FOODIES

Gina Ann, Brian and I went to On the Border after Zumba on Monday night so we could give Justin his Christmas present. The best part was that the three of us were able to eat for under $40 (before gratuity, but that’s still pretty good). That’s with a couple of appetizers, Gina’s chicken fajitas, my queso chicken, Brian’s beer and empanadas, and mine and Gina’s sangria swirls. How did we do it?

First, we had a coupon for free queso. Brian and I usually ask for beef to be added to it so we just paid the difference on that. Second, On the Border is running a special on FourSquare where you get free appetizer if you check in with a friend. They allowed us to use both our coupon and the FourSquare special so we used that on the guacamole. The opportunity to visit with Justin, who we haven’t seen in ages, was an added bonus.

Here are the obligatory food pictures…

Here are my favorite coupons from 360wichita.com:

A.J. Sports Grill
• Buy One, Get One FREE
• 10% OFF Total Bill
• $5 OFF $25 or more

Granite City Food & Brewery
• Buy One, Get One FREE (Dinner)
• Buy One, Get One FREE (Lunch)

Heroes Sports Bar & Grill
• Buy One, Get One FREE

Knolla’s Pizza (East)
• $4 OFF any medium, large or giant pizza

Legends Restaurant and Lounge
• Buy One, Get One FREE Friday Prime Rib Buffet

On the Border
• FREE Chile Con Queso

Pacific Coast Pizza
• Sandwich Special
• Pizza & Wings Combo

Riverside Cafe
• Buy One, Get One

So what are you having for dinner tonight?

Buy a drink at Starbucks tomorrow morning and get a free pastry!

Click on the image below to print a copy of the coupon… Or, better yet, save paper by downloading the page to your phone or other hand-held device and simply showing it to the barista. Enjoy!

Was anyone able to redeem their KFC coupon? A friend of mine emailed me about it, and I was able to download a coupon in time, but I never got around to going to KFC to redeem it.

Now after all this bruhaha over the coupons being rejected by KFC locations and riotus chicken-starved mobs, I’ve decided to stay away from KFC at least until the ruckus has subsided. I don’t take to rejection well so I figured I would just forgo redeeming the the free chicken coupon altogether.

Then I came across the video below and thought maybe I will get the free chicken Oprah promised after all.

The video is nice and all, but have you read what a rain check entails?

Please visit a participating KFC restaurant for a rain check form. Complete the form, attach your original coupon , and give it to the KFC restaurant manager or postmark per the form’s instructions, by May 19, 2009, and we’ll send you a rain check for your free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal at a later date, plus a free Pepsi with our compliments. Your participating KFC restaurant will provide you with the form you need.

Is anyone going to do this? Really? That’s just way too much hassle for a little free chicken. =P LOL. No free chicken for me.

As you all know, Brian and I eat out A LOT. It’s safe to say that we’ve mastered the art of eating out without going broke. Listed here are some of the things that we do so minimize the cost of eating out.

Skip the soda
More and more we’re finding that most places charge around $2.00 to $2.50 for soda. That’s $5.00 that you can spend on an appetizer or dessert. Plus, as my coworker Darcy always says, soda is a waste of calories anyway. You don’t get anything out of it. So, next time, opt for water instead. If you really, really, have to have soda then just order one and share it.

Similarly, skip the cocktails
Most restaurant cocktails are overpriced. If you want to get drunk, go to a liquor store. Don’t plan on getting drunk by drinking 10 pomegranate martinis at Bone Fish. That will add at least $75 to your bill.

Split your entree
Brian and I try to agree on an entree and split it whenever possible. For example, we’ll get the chicken gratella at Carrabba’s and just split that. You get two sides with it and we normally just get two orders of capellini pomodoro. Neither of us like to eat veggies, anyway, so it would be wasteful to order it. This way, we both get to enjoy chicken and pasta. Another thing that Carrabba’s does is split the salad. A full order of Ceasar’s salad is usually too big for one of us so splitting it is perfect. The best part is that there is no sharing charge at Carrabba’s, while other restaurants usually assess a small sharing fee (like Sumo for example).

Get a half order
When splitting an entree isn’t possible, find out if you can ask for a half order. Many places allow you to do this. Not only is this better for your pocket, but also better for your health. Most restaurants give you way too much food, anyway. Ordering a half portion will help you prevent over-eating. Some places won’t explicitly advertise half portions or list it on the menu so be sure to ask. At Il Vicino, for instance, you can order a half portion of just about anything on the menu.

Take leftovers home
Granted, some dishes are not that great after being reheated in the microwave. Keeping this in mind, if you are unable to order a half portion of something and are unable to finish your full meal, take the rest home specially if the dish is something that you wouldn’t mind eating again. I’ve done this myself and made a $7.00 meal last for two days. Not too shabby if you’re on a tight budget.

Take advantage of specials
Most restaurants have specific schedules. Be aware of days when specific dishes are on special. Take advantage of this information and enjoy the meal at a discounted price than you’d normally pay otherwise. This works for cocktails also. Saturday is my favorite day to dine at Granite City because they have outdoor concerts on special for $3.00 so I can have five additional refills for under $20.00 — not that I’d actually do that. I’ll usually have two glasses at most.

Join restaurant birthday clubs
Joining restaurant birthday clubs might contribute to your already overflowing email inbox, but it’s worth it. Most restaurants will invite you for a free meal on your birthday. Sign everyone up in your family! Seriously, though, joining restaurant email lists sometimes provide the immediate benefit of a coupon right when you join. I did this with McAlister’s Deli and they emailed me a coupon good for $5.00 off my next visit. I’m on the Abuelo’s (on your birthday, they will give you a free meal and free dessert to boot), Red Lobster, and Cold Stone Creamery (free ice cream, oh yeah) lists and a few others. Take advantage of free birthday perks whenever you can.

Use coupons
Don’t throw away coupons you get in the mail. Use them. There are also several places to get coupons like the back of your local phone book. That’s pretty much all Brian and I use the phone books for anymore is just for coupons since you can get information online. Speaking of online, you can get lots of restaurant coupons online now too. Here are some of our favorites:

• Popeye’s Chicken
• Riverside Cafe and many other restaurant coupons at 360wichita.com
• Arby’s
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Pizza Hut

There are a few others, but they require membership or subscriptions. Anyway, as I come across others I will share them here. If you are aware of ideas or coupons that aren’t already listed, please feel free to add them in the comments.