How To Get Insane Discounts At Restaurants
I love eating at great restaurants.
...and I'm not talking about places with yellow arches or drive-throughs.
To me, a great restaurant is where you leave not just with a full stomach, but with an experience you will remember.
Lately, my girlfriend and I discovered that we really enjoy trying new ethnic foods...especially the kind you find at those little hole-in-the-wall joints so authentic that you barely hear a word of English coming from the tables around you.
Just last weekend, we tried a delightful Indian carry-out that came recommended by a local professor friend of mine.
The walls were white and plain. Only 5 small cafeteria-style tables lined the side wall. Our food was served in little plastic tubs with styrafoam plates and plastic utensils.
But appearances can be deceiving.
The food was some of the most amazing I have ever had! I can almost smell it even as I write these words.
If you love the experience of dining at fantastic restaurants as much as I do, you can probably relate to what I'm saying.
You have probably also noticed how quickly dining out can drain your budget. Hitting up a quality restaurant just twice per week can easily add up to more than $300 per month for two people!
Lucky for us Millionaire Lifehackers, it doesn't HAVE to cost that much. ;)
Here are a few ideas that will help you dine out more often for MUCH less money.
1) Buy Gift Certificates At Restaurant.com
This site has become one of my favorite tools for saving money at restaurants.
As a way of promoting themselves to a large Internet audience and getting new patrons in the door, many restaurant owners allow Restaurant.com to sell their gift certificates at insanely reduced prices.
Near the beginning of the month I used Restaurant.com to purchase a $10 gift certificate to my favorite sports bar for only $2 (their wings are the absolute best!).
Last week, a friend of mine told me that he purchased $200 in gift certificates to his favorite Italian restaurant for $6.
The only catch is the minimum spending limit which says that you can only use the certificate if your bill exceeds a certain amount, like $35 for example. Also, I believe you are required to pay an 18% gratuity when using the certificate.
Other than that, it's just pure savings!
2) Look For "Hidden" Discounts
I found out recently that my absolute favorite "ice cream" place, Rita's Italian Ice, has opened a stand near my hometown.
Just out of curiousity, I went to Google and spent about 2 minutes searching for valid coupons for Rita's. Moments later I discovered that when you join their free online birthday club, Rita's immediately emails you a "buy-1-get-1-free" coupon, good for nearly anything on their menu.
That night, my girlfriend and I both enjoyed our favorite Rita's treat, the gelati, for about $3 total.
A quick search at the website of one of my favorite Italian restaurants revealed that if you sit in the "bar area" (which includes the comfortable leather couches, and even the sitting area outside the restaurant) during certain specific hours in the day, you get a "special" bar menu featuring mouth-watering Italian dishes for just a few dollars each.
In fact, the dishes were so delicious and so unbelievably inexpensive that it quickly became one of my favorite places to hang out with friends.
Since then, I've been amazed at how many restaurants offer discounts, coupons, or special deals to those who are willing to look for them. If they aren't obvious on the restaurant's website, a quick Google search should reveal any discounts that are available.
If you know any other ways to eat at great restaurants for cheap, share it with us in the comment section below! We'd love to hear from you.
And that's it for now...
Remember:
You don't have to be a millionaire to live the good life. ;)
[Jesse Lear is the author of Millionaire Lifehack, a blog designed to show you how to live a more exciting, luxurious life...even if you aren't a millionaire yet. If you have comments or questions, please say something in the comment section below or email me at millionairelifehack@gmail.com Thanks!]
