of the restaurant and the meals they provide though. I wouldn't want to risk my child's health just for a discount.
I have two children and it is nice when we find a kids eat free restaurant. I will take advantage of it especially when my children were younger because they didn't eat enough to spend five or more dollars on a kids meal. I love being able to go out to dinner and only have to pay for two people instead of four. It allows us to go out more often this way and be able to enjoy a nice restaurant at a reasonable price. I see nothing wrong with taking advantage of this offer. It benefits the restaurant since it brings in more customers who wouldn't necessarily go there.
I don't see restos or fast foods in my area offering free meals for kids, only tailored meals for kids like the Happy Meal. If you want to save money then avail of those bundled meals and just give a portion to your kid.
