How to Save Money While Dining Out at Restaurants

published 19 April 2016

If not evident through most of my Instagram posts and articles, I love to eat. (And drink.) But thanks to my chosen profession and background, I unfortunately can't just throw down mad money every time there's a new restaurant opening or I don't feel like cooking. (So, always.) All this makes me a tad obsessed with budgeting and saving money—so here: eight of my favorite easy, painless ways to be a foodie on the cheap.

1. Use a Restaurant Reservation App

Opentable.com lets you book your reservation and earn "dining points" while you're at it. After a certain number of points, you can redeem for a restaurant gift certificate or Amazon gift card. Easy. (Pssst...already on the way to dinner? Make a reservation—if available—through the app to get points on your already-made plans. Opentable, don't be mad at me for being smart.) And if you're already out and don't have solid plans for where you want to eat, open up the ScoutMob app, which lets you click a button and get a discount at places nearby. No joke.

2. Make Sure You Explore Your Company's Offerings

Many companies and employers offer discounts at local stores, museums, and—yes—restaurants. Your employer also might be a part of corporate rewards programs like Plum Benefits, which you can use to get restaurant gift certificates and the like at a solid discount.

3. Get It to Go

I know, I know—you went *out* to dinner/brunch/insert-meal-here for a reason, right? (Ambiance, or something...) But look—if you're really in it for the food and don't really care about all the rest, it's a good great idea to get your meal to go for three main reasons: 1) You save on tipping 2) you can definitely save some leftovers for lunch 3) a $6 bottle of wine is not a thing they typically have in a restaurant but they do have in the real world. Any questions?

4. Watch the Drinks

Again, I get that booze is part of the *experience*, but paying $30 + tip on two cocktails with dinner ain't cute. To save money if you're wanting a drink with dinner, check to see if your state allows re-corkage, then buy that bottle of wine, have a glass, and ask it to be re-corked to take home. (Yes, you can really do this in some states.) Also, never underestimate the power of BYOB. Lastly, remember that you can—shocker—not drink at a meal out. Sometimes we become so conditioned to ordering a drink with our food that we forget to enjoy it, so skip the drink and focus on the food and company. (Then say cheers with a $2 beer at home.) Heads up: If you're really itching for a cocktail (and you like to have a happy hour or five during the month), check out the Hooch app. Available in cities like Austin, L.A., New York, Chicago, and more, for $10 a month you get one free drink every single day at different venues in the city. Meet up for a drink, head to dinner, and save some $$$.

Credit cards are a slippery slope, so I will say if you have budgeting problems skip out on this one altogether. But if you *do* have a credit card and you love to eat out, make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck by grabbing a credit card that rewards you handsomely for your gluttonous tendencies. (Pssst—Chase Sapphire offers two times the points on dining, FWIW.)

6. Buy Discounted Gift Cards

If you are regulars at a chain restaurant and/or you like to plan your meals out in advance, check out discount gift card sites to save 10 to 30 percent before you even take your first bite. (Head to cardpool.com for the best deals.) Restaurant.com also offer great deals for restaurant vouchers at a solid discount.

7. Use Your Points to Buy Gift Cards

If you love to shop online, use a rewards site that'll save you some serious cash at restaurants by first going to the site, shopping, and earning points from your purchase. You can then use those points to buy gift cards. All it takes is one extra click. (We like MyPoints.com.)

8. If All Else Fails, Start an Instagram Account

Apparently, some foodies are so great with their Instagrams that restaurants are offering them free food and discounts. Ready, set, filter.

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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.