Readers Respond: Have you found a way to cut the cost of eating out?

Responses: 44

By Erin Huffstetler, About.com Guide

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We all deserve the occasional meal out. Tell us how you do it on the cheap. Share Your Tip

Two people. One order an appetizer for their meal the other order a regular meal. Plenty for two people. Stick to water with lemon or coffee or tea.
—Guest Suzy55

My daughter and her boyfriend eat late. Many of the restaurants in our area offer 1/2 price appetizers after 10. If there is a group of them, everyone orders something different and it is shared. Beverages are always water.
—Guest Bizeegal

My favorite way to eat out on a budget is to go during "happy hour." Many high-end chain restaurants have cheap happy hour menus in the bar from about 4:00 to 6:00 and sometimes from 9:00 to closing. There is usually a $2 drink minimum, but it does not have to be alcoholic. I order iced tea or coffee which have free refills. This is also a good way to sample the food from a restuarant without paying a fortune. Take some friends and share
—Guest bdalton

My community college has a culinary arts program with a dining room. Limited hours, and no weekends but superb food, white tablecloth and lower costs! If your community college has it consider yourself blessed. We had a 5 course meal last night for $15.00 each including dessert and coffee or iced tea.
—bdm4147

The easiest way to save is to cook your own meals at home. After that (as the article mentions) is watch what you order for drinks. But after that, watch the tips. Most people in America seem to simply have too much money, it seems -- you'll see people drop a dollar into the jar at a Starbucks, for example. Imagine that, giving away dollars for the privilege of standing in line to get a too large cup of coffee served in a paper cup. I wonder if they also do this at the urologist's office. :-) It's best to leave something (waiters will chase you down in the street if you don't leave at least 10% -- I've seen it happen), but 15% max. Take it or leave it -- it's an entirely voluntary contribution. (Of course, you might be less welcome back the next time, but then maybe you'll be more likely to cook at home and save even more money (not to mention get a better meal).
—kmp11

FL has a lot of lunch specials like $4.00 and free drinks. Get there at 3:45 nibble on something until 4pm when the dinner hour starts and have the dinner steak, etc.
—Guest Jim

My friends and I like to have early dinners or late lunches, and order a variety of tasting size dishes which we share - everyone gets to taste something new. At the end of the meal we always box up any remains to take away with us. The smaller ethnic places also are cheaper and often more enjoyable than fine dining.
—fiandshalimar

No way I am giving 30-40% tip on already pricey meal. I usually give 15-20% for dine in and $1 for take out order. Customers should never be compelled to pay a tip like what Lynn said. Nice try on training/forcing American to pay additional 30-40% more for dining but the bs doesn't work for me. If the waitress that provides [bad] service can't survive on their base salary of $2/hr then they should get out of the business. Don't tell customer to get out of the restaurant.
—Guest Cookiekaikai

I agree; ordering take out as a treat, instead of dining in the restaurant can save money. Leftovers can make a meal for the following day lunch. I sometimes order a little extra for this purpose.
—Guest Ash

The time of day you choose is important, if you are going to a really nice place, hit it at lunch time, it makes it a lot more affordable, and usually you get just about as much as from the supper menu. ALWAYS choose water as the beverage. You save anywhere from $2 - $4 on your bill at most places, even buffets. The tip on ethnic food was good too, most of them are delicious and very reasonable. Coupons, fund-raisers (big in my area)where you pay one price and get loads of food from many different restaurants at the event, are great. Specials on the menu are usually a big bargain.
—darlinglilly

I use coupons when available. My partner and I also RARELY eat at restaurants. He and I are VERY happy cooking a meal at home. It's more relaxed AND less expensive AND there are left-overs for both of us. Concerning TIPPING...I waited tables at one time. MOST poor service is NOT the wait-person's fault. It's a KITCHEN ISSUE or a dining room MANAGEMENT issue..RARELY the wait-person's fault. If you CANNOT AFFORD a 20% tip added to your meal price....HIT THE FAST FOOD LANE.... It is TOTALLY shameful for STINGY people to go to a restaurant and get a good meal and service and leave a MISERLY 10% tip. These people should be ASHAMED. The fast-food restaurants EXIST for these people. If you want FOOD and only FOOD......go there.... NO-I am NOT a waitress. I am self-employed though. I work HARD for my money. I wouldn't even CONSIDER going to a restaurant for a meal if I didn't think I could afford a MINIMUM 20% tip..I average 30-40%.....If people want to save a DOLLAR, hit FAST-FOOD.
—Guest Lynn

I could be showing my age, and I do not want to get off topic. However, the standard for poor service is "NO" tip ...not 10%. In fact, if the service is particularly bad; leave a penny so that the server knows it was hers/his fault, and that you not just “cheap”. Remember this, a percentage is a percentage. As the price of your meal goes up, so does the dollar amount of the tip ...just because people tell you the standard is now 18% to 25% does not make it so. The average price of dine-in meal today is about 4 times what it were just 10-years ago, so why should the percentage increase as well? Also, set a maximum tip amount. Mine is $5, unless it is a large party (when you will usually receive service from multiple waiters). Remember this, that server is waiting on about 6-8 tables ever half-hour. If the average person leaves $5 (5x12 to 14. you do the math). I you do not let someone know that your service was bad (no tip); they will continue to provide that same poor service level
—dan1961crum

Ask for a takeout container right away, then put two thirds of your food in the box and set it aside. Ten dollars for one meal is expensive, and you're probably eating thousands of calories. Ten dollars for three meals, which you can usually get out of a restaurant entree, is much healthier for you and your budget. If you're still hungry, eat an orange. It'll top off your stomach nicely and cheaply. Aside: If you try to save money using a coupon, apply that savings to your bill, but not the tip. Just because you paid half price for your food, doesn't mean your server delivered half service. If you flashed a coupon early on and received poor service as a result, then feel free to tip ten percent. Ten percent is standard for poor service. Servers live off of tips. With the exception of a couple of states, servers make a little over two dollars an hour in wages. Tips aren't some extra bonus for extra special service, they are a waitperson's bread and butter.
—Guest Rabbit

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Erin Huffstetler
Frugal Living Guide