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Seven Easy Ways to Save Money When Eating Out
By Charlie Peters

Everyone knows that its cheaper to cook at home rather than eat out. Sometimes you’re simply too busy or too tired. There are ways, however, that you can still eat out without busting your budget.

Skip the Drinks. The mark-ups on soda and juice at restaurants is incredible. The raw ingredients for a typical coke, for instance, cost less than 25 cents but you’ll be charged $1.50 or more – an incredible 600% mark-up. Instead, ask for water with your meal or, if you want a drink, ask that it be served with your meal. Restaurants serve your drink while you’re waiting knowing that you’ll constantly sip and have to order another drink when your meal arrives.

Take Advantage of the Freebies. Many restaurants offer free but delicious tasting bread, nachos, or salads. Take advantage and fill up on these instead of ordering the over-priced appetizers. If you’re interested in the appetizers consider splitting a few with your fellow diners.

Split an Entree. Restaurants frequently serve oversized portions. People can save money simply by splitting an entree. Many restaurants will actually split the entree onto two separate plates for a small additional charge.

Try an Ethnic Restaurant. Ethnic restaurants are hidden gems where you can get delicious meals at a great price. Ethnic eateries don’t have the advertising costs of major chain restaurants. In addition, their costs are also lower because they’re usually not located in ultra-high rent areas like many chain restaurants. To ensure that you’ll get a great dining experience, use rating sites like urbanspoon.com to help guide you to the best ethnic restaurants in your city.

Use the Take Out Option. This is a little known way that can save you big money. Many restaurants, including fine dining establishments, allow you to order take out. You usually place your order ahead of time over the phone and by the time you reach the restaurant your order is ready. Yes, you won’t get the same atmosphere but you’ll get great food and you save because you don’t pay for overpriced drinks, appetizers, desserts, or tips.

Look for Discounts. Some restaurants offer coupons that you can use for dining. These come in several forms from cash off your purchase to free drinks or appetizers with your purchase. Check the restaurant’s website for coupons or watch the mail for coupon offers.

Many restaurants feature birthday clubs that provide you with a free meal, drink, or appetizer on your birthday. Again the best place to find out about such birthday clubs is the restaurant’s website.

To help attract customers during rough economic times many restaurants are now offering mid-week discounts. This is a great way to eat on the cheap without having to deal with the weekend crowds.

Eat Dessert Some Place Else. Restaurant desserts can be expensive. Why pay $5 for an overpriced dessert? You can easily pick up dessert at your local supermarket for a fraction of the price or stop by the local McDonald’s drive through and purchase a hot fudge sundae for $1?

To learn more ways to save while eating out, check out our blog at www.paylessforfood.com.

Charlie Peters is a blogger at PayLessForFood.com where you can learn easy ways to dramatically cut your grocery bill.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charlie_Peters class=”related_post”>

Got a note from Kevin Freeman the other day. Don’t know if I can help him directly, I think I can help him indirectly:

Chris: As we climb the search engine ladder for the key words “seattle restaurants” I always see your name so I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Kevin Freeman and I have Chron’s disease and have created this new concept to help others like myself dine out with special dietary needs. Here is a recent article done by the Vancouver Sun. We are entering into a new market in Seattle and need assistance. Mainly in the way of word of mouth or a blog entry also we do require photos of restaurants. If you do know of anyone that would want to be paid to go and cold call restaurants in Seattle, take photos and fill out information on our free sign up page that would be great. We are a start up company and cannot pay a lot but for part time work it pays ok. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon

There are so many great restaurants here in Seattle. Sometimes, we just don’t know where to go. Ponzi likes to try new restaurants all the time – but if I’m not in the mood for something, it’s difficult to make an unfamiliar choice. Sushi is our trump card.

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• Seattle Restaurant: Andaluca
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I received an email this evening from a friend who’s visiting Seattle in a few weeks. She wanted to know what I recommended for restaurants in the area. I started to scribble a couple of names, but the effort soon ballooned into a full-blown list. I’m sharing it here for your digestion (pun intended). This way, if anybody else ever asks me for good “local” food, I can just point ‘em here.

For seafood, I’d recommend Salty’s on Alki – great view of downtown seattle and the Sound at night. Great food, too. :) I like their seared ahi, but (then again) that’s pretty much all I get there. Ponzi always seems to enjoy the salmon or white fish. The valet parking is nice.

For fondue, try The Melting Pot. If you’ve never been to a fondue restaurant before, it’s worth trying. Ponzi found out about this place while she was visiting Thailand (!) – so we went there last night and really enjoyed ourselves. Be prepared to stuff yourself silly. This is a “must” for any cheese lover. I’d recommend going as a couple, but not as a double-date – because everybody pretty much shares the same pot of everything.

For sushi, I’d recommend Chinoise on Madison. I personally love sitting at the sushi bar and ordering “Omakase,” which you should be able to do at any sushi bar. That’s when the chef makes whatever he things is good – and you get to experience great flavors that aren’t on the menu. We also like Toyoda, Ototo, I Love Sushi (Bellevue, NOT Seattle), Saitos, Maneki, Rain, and Kozue (Kozui?). I’ve heard “Wasabi” is great, but it sounds overpriced and too trendy.

For dim sum, it’s all about Top Gun. Let me put it to you this way: I’m usually the only gringo in the joint when we go. We’ve tried a few places in Chinatown, but they weren’t as nice. Sunday mornings at Top Gun are a madhouse. Worth doing, even if you’ve never had dim sum before (which is more of a breakfast/brunch meal).

For pho, it all depends on your taste. “What the Pho” in Bellevue is a pretty safe flavor. “Pho Bac” is also good in the International district, I hear. If you’ve never had Pho before, it’s pretty much soup with a lot of noodles and a meat of choice. There’s a lot of pho out there. Try the young coconut juice if you go.

