Research suggests that restaurants charge up to four times the price per dish, in comparison to the ingredients used. However, most people enjoy eating out on occasion as it helps to ease a stressful day and can often be a social activity. Therefore, here are some tips on how to save money when eating out at restaurants.
Be your own server – Choosing a restaurant where you can serve yourself. This will drop the cost of your dish by more than half. This is because these restaurants don’t have to pay for wait staff and therefore can offer you your meal at a much cheaper price. You could choose a casual chain like Red Lobster or opt for a buffet-style restaurant that will let you help yourself.
Get it to go – If you order your meal and eat it at home, you will not have to pay the taxes that are charged for dine-in customers.
Make it lunch – Lunchtime meals are always cheaper than dinner. This is because most restaurants have less lunch customer than dinner. However, if you are willing to eat your dinner early, you can enjoy the same prices as lunchtime, since some restaurants have extended lunch hours or early bird specials for diners who comes in before 6pm.
Celebrate your birthday – If you enter into your restaurants birthday or anniversary club, you will be able to enjoy free drinks, dessert, or, possibly, an entrée on your special day.