Dining out is a long-beloved pastime—something you can enjoy with family, friends, a significant other, or even alone.
You might not have the time, energy, or expertise to prepare the types of elaborate meals you can get at your favorite restaurants. It can also be nice to have a change of scenery and not have to worry about cleaning dishes.
But eating out can be expensive—and many Americans are increasingly feeling this pinch. According to YouGov’s “US Dining Out Report 2025,” 37% of respondents said they’re dining out less frequently than they did a year ago, and of those diners, 69% cited a perceived rise in cost as a reason.
The good news? There are several ways to save money at restaurants—and the more of these money-saving strategies you implement, the more cash you can hold on to. Let’s discuss some of the easy ways to spend less money dining out.
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Strategies to Cut Restaurant Bills
If you’ve ever complained about restaurant prices, you might have been told to simply eat out less or avoid restaurants altogether.
While that absolutely will cut down on your spending, you deserve to treat yourself sometimes. Not to mention, cooking at home doesn’t feel so cheap, either—while it’s still less expensive than eating out, grocery prices have been swelling, and at times they’ve been doing so at a much faster rate than restaurant prices, according to Consumer Price Index data.
You can still occasionally enjoy dining out, while spending a lot less, if you’re strategic about it. Try the following tips to spend less at restaurants. I’ll start with some time-honored classics, then get into some lesser-known hacks.
1. Get Takeout Instead of Dining In
You’ve almost assuredly heard that it’s cheaper to get takeout instead of dining in. There are a number of reasons for that, but two of the most common and meaningful ones are:
1. You won’t order drinks. Regardless of whether they’re alcoholic or non-alcoholic, drinks will always be far cheaper to buy at a store or make yourself.
2. You won’t pay a tip. And even if you do, the nominal amount you give to a host or hostess will be far less than the percentage-based tip you pay a waiter or waitress.
Let’s look at an example (without tax, for simplicity’s sake):
You and your spouse commonly frequent a local restaurant and usually run up a bill of about $120. This includes a 20% tip ($20) and about $15 worth of drinks. If you order the same meal as a takeout order (sans the drinks, which will virtually always be cheaper to make), you’ll spend $85 instead.
Obviously, there are some downsides to eating takeout instead of going out, such as losing out on atmosphere. But it’s workable in some situations—for instance, if you’re looking for romantic ambience, you can do that at home with a few candles and lower lighting; or if you want to enjoy patio weather, you could make your takeout order a picnic instead.
2. Take Advantage of Happy Hours
The most drastic way to save money on drinks is to stick to water, though people also commonly downgrade from suds to sodas. In fact, the aforementioned YouGov survey also shows that, of respondents who have altered their dining preferences to cut costs, 42% say they’re skipping drinks to spend less money, while 14% are ordering soft drinks instead of alcoholic beverages.
Some people view alcoholic drinks as an important part of the dining experience, however.
If you don’t drink often but occasionally treat yourself to a cocktail at restaurants, scope out local happy hours for drink specials instead. You can typically get much lower prices on beer, wine, and single-mixers (hard alcohol plus one ingredient, such as juice or pop).
Happy hours often extend the savings past drinks, too. Many bars and restaurants will also offer discounted appetizers. Getting an affordable appetizer could mean you eat less of your main meal and have more leftovers later. Or, even better, you could make a meal out of discounted appetizers.
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3. Ask About Discounts
Certain groups of people often qualify for discounts at restaurants.
Senior discounts and military discounts are among the most popular, though many restaurants will also offer discounts for teachers, public safety workers, and/or students. And if you’re an AARP member, our long list of AARP discounts includes just a few of the many restaurants that offer deals for members.
Establishments aren’t required to offer any of these group discounts; they choose to do so. So you shouldn’t be shy about inquiring about any price reductions you might be eligible for.
Restaurants (and other businesses with group-specific discounts) often provide those discounts on specific days of the week, or specific times of each day. For instance, teacher discounts might only be available on Tuesday, or a bar might have a daily 11 p.m. happy hour for first responders. Also, sometimes, rather than a straight-line discount, a restaurant might have a special, lower-priced menu.
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4. Sign Up for Apps + Emails
Do you find it annoying that every restaurant has a membership program these days? Me too. But despite the hassle, about 77% of American diners indicated that loyalty programs could entice them to visit restaurants more frequently, according to the YouGov poll.
Why? Because signing up for memberships at restaurants can often save you a lot of money.
You might need to opt in to receive emails or download an app. From there, you might get free items on your birthday, accumulate points for free items or discounts, or receive a variety of other perks.
