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12 Tips to Shrink Your Bill When Eating Out

Emily Co — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:04:07 PDT

Although staying in to eat is a lot cheaper than going out, foodies can't help but indulge in their favorite restaurants once in a while. Food is one of the biggest joys in life, and nothing is better than sharing a good meal and conversation with the ones you love. In fact, the restaurant industry in America makes about $1.7 billion on a typical day, according to the Restaurant Association. That's a lot of money we're spending meals out! On your next food outing, be sure to keep these tips in mind to shrink your bill:

Use Coupons: Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $q0. You can find the coupon code by searching online at sites like RetailMeNot.com. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Earn Rewards: Do your research on sites like Mint and Credit Card Guide and figure out which credit cards give you the best rewards for your diner bucks. Oftentimes, if you're a loyal member of a mileage program, you can even earn some miles by eating at the restaurants the airline partner up with. For example, Southwest has a Rapid Rewards Dining program that credits three points for every dollar spent with their restaurant partners.

Skip the Drinks: Sodas, alcohol, and other non-tap water drinks tend to be overpriced at restaurants. Get water with your meal, and if you're really itching for a particular drink, wait until dinner's over and head to a convenient store to buy it.

Order the Kiddie Meal: The meals for kids are generally cheaper and most of the times are the perfect size for adults! This option is also great for portion control and your wallet.

Read on for more tips to save when dining out.

Do You Practice These Calorie-Saving Tricks When You Eat Out?

Leta Shy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:52:15 PST

Regularly eating out can result in consuming hundreds of unwanted calories in a sitting, but luckily, there are many ways to save calories when you eat out. A new study found that these strategies do, in fact, work; people eat fewer calories when they dine out if they regularly put a few mindful eating tips into practice. In the study, the group that regularly attended an intervention course, which included classes focused on education, tips, and meditation, ate about 300 fewer calories than before studying mindful eating, and ate fewer calories overall than the control group, who didn't have access to these resources.

We've got the details of some of the best calorie-saving tricks, including a few learned in this study, for dining out. Read on for the tips, and let us know if you do these things when you eat out!

Save on Eating Out in 2012 With These 12 Realistic Tips!

Emily Co — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:05:07 PST

One of the hardest thing to budget in the past year was eating habits, according to SavvySugar readers. Of course, there is always the simple solution of just eating at home more often, but you can still cut your food bill here and there when you're eating out. We've given you plenty of tips in the past on how to save when eating out so we're rehashing some of the best ones as well as throwing in some our new frugal ideas! Here they are:

Use coupons. Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $2. You can find the coupon code by searching the keyword "restaurant.com" on the coupon site RetailMeNot. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Don't eat out when you're dining solo. Try to save your meal excursions for when you're with friends and family. This means that if you're planning on grabbing a quick bite by yourself, it's better to prepare something at home to eat instead. A big part of the joy of eating out is ambiance and company, so save your money and skip grabbing quick meals when you're alone.

Ration meals with friends. Even if you're saving all your meals out for when you have company, don't be too liberal when you're scheduling them. Try to rotate among different people if you're planning on having one-on-one dinners and space it out. Remember you can always catch up with people over drinks or during a fun activity so don't feel bad about skipping dinner.

Opt for lunch: Oftentimes, the lunch menu is a lot cheaper than dinner. When meeting up with people, try to opt for lunch as your preferred meal. Be sure to also pick their lunch specials.

Read on for more tips.

How to Save Hundreds of Calories, but Still Eat Out

Michele Foley — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:26:54 PDT

It turns out that posted calorie counts on restaurant menus aren't always accurate. For those of you watching your weight, this might feel like a major blow, but it doesn't have to be. The next time you dine out, follow these easy tips to keep calories in check.

Research the menu before you go
A few days before the reservation, check out the restaurant's menu online. It gives you time to assess if there are healthy menu options, and, if there isn't, you can call the restaurant ahead of time to see if it can make any modifications to its menu for your diet. Most restaurants don't mind making a diet-friendly plate, but giving advance notice will give the chef time to think out a special plate for your needs.

