27 Top Secret Ways To Save Money When Eating On The Go

Keep reading for ways to get free food, cash back on your food purchases, and even score some amazing deals.

1. Discounts at Restaurants

• Seasonal Discounts: Restaurants will offer better prices to increase their sales when people are nervous about spending money after the holidays. They also offer holiday promotions, usually around all the major holidays, that include a few extra food items to lower the cost of the meal. This is good because the holidays are a fun time to eat out with your friends and family.
• Senior Discounts: Most people know seniors are on a strict budget during their retirement years. Senior discounts are usually offered to those who are 55 to 65 years of age, so you will want to check first to make yourself eligible. Ask next time you visit your favorite restaurant if they offer a senior discount. See the 2022 List of Senior Discounts at Restaurants.
• Student Discounts: Restaurants want to help students out because they know they oftentimes do not have a lot of money and want students to get hooked on their food and brand. Just ask next time you visit your favorite place to eat for a student discount.
• Entertainment book: LIVE LIFE AND SAVE! Enjoy the biggest discounts from 2-for-1 and 50% off coupons on dining, travel, attractions, and much more across the U.S. and Canada by using our app, free with your membership.

2. Deals, specials, cashback, and rewards

• OpenTable is an online restaurant reservation service where you can make a reservation online, read restaurant reviews from diners, and earn points for free meals. You can earn 100 reward points every time you make a reservation. You can redeem 2,000 points for a $26 dining check that can be used at any Open Table restaurant. Also, don’t miss the occasional 1,000-point promotion for a single reservation at specific restaurants.

• Mogl provides an online cashback service for dining at affiliated restaurants. Earn rewards directly on your credit or debit card at your favorite restaurants without the hassle of coupons or loyalty cards.
• Seatedapp: Earn Rewards for Reservations, Takeout, and Delivery Get up to 30% back every time from the best restaurants in town.
• Hookedapp: short-term deals every day from the top restaurants Get deals on thousands of restaurants across the nation.
• Food for All: Enjoy delicious meals from hundreds of restaurants and cafes for at least 50% off with the Food for All app.
• Snackpass: Cut the line and get discounts!
• Resy connects you to the best restaurants in the world.
• Restaurant-specific rewards: These are reward programs that are tied to a specific restaurant or fast food location and often take the form of joining a club or receiving a restaurant loyalty card from Loyalogy.
• Redeem points for restaurant gift cards. Many reward programs offer gift cards and gift certificates as redemption options. You can use your travel rewards credit cards and redeem the miles and points for a night out at a restaurant. However, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are getting the most value out of your travel points on your purchases.
• Discounted restaurant gift cards can be found for up to 40–50% off. You can find discounted gift cards that offer them online here (URL). Raise is a card trading marketplace for buying and selling semi-used gift cards.

3. Birthday Freebies

• A perfect time to get freebies is during your birthday. Many places will send you a special discount coupon or a free meal on your birthday. The hard part is being able to take advantage of all the offers in a short time.
• Freebiedepot birthday freebies
• Financebuzz: mega birthday freebies

4. Download Freebies

• Common Cents Mom: restaurants that give free food for downloading
• Hustler Money Blog: Free Food Restaurant Apps

5. Cook like a pro.

• Copykat: The site recreates your favorite restaurant recipes so you can make them at home.
• The Stay at Home Chef: Restaurant-quality recipes you can easily make at home
• Topsecretrecipes: The site offers America’s most famous secret recipes and reveals them to you.
• Serious Eats: Learn how to cook with several of their cooking and equipment guides.
• Allrecipes has huge recipe databases for cooking inspiration.
• Justtherecipe skips directly to the recipe on any website and avoids the ads, life stories, and popups.
• Getrecipecart quickly searches through over 50,000 crowdsourced recipes saved by people around the web.
• 150+ homemade recipes to make Cooking tips: planned meals that are quick to make Freezer-to-instant-pot meals (fast to make and can be prepared ahead of time)
• Plan your meals based on ingredients using Supercook.
• Battle-tested recipe book—a book that has over 1,000 pages and over 800 food-related illustrations