If you don’t want your inbox flooded with restaurant emails, you should consider creating an email address dedicated to these types of communications. Then, when you’re choosing where to eat out, you could check just that email to see which places have recently offered up coupons or other deals. Similarly, if too many dining apps are clogging up your phone screen, create a folder to hold all of them, leaving them out of sight until you need one.
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5. Don’t Dine During Peak Days & Times
Do you and your significant other like to go out to eat during Valentine’s Day weekend? Consider dining out a couple of weeks earlier or later. Or, choose a weekday around that date. Restaurants often have set menus for major holidays, and those menus can get pricey. (Not to mention, you’re likely to get more attention outside of the busiest dining evenings and be less rushed.)
Aside from holidays, you may want to switch some of your “date nights” to “date days.” Lunch prices tend to be more affordable and can always be followed up by a fun activity. Whenever possible, go out on weekdays instead of the weekend; some restaurants will have daily specials during slower weekdays.
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6. Learn to Like Leftovers
Food that makes your mouth water one night might feel unappealing the next day. Indeed, roughly 30% of respondents in a recent Gallup study said they throw away leftovers at least once a week because no one wants to eat them.
That’s a waste of both food and money.
American restaurants have notoriously large portion sizes, so it’s likely you at least occasionally don’t finish your meal. If you take home your leftovers and make a second meal out of them, that makes dining out far more cost-efficient, effectively halving the price of two meals you’ve eaten that week. Consider this example of two people going out for a Tex-Mex meal:
–Person A refuses to box up leftovers. She skips free bread or chips to avoid filling up before her meal comes. She spends $25 on one meal (dinner).
–Person B is happy to box up leftovers. She eats free chips and salsa. She only eats some of her meal, and has the rest for lunch the next day. She spends $25 on two meals (dinner and lunch).
If you hate eating the same thing the very next day, you can always wait an extra day or two, as long as you properly store your food. You can also repurpose your leftovers—for instance, if you have leftover nachos, top them with eggs the next morning and make huevos rancheros. Leftover meats and vegetables can be added to soups. Be creative!
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7. Buy Discounted Restaurant Gift Cards
If you love eating out, buy yourself discounted dining gift cards.
When the holiday season approaches, some restaurants will offer gift cards for less than their retail cost. (For example, a restaurant might sell a $100 gift card for $90.) This is a restaurant’s way of getting a cut of Americans’ holiday shopping money.
The restaurants with these deals often post them on social media or in email newsletters. But don’t be afraid to simply call your favorite spot during the holiday season and ask if they have a gift card promotion going on.
Another option? Purchase restaurant gift cards from Costco, which frequently sells sets for less than their retail value. For instance, as I write this, Costco has an online deal where it’s selling two $50 Outback Steakhouse eGift cards ($100) for only $79.99. So when you use those gift cards, you’re effectively eating at Outback at a 20% discount.
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8. Take Receipt Surveys
After you pay at a fast-food or fast-casual restaurant, you might click “no receipt” from pure muscle memory. But don’t reflexively refuse a receipt, because it might just save you some money.
Dining receipts occasionally have surveys, and answering questions about your experience could earn you discounts or even free food. Chick-fil-A, for example, sometimes offers a free sandwich to patrons who complete a short customer service survey. Within the app, you can see if a survey is available by clicking the For You icon.
Other dining establishments do this as well, so always give your receipt a cursory glance just to see whether it’s carrying a freebie.
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9. Use Credit Card Special Offers
Do you have a rewards credit card? In addition to earning cash back on general dining, it might have special offers for certain restaurants that you can opt into within a predetermined amount of time. For instance, right now, my Chase card has offers for 5% cash back at Jersey Mike’s, 7% cash back at Qdoba, 5% cash back at Amber Indian Cuisine, 10% back at Potbelly, 5% back at 5th Quarter Sports Bar & Grill, and more.
Don’t use promotions like these as an excuse to eat out more—that defeats the purpose. Instead, use them as an opportunity to spend less at places you already frequent. One click is an easy ask for a discount. So check your credit card dining offers (and other promotions) regularly and add any you know you’re going to use.
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10. Carefully Check Your Bill
Restaurants can be hectic. Mistakes happen. So you should always carefully review your bill before you pay. You might have been charged for an item you didn’t receive, or you might be purchasing a happy-hour drink at full price. The sooner you catch a mistake, the easier it is to correct it.
You might also learn that a gratuity charge has already been added, whether that’s because you came with a large group or because that’s the restaurant’s new policy for everyone. Whatever the reason, catching that could prevent you from tipping much more than you originally intended.
Some people even take a photo of their completed receipt to ensure it matches their bank statements later.
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