Skip the bread basket
The bottomless bread basket is an easy way to tip the scale when you're watching your weight. (Not to mention that the crusty baguette is probably made from refined grains.) The average piece of bread contains about 100 calories, while a pat of butter adds another 36. The apps haven't even hit the table and you've already eaten 150 calories. If you absolutely can't pass on the bread, try and limit your portions and skip the butter for olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead.

See more calorie-saving tips after the break!

Do You Trust Calorie Counts on Restaurant Menus?

Leta Shy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:50:02 PDT

As more and more restaurants start labeling their menu choices with calorie counts, you may think dining out has gotten easier for your diet. Turns out, however, that those calorie labels may not be telling you the full story. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that calorie counts on menus at fast food restaurants and sit-down chains like McDonalds, Chipotle, and Olive Garden are often inaccurate. Only seven percent of the sample meals the researchers tested were within 10 calories of their stated counts, and 20 percent of the meals tested differed by more than 100 calories.

Even more bad news: the researchers found that restaurants were more likely to underestimate the calories in healthier food options like salad or soup. Of course, since proportions and ingredients depend on the chef preparing it, restaurant meals can never clock in at the exact amount of calories that's on the menu, but it's surprising that certain meals could be much more than you think.

When you dine out, do you use restaurant calorie counts as a guide, or do you check ingredient lists to decide on what to order?

Let's Dish: What's Caused You to Leave a Restaurant Prematurely?

Tara Block — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:39:42 PDT

Usually when I'm looking for a bite to eat somewhere new, on vacation, or just a place I haven't researched beforehand, I ask for a menu before being seated to make sure it's something I'd be interested in. But there are those times when you get caught up and end up being seated and served water before you realize there's nothing you like. I hate having to awkwardly get up and walk out because I always feel slightly bad for leaving without tipping and for the obvious diss on the restaurant. However, when I've been seated just to have to wait 30 minutes for the server to return, I don't feel bad for getting up and leaving. Whether it's been because of the menu, poor service, or maybe something unpleasant like a hair in your food, have you ever left a restaurant early? What happened?

Source: Flickr User _Pek_

What's Worse: A Menu That's Too Short or Too Long?

Susannah Chen — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:11:51 PDT

It's been said that haute cuisine is true art, but I'd argue that composing a menu takes some serious skill, too. First off, the food has to read like it's appetizing. Then there's the issue of how many items should be offered. Everyone's got a different number: when I dine out at a restaurant that offers less than 10 menu items, my guy complains that there's not enough selection on the menu. Yet if I open a menu to find 100 offerings, I'll almost certainly be overwhelmed. As someone who has a tough time making decisions both big and small, I'd rather be faced with a terse menu than a paralyzingly long one. Getting the length just right, it seems, is quite a tough line to toe. Which do you consider the greater of two evils? And what's the magic number when it comes to menus?

New Website Allows Couples to Register For Restaurant Meals

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:25:12 PST

If you know someone who got married recently, you've probably heard of Honeyfund, a website that allows bride and grooms to register for experiences (like a deep sea fishing expedition or a private tour of an art gallery). More and more couples are participating, so it's no surprise that a new site, FoodieRegistry, is making waves in the restaurant world.

The website follows the same format as Honeyfund, but instead of honeymoon experiences, the happy couple can register for meals at various restaurants. Buyers are essentially purchasing a gift certificate for the registered restaurants and can decide how much or how little they want to spend.

Currently, restaurants in Chicago and San Francisco are available for registry, while Los Angeles, New York, Denver, Miami, and Las Vegas are coming soon. Since I enjoy dining out, I think the concept is an interesting one. How about you? Brides to be: would you consider registering for a restaurant meal?

Ways Mom Can Keep Her Waistline Despite Eating Takeout

Heather Maddan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 04:00:00 PST

During the old dinner shuffle, who has time to count calories? Figure-conscious moms who want to eat better, but have little time to prep their own nightly meals can take these tips from Mary Hartley RD to the takeout line. By following four easy tips parents can enjoy conversation and a quick meal with their kiddos without feeling guilty.

What's Worse: Food Coming Too Quickly or Too Slowly?

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:21:30 PST

One of my restaurant pet peeves is when the food comes too quickly, in particular before the drinks have arrived. However, some people prefer it if the food comes too quickly rather than take forever. As long as I have a drink and the atmosphere and company are good, I'm OK with waiting for food. How about you? What do you think is worse?