6. Cook on a budget

• Budgetbytes: recipes that have their ingredients priced out are great for budgets.
• $5 Dinners: There are numerous healthy (and unhealthy!) recipes on the food blog. recipes that cost less than $5.
• Student Eats: Almost all of the meals on Student Eats cost less than $5 or $10, making them ideal for students on a tight budget or for low-income families with children.
• The Frugal Chef: After the US economic recession in 2005, Mary Ann founded The Frugal Chef to assist families in maintaining a budget and eating healthily. Mary Ann’s Bolivian heritage is reflected in many of her recipes, but she also offers a wide range of diet-friendly and international dishes. Each recipe includes nutrition information and a video of Mary Ann preparing the dish.
• Broke-Ass Gourmet: Each of the weekly recipes on this food blog costs under $20.
• Plant-based on a Budget: Toni, the author of the blog, helps vegan and vegetarian cooks save money by using common ingredients. Plant-based on a Budget are a great resource for plant-based recipes, free meal plans with $25-a-week budgets, and techniques.
• Pocket Change Gourmet Michelle, a blogger, provides busy cooks with a variety of seasonal, five-ingredient, and family-friendly meals throughout the week.

7. Stay up-to-date on fast food news.

• The Impulsive Buy: Junk Food and Fast Food Reviews and News Blog
• Chewboom: The latest fast food news, including fast food reviews, trends, and culture. Food-related television coverage, celebrity chefs, and personalities
• Brandeating is a daily blog featuring mostly fast food reviews, fast food news, and fast food culture.

8. Book your table online

Allsetnow: Book a table and order your meal before you arrive at the restaurant. Discover the best restaurants and the local dining scene. Be seated and served instantly at nearby restaurants. Restaurant reservations and restaurant orders are in one place. Make a reservation online, read restaurant reviews from diners, and earn points toward free meals.

10. Eat on cheap days.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to eat at restaurants and are their slowest times. They generally have the same menu prices, and there are often specials, coupons, and menu inserts that only pertain to these days.

11. Check the receipts for surveys.

Often, restaurants want feedback from their customers and to know what they think about their food and services. So they give out a code or link at the bottom of your receipt where you fill out a quick survey. Doing this survey will usually give you a small discount on your next visit or a small gift.

12. Places where you can get free food

• Olioex: Connect with your neighbors to share food and other things. Share safely with no-contact pickups.
• Foodstampsoffices: Search all locations that handle the food stamp program in your area and get all the information you need on applying for or inquiring about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the US food stamp program. Fns snap program
• Foodpantries: Find local pantries, soup kitchens, food shelves, food banks, and other food help.
• Feeding America: local food bank search In 2020, the Feeding America network assisted in the operation of more than 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries, helping to provide billions of meals to those in need.
• National Hunger Hotline: You can always call the USDA National Hunger Hotline for assistance in locating free food in your area, even if none of these initiatives are successful for you. Call 1-866-3-HUNGRY or text the phrase “food” to 914-342-7744 to reach the helpline.
• Meals on Wheels operates to combat senior hunger and isolation in nearly every American community.
• Ampleharvest: Food pantry search
• Pantrynet: Food pantry search
• United Way assists people in overcoming food insecurity. The United Way assists tens of thousands of individuals annually by linking them with food resources in their city through its hundreds of chapters throughout the country.
• Lasagna Love, I appreciate this program. You can request that a main dish or lasagna be brought to your family for one night on any occasion.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: The largest federal program for assisting with food distribution and providing assistance to Americans with low incomes to purchase food is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. About 9.5 million households with children use the SNAP program annually. Applicants must be residents of the state in which they submit their application and meet specific income requirements, which vary depending on household size.
• Summer Meals for Free: Children ages 18 and under can also receive free meals and snacks through the Summer Food Service Program during the off-season when there aren’t any free school lunches available. Children who are homeschooled or who are preschool-age frequently qualify for these meals as well. By texting SUMMER MEALS to 914-342-7744, you can look up a summer meal location close to you.
• The Child and Adult Care Food Program: The Child and Adult Care Food Program reimburses qualified children and adults who are enrolled in childcare facilities, daycare homes, or adult daycare facilities for wholesome meals and snacks.
• The Commodity Supplemental Food Program Low-income seniors who qualify for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program receive a monthly food delivery as a kind of food assistance. In 2018, almost 676,000 participants took part in the program. You must have a low income and be older than 60 to qualify.
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program – through shelters, soup kitchens, emergency food pantries, and food banks—provides food at no cost to Americans in need of temporary hunger relief.
• Free Meals from Restaurants: “Free Meals is a truly great service that offers families in need free, wholesome restaurant meals. If you’re ill, jobless, elderly, or a single mother who can’t afford a meal, you can ask for one. Every candidate is screened by the program, but those who are chosen will be given a complimentary supper for four people. The restaurant offers both pick-up and delivery of the meal.
• Pick-your-own: Search for a pick-your-own farm near you.
• Foodchallenges and Eatfeats: Get free food for completing eating challenges.
• Start an aquaponics garden.
• Forage for food in the wild.
• Fish up some trout down at the lake.
• Go to church get-togethers like potlucks.
• Hunt for your meat.
• Barter with other people.
• Go home and cook with the ingredients you have in your pantry.
• A continental breakfast is available at hotels.
• Special promotions
• Creative couponing can score you some free food deals.
• Become a freegan.
• Campus food services
• Clubs
• Conferences and seminars
• Art openings and films might provide buffets with lots of food.
• Open houses and orientations
• Rob Greenfield’s dumpster diving guide
• Rob Greenfield also has a good article about growing your food for free in the city. See here for the guide.
• Looking for places that will offer your kids a free meal when accompanied by a paying adult is a nice way to lower costs. Kidseatfree helps you discover local restaurants and eateries with family-friendly deals.
• Freedge – provides places where you can find free community refrigerators to reduce food waste.
• Food rescue locator – find Food Rescue organizations.

