10 Ways To Save On Takeout

I will admit, I love to get takeout because it makes my life so much easier. Hopefully this 10 ways to save on takeout will help you maintain your budget as much as it gives you a respite from the kitchen!

1. Order Online With Coupons – there are lots of online ordering systems like Grubhub and Groupon that make your life easier. When you log into any of these systems, look for the restaurant that you want and search their listing to see if there are coupons. Many will offer a free item with a qualifying purchase (i.e. free 2-liter of pop with XL pizza purchase) or a percentage off your order when you purchase a certain value (i.e. $5 off $50 purchase).
2. Look For Lunch Specials – many restaurants offer a special lunch section of their menu at a discount. Check specifically at Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants and pizza places in addition to other cuisines.
3. Check For Loyalty Programs – some restaurants offer loyalty programs. These can either come in the form of something like Panera Bread and Bacci Pizzeria where you’ll rack up points through your phone number and earn free items or a loyalty card that gets punched every time you visit the restaurant.
4. Look For Buy One, Get One Free Offers – many restaurants will now give you a free meal when you order one! TGI Friday’s is currently offering a free burger for a friend when you buy a burger (this could change at any time), Maggiano’s giving a free pasta to-go when you order a pasta in the restaurant, McDonald’s and Burger King often offer a free sandwich when you buy a sandwich (i.e. Buy One Big Mac, Get One Free) and more.
5. Buy A Larger Meal And Split It – when you order a meal, be sure to get the larger portion and take some home. I often go to Subway and purchase a footlong sandwich to eat for both lunch and dinner. Grab a piece of fruit, a yogurt or a bag of chips along with each 6-inch and you’ve got a meal while saving a few dollars on what would have been the cost of two subs. Chinese food lunch specials often come with rice, an entree, a pop and an egg roll or Crab Rangoon. If the portions are as large as ours in Chicago, that’s more than enough to make up two meals!
6. Add-On, Don’t Subtract – if you find yourself at a fast-food restaurant and you want to modify your order, try to add-on and not subtract. Want a Sausage and Cheese Biscuit with no sausage from McDonald’s? Ask for an Egg Biscuit from the Dollar Menu and add cheese for a little more. When you buy the entire item, the cost of that item is figured in whether you plan to keep all the ingredients or not.
7. Order Off The Dollar Menu – many fast food locations offer a Dollar Menu. While ordering a “number 6” is much easier (and more profitable for the restaurant!), you can easily get a sandwich, side item and drink for right around $3 plus tax from the Dollar Menu.
8. Check The Takeout Menu For Coupons – many restaurants (specifically smaller restaurants) offer a paper version of their menu. Oftentimes these menus contain coupons on the front or back page! Be sure to ask for a copy and keep track of what restaurants in your area offer these discounts.
9. Look Elsewhere For Coupons – you’ll find coupons for restaurants in all kinds of places. Check the local newspaper (which sometimes has restaurant coupons stickied to the front page for a free item with purchase), the back of your grocery store receipts at many larger chains, in your Smart Source and Red Plum coupon inserts on the weekend or get discounts through Restaurant.com.
10. Ask! – didn’t your teachers tell you that there are no bad questions? Be sure to ask your local restaurants (especially the smaller non-chains) if they give out coupons. You’ll never know if there’s a way to save unless you ask!