Gather Little by Little

Want to eat out more but your budget just can’t handle the expense? You’ll be surprised at the number of places that offer kids eat free nights. We love to eat out, but with 6 children it’s incredibly expensive regardless of where we go. We are always on the look-out for coupons, specials, etc. One of the things we have been doing recently (and honestly should have been doing a long time ago) is eating at restaurants that have kids eat free nights.

Some restaurants advertise kids eat free nights more than others, but you will be surprised at the number of restaurants that have kids eat free nights once you do a little digging. You will find that you can pretty much eat out any night of the week and get your kids meals free. Be aware though, 80% of kids eat free offers are promoted by word of mouth, so just because you don’t see it advertised doesn’t mean the restaurant doesn’t have one.

Here’s a few suggestions to help you with your search:

Just call and ask

List out the restaurants you normally visit or would like to visit then just call and ask them if they have a kids eat free night. Not all do, but even if they don’t, ask them if they have any coupons or discounts for children. Most of them do.

Do a Search

Most if not all restaurants (even the small mom and pop shops) have web-sites now. As I said before, a number of restaurants don’t visibly advertise kids eat free nights, so you’ll need to do a little digging. I generally go to Google and just key in “<<Restaurant name>> Kids Eat Free”. If the restaurant doesn’t have one, often the Google search will turn up sites with coupons or vouchers you can print off that give you free kids meals.

Use Kids Eat Free websites

There are a number of kids eat free websites emerging on the internet. Here’s a few that allow you to search by your city and state for the restaurants in your area:

• My Kids Eat Free – My Personal Favorite
• Kids Eat Free
• Kidz R Free – Just click on the Kids Eat Free link
• Kiddie Menu – Nice integration with Google Maps

The Fine Print

Just a few things to be aware of:

• Most free kids meals are for kids 12 and under and sometimes only for 10 and under
• The child must order from the “kid’s menu”
• Generally the free meals are only provided when an adult purchases a regular-priced meal
• Typically there is a restriction on the number of “free meals” per adult.
• Get the details – sometimes the free deal is only offered during certain hours.

Have you found places in your area? Add them below in the comments. Have any additional suggestions? Let’s here them!