13. Cook your food.

• Thespruceeatscooking-school – Boost your confidence in the kitchen with our trusted tips, tricks, and expert advice to master the basics and build upon your existing cooking skills and knowledge.
• The Kitchen: Tips, Techniques, and Vegetables
• The Kitchen: Skills Showdown
• Stylecaster: Don’t buy precut things. Chop them yourself with a good, sharp knife.

14. Meal planning services

• Myfreezeasy: They have a database of healthy and delicious freezer meals that you can cook. You can choose any 10 recipes from the database and cook them in under an hour. They even have recipes for certain allergies, and they do all the planning for you. Click here to get started.
• 5 dollarmeal plan: Cost: $5 a month You get meal plans sent to you along with the exact shopping list you need to create the meals, and the meals are easy, great, and affordable. Click here to get started.
• Real plans is a meal planning app and website that streamlines your weekly planning, shopping, and cooking with custom meal plans based on your diet. customized meal plans based on your diet, family size, and schedule. Aisle-based shopping lists that you can print or check off on your phone. You can also get your groceries delivered via Instacart, etc.

15. Make good investments in the kitchen.

• Bread maker
• Water filter
• A good cutting knife
• Keurig
• Fruit and Veggie Storage Rubbermaid Freshworks

16. Meal planning tools

• Whisk Meet is an all-in-one app for recipe saving, meal planning, grocery shopping, and recipe sharing.
• Eatthismuch automatically creates custom meal plans for your diet goals. This is absolutely perfect for bodybuilding, veganism, Atkins, paleo, and much more.
• Scientific Meal Planner is a free public service that uses the recommendations of nutrition science to generate optimally balanced meal plans for health and longevity. Based on Nutrition Facts (the daily dozen), everything we recommend has strong scientific backing.
• Copymethat: Your recipes, together forever. Copy any recipe from any website with a click. You’ll have your copy of the full recipe. Then edit, organize a plan, and shop. And eat!
• The chronometer encourages you to not just count your calories but to focus on your nutrition as a whole.

17. Cooking Efficiently 

• Nutritiondata.self: nutrition food facts and calorie calculator
• Efficiency is Everything 
• greatisthealth: a list of 44 healthy foods
• Consider using a cheap meal. Ingredients Protein: beans, lentils, chicken, eggs, milk, and potentially discounted meats (turkey, pork, or ground beef). Veggies: leafy greens and in-season veggies Carbs: Pick bread, rice, and noodles; don’t buy premade boxed rice or noodles. Spices: Reward yourself.

18. Food storage ideas

• Melskitchencafe
• Ideas of what to stock your kitchen with Wellnessmama

19. Know your menu.

Most restaurants have their menu online, so take a minute and decide what you want to order before you leave. It’s easy to miss something when you’re in the money and the server is about to ask you what your order is.