For doughnuts, try Mighty-O Donuts. They make ‘em without hydrogenated oils, so they’re “healhtier” for you. I can’t eat any other donuts in the city, so this is pretty much it for me. If you’re gonna be decadent in the morning, you might as well minimize the artery damage.

For coffee, Zoka beats the hell out of Starbucks. I don’t drink it anymore, but Ponzi would make me drive all the way across town just so she could have something from Zoka – passing a million Starbucks en route. The one in Tangletown (north of the Wallingford district) is across the street from Mighty-O.

For steak, I’ve always had an awesome filet at the Pampas Room (which I believe is downstairs from El Gaucho). I’d probably recommend a chain like Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris, too. The Keg also has a pretty good steak, if you’re into the “down home” atmosphere.

For online dinner reservations, by the way, I’ve been using OpenTable. You don’t need to sign up for an account, and it’s got a great range of tastes for you to choose from if you’re in the mood for something new or different. I found out about it when I was looking to make reservations for a place in Las Vegas. Wonderful free service here.

For slightly “trendy” dining with good flavor and good prices, try the Black Bottle in downtown Seattle. Their potato and cauliflower dish is awesome (and I hate cauliflower), as is their bread with sundried cherries… oh, and the hanger (?) steak is also amazing. I was quite suprised – and judging from the crowd, this is a real winner.

For Italian, Machiaveli’s. It also happens to be across the street from “The Chapel,” which used to be a funeral home – where Bruce Lee lived and (subsequently) had his funeral. How’s that for a little bit of history? There’s also a nice Italian place kitty-corner from the Seattle Public Library, but its name escapes me at the moment.

For Pizza, it really depends where you are. I’ve personally fallen in love with All-Purpose Pizza – “Ked’s Fave,” in particular. It may not be close to where you’re staying, though – and the concierge may be able to recommend something a bit closer that might be just as good. Just avoid Pizza Hut if you can at all help it – or any nationwide chain, for that matter.

For late night dining, try the reuben sandwich at 13 coins. We’ve been there a few times when we were feeling like having comfort food. Decor hasn’t been updated since the late ’50s (or so it seems). If you’re hungry at 3AM, this is pretty much the only game in town I’d recommend without reservation. We’ve been there a few times, but only once “after hours.”

For Ethiopian, get over to Queen Sheba. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian, it’s very spicy (and very tasty). I’d recommend getting the meat and veggie samplers, and you’ll be set for four people. For two, I’d likely choose one over the other.

For casual dining for lunch or dinner, try BluWater in Leschi (not the other one). It’s always filling. Even though we kinda live down the street from it, we don’t go there as often as we could – largely because there are so many other great restaurants in Seattle for us to try. We’ve been here for a year, and probably sampled 1/100th of what’s out there.

For burgers, it’s Dick’s Drive-in. They’re not gonna be gigantic burgers, but for fast food, this is excellent. Try one while you’re here, if you can. Kidd Valley is also pretty good (and Ponzi likes their garlic fries). For Hot Dogs, go to Diggity Dog Hot Dogs – which is near Zoka and Mighty-O.

For Russian, go with My Favorite Piroshki. They’re like sandwiches, with many of them comprised of ground beef and potatoes. If you’ve never had one, they might be worth trying – just to say you had one.

For Greek, you must go to the Mediterranean Kitchen. We found this place on accident and fell in love with it instantly. The baba ganoush is out of this world. Great prices, greasy spoon atmosphere. When we’re doing something in the neighborhood, we always stop by – if only for the baba ganoush. Did I mention that I love their baba ganoush?

For Mexican, we’re happy with any Taco Del Mar. ;) I haven’t heard of many great Mexican restaurants up here in Seattle. Everybody seems to be disappointed. Then again, many of us have never had authentic Mexican – so we’re happy with whatever we find. Again, stay away from chains.

For Chinese, you must go to Bamboo Garden. It’s Chinese cuisine – with no meat. You’d be surprised at how realistic the sweet and sour chicken tastes. We don’t really eat a lot of Chinese, but when we do, this is typically where we go. I’ve also heard that Seven Stars is also unique.

For something unique, try Coastal Kitchen. Every few months, their menu changes to highlight a different culture! Right now, they’re serving Portugese. The Chow Foods restaurant family has always had great food, including the 5 Spot. This would be a great choice if you’re not sure what you want to eat.

For Thai, Thai Ginger or Wild Ginger are pretty good. If you want authentic Thai, I’d recommend Thai Heaven. Ponzi’s really picky when it comes to Thai – because she’s had the real deal. She doesn’t like Racha Thai at all, but I think it’s great.

For a general dining experience, we found McCormick & Schmick’s to be good (and they’re the ones who cater Gnomedex). Some might find it a bit stuffy, and some younger friends of ours said that it seemed to cater to the 60+ crowd, but I would certainly go back if given the opportunity. We had lunch there, but I’d imagine the dinner would be just as nice.

For fusion, try Seastar restaurant for lunch or dinner. Try the deviled eggs – topped with Tobiko! This is over in Bellevue again, but I get a kick out of the lamps – which remind me of the miracle of birth. You have to see it to really understand what I mean. Anyway, Seastar is a good choice for a good meal – alebeit a little overpriced, IMHO.

• Food Seattle
• Gnomedex Will Feed You Dinner
• How to Save Money and Still Eat Well
• Loco Moco in Hawaii
• This is Why I’m Fat
• What Kind of Food do They Eat in Scotland?
• 25 Dinner Options for a Friday Evening at Home
• 50 Weight Loss Tips
• Seattle Restaurant: Andaluca
• Do Bacon and Chocolate Taste Great Together?