• Fastfoodmenuprices has the largest collection of fast food restaurant menu prices that you can find anywhere.
• Menupix: Find restaurants, menus, reviews, and recommendations on the largest menu website in the world.
• Nutritionix: This is the largest and most accurate nutrition directory. It makes it easier to understand what you eat.
• Cheat Day: Ignore the nutrition facts and call it a cheat day.
• Hackthemenu – #HackTheMenu – The complete list of secret menu items. A how-to guide to ordering secret items at places like Jamba Juice, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Chipotle Go crazy and eat fast food for free all day with a calendar approach, as this tiktoker did.
• Starbucks Secret Menu: The Ultimate Collection was created for Starbucks fans, by Starbucks fans! Discover new and exciting drinks concocted by Starbucks baristas and fans with the Starbucks Secret Menu!
• Allmenus is the most comprehensive restaurant menu and food delivery guide, with over 255,000 menus. View updated menus and order online for fast delivery. Explore the menus of various restaurants.
• Calorieking has nutrition facts for your favorite brands and fast-food restaurants in our trusted food database. Track what you eat with our free online calorie counter and learn how to lose weight and keep it off. See the nutrition facts for menu items.

20. Practice food safety.

• Foodsafetynews.com is a daily news source for information about food recalls, foodborne illness outbreaks, food science, technology, food policy, and more. Read Food Safety News to be in the know about food safety.
• Seafood Watch: The Seafood Watch program helps consumers and businesses make choices for a healthy ocean. Use the website and printed guides to get recommendations about which seafood to buy and avoid.
• Iwaspoisoned: We collect and share reports with consumers, public health, and restaurants. Protect friends and family and help restaurants. If you have food poisoning, report it now!
• Chompthis: high-quality data on over 875,000 grocery products, branded foods, and raw ingredients in the United States and all around the world. High-quality data on over 875,000 grocery products, branded foods, and raw ingredients in the United States and all around the world

21. Restaurant delivery

• Anycart A better way to grocery shop
• Deliverydudes Your favorite restaurants, delivered
• Slicelife Order pickup and delivery from the best independent pizzerias near you.
• Chowbus Discover and order delicious and authentic Asian food! Simple and easy on Chowbus
• Waitrapp: Delivery & Carryout Individual and group orders No Minimums. Flat delivery fee.
• Foodboss is one of the world’s largest food delivery search engines! Compare fees and delivery times for all services with just one search.
• Mealme: The Search Engine for Food Delivery, Pickup, and Groceries
• Delivery: Browse thousands of restaurants and stores to get the best of your neighborhood delivered.
• Bringmethat – ORDER FOOD FOR DELIVERY ONLINE FROM RESTAURANTS NEAR YOU
• Amazon Fresh Whole Foods Delivery Slot Finder: Find an available slot at Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods for delivery.

22. Lower-end restaurants

Search for lower-end restaurants in different categories than traditional sit-down restaurants. Lower-end restaurants include the following:

• Food trucks: Roaming hunger to search for local food trucks
• Street food
• Diner
• Mom-and-pop shop

23. Find the best restaurant in your budget range.

• Michelin Restaurants: Michelin Guide
• Restaurantguru helps you find the best restaurants, cafes, and bars around you.
• No problem. Get real-time availability alerts for any OpenTable restaurant. Search for a restaurant to get started.
• Resdiary: Restaurant search
• The Fork: Discover and book the best restaurant
• Resy Restaurant Search
• Exploretock is your destination for all things delicious.
• Zomato: Discover the best food and drinks.
• Tvfoodmaps features 49 TV shows and over 5,000 unique restaurants seen on TV. Our site was created by two brothers who love to travel and eat good food. Our goal is to make sure everyone can enjoy the restaurants they see on TV when they travel.
• Happycow: Local Search for Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants Near You
• Findmeglutenfree: Find gluten-free-friendly restaurants near you!
• Godairyfree: Dairy-free food listings

24. Eating with the locals

• What.toeat: Discover what locals eat all around the world.
• Foodieadvice helps travelers get suggestions from foodies around the world on what to eat and where to eat during their travels.
• What the World Eats Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Hungry
• Eatwith—from home or abroad, and join intimate culinary experiences led by passionate hosts and chefs that will take your breath away.
• Travelingspoon: Authentic Cooking Classes Online and in-person cooking classes with locals around the world Learn to cook new cuisines and travel from your kitchen with our latest online cooking classes.
• Bonappetour: Taste the world through authentic food experiences.
• Fast Food Served Abroad: Find fast food from around the world.

25. Other ways to save on food

• Fast Food Facts: A list of over 58 fast food facts
• Fast Food Deals: Score some fast food deals.
• Too Good to Go, with 50k ratings on the app store (the top app for ending food waste), gives you a great price on surprise bag meals from restaurants in your area.
• National Food Days: You can often find deals on food and meals at local restaurants during national food days.
• Use free coupons, which can be found in several different places. You can find coupons in newspapers and magazines, junk mail, newspaper inserts, and on restaurant websites.
• Get credit card reward bonuses. You can find credit card rewards programs that offer a higher cashback percentage on purchases at restaurants.
• Eatthis & Healthyfastfood – find the best and worst fast food or Restaurant menu items you can get.

26. Sign up for restaurant apps or newsletters.

• Many restaurants provide apps or newsletters you may sign up for to receive discounts on your orders or free meal delivery in an attempt to increase their sales. And the majority of apps and newsletters even routinely give away free food in order to introduce you to new dishes or boost their sales.
• Eating on the go doesn’t have to be expensive. As you can see, there are many ways to save at restaurants and fast food. So now you can chow down on some food and have a little more money left over in your wallet.

27. Attend supermarket openings and restaurant launches.

When a new grocery store or restaurant opens nearby, they frequently host small welcome parties. If you go to the opening, you can take advantage of the free meals that a grocery store or restaurant gives to everyone who comes in.

28. Use Groupon at Restaurants

There are hundreds of restaurants that advertise on Groupon, and the savings can be significant.

29. Eliminate the Latte Factor (19 places to get coffee for free)

• Instead of buying a $3 coffee while you are out and about, take advantage of the free coffee offered at banks and credit unions. Most financial institutions have an automatic one-serving coffee maker with to-go cups for customers. Some even offer flavored coffee! This easily eliminates the popularized latte factor.
• Your workplace: Some offices provide free coffee for their employees.
• Your school or university: Some schools and universities have free coffee stations or provide coffee during breaks.
• Your local library: Some libraries offer free coffee or tea to visitors.
• Coffee shops: Some coffee shops offer free coffee to their customers during special promotions or events.
• Gas stations: Some gas stations may offer free coffee to their customers.
• Hotels: Some hotels offer free coffee in their lobby or a common area.
• Airport lounges: If you have access to an airport lounge, they may offer free coffee.
• Hospitals or medical centers: Some healthcare facilities offer free coffee to their patients and visitors.
• Volunteer events: Some volunteer events provide free coffee for their participants.
• Community events: Some community events may offer free coffee to attendees.
• Your local food bank or shelter: Some organizations that assist the homeless or low-income populations offer free coffee.
• Your place of worship: Some churches or religious organizations offer free coffee to their members.
• Food or drink festivals: Some festivals offer free coffee samples from different roasters or brands.
• Online promotions: Some online coffee shops or brands offer free coffee samples or promotional offers.
• Rewards programs: Some loyalty programs may offer free coffee as a reward or perk.

30.  Stop by the hospital to get some grub.

Some hospitals out there have some decent variety and food options to pick from.

This can be a great way to get a tasty meal for just a few bucks. Visit your local hospital cafeteria. 

Lunch is almost a better deal: a hamburger, fries, and a 20-ounce drink for $2.70. Dinner prices range anywhere from $4 to $7.

30. Get pizza for less without coupons.

A good way to get a discounted pizza without a coupon is to call a pizza place near you and ask them about any unclaimed pizza orders that were made but not picked up. Simply ask them, “Do you have any unclaimed pizza orders?” 

You may be able to get these pizzas at a discounted price, as long as you are not picky about the type of pizza. It is always worth asking, as you never know what discounts or deals might be available.

31. Discounts at Closing Time

If you shop at smaller shops such as bakeries or butcher stores, you may have the opportunity to get significant discounts shortly before their closing times. Additionally, you may be able to purchase end-of-season pieces of meat or cheese at reduced prices. However, these discounts are not guaranteed and can vary depending on the store and location. It’s always a good idea to check with the business directly to see if they offer any specials or promotions during their closing times.

32. Other Ways To Save

1. Order water instead of expensive drinks.
2. Choose restaurants that offer affordable specials or happy hour deals.
3. Follow restaurants on social media to get notified of special promotions.
4. Share a large entree with a friend or family member to save on costs.
5. Choose lunch specials instead of dinner items.