3 Ways to Get Free Meals Online
As much as we find ways to make money online, I thought I would take a page from Benjamin Franklin’s book and share how we can save a few bucks on our meals on a recurring basis (just like your online passive income).
A penny saved is a penny earned.
1. Subscribe to your favorite restaurants e-newsletter.
Your favorite restaurant will most probably have a website, especially if its a franchise. These websites are used not just to show you their menu or their address, but its also an outlet for that establishment to send you promotional materials. If they have a website, chances are their marketing is handled by a restaurant solutions company like Fishbowl.com, whose sole purpose is to distribute and market the restaurant’s brand.
Let’s take my favorite restaurant for example: Texas de Brazil (TdB), a Brazillian Steakhouse where you can have unlimited portions of your favorite cut of meat. From the very first time we went there, I signed up for their e-newsletter online. Every year for my birthday I get a complimentary dinner valued at $48 (with a purchase of another dinner). Throughout the rest of the year I also get discounted dinners and lunches.
I decided to use the same strategy at Flattop Grill and had the same yummy result! Flattop Grill is the ultimate “create your own stir fry” place, and they send me a complimentary dinner for my birthday as well, a $15 dollar value with no purchase necessary. I also got a free $8 (value) Ice Cream Creation at Cold Stone Creamery this way.
2. Use Rewards Programs
You can use Opentable.com to make reservations at your favorite restaurant. For every reservation I honor, I receive 100 points. They also have restaurants that are categorized as 1,000 point reservations. When you accumulate 2,000 points you get a $20 gift certificate towards any Opentable.com restaurant. With 5,000 points you get $50 and for 10,000 points you get $100. The list of restaurants is pretty extensive, covering the USA, Canada and 11 other countries.
I also like the GiveMeMoreStripes reward card from TGI Friday’s. It’s free to sign up and you get $8 gift certificate for every $100 spent (before taxes). I use it when I have visitor’s from work. This way the bill is on the company and I get the points – it only seems fair don’t you think.
3. Follow your favorite restaurant’s Social Media efforts
As more and more businesses (inlcuding restaurants) use Social Media for promotions, you can win free meals that are only offered either through Twitter, Facebook or other social media platform. Just check out TGI Friday’s free burger promo: facebook.com/fanwoody, I know I got my free burger ($5 value).
I’m still waiting on @flattopgrill to give something away. =)
Add it up!
Here is a sample calculation of what you could get for free:
- $48 (value) Complimentary dinner from Texas de Brazil, with purchse of another dinner.
- $50 Gift Certificate to any OpenTable.com Restaurant.
- $15 (value) Complimentary dinner from Flattop Grill no purchase necessary.
- $10 Gift Certificate from Stonewood Alehouse with a $20 tab.
- $8 (value) Free Ice Cream Creation at Cold Stone Creamery.
- $8 Gift Certificate from TGI Friday’s, for every $100 spent.
- $5 (value) Burger from TGI Friday’s Facebook promo.
That’s $144 bucks that I won’t be pulling out of my pocket.
Kick it up a Notch!
If you want be evil/creative/resourceful, you can even get these free meals every month (or every week). All you would have to do is open 12 email accounts and subscribe to your favorite places with a different birthday (or anniversary) for every month (or week) of the year. This way, every month (or week) you will get all sorts of free meals and discounted promotions.
Your Turn.
These are my tips on how to get free meals online. I hope that some, if not all, will work for you. I am sure there are other ways to get free meals, if you know of any I would like to know how you do it and your experience. Please enlighten us in the comment section below.
Tom Babinszki
5 Oct, 2009
I also had great luck with Silver Diner, lot’s of free food and promotions.
Nice post.
Tom
@EricJohnTan
5 Oct, 2009
Silver Diner eh, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the input!
Doug C.
5 Oct, 2009
Eric, this is an awesome post. I told one of my clients about it who runs a freebie site.
@EricJohnTan
5 Oct, 2009
Thanks Doug!
Lori
6 Oct, 2009
Great list and I LOVE Texas de Brazil, unfortunately I am miserable when I leave because I do not know when to stop eating, ha. Great suggestions.
@EricJohnTan
6 Oct, 2009
i know exactly how you feel Lori =)
Ikaro
6 Oct, 2009
Funny post! I would recycled for italian restaurants but i’m sure that here they’ll never give food away for free
Dan
Tracy
6 Oct, 2009
Great tips but I hope you were joking about lying to get free food. That’s very bad karma!
One thing interesting that happened when a ChikFilA opened in my neighborhood, the other fast food places started really upping their promos. I have a wallet full of complimentary coupons. I don’t know if other types of restaurants do this when competition comes around, but it can’t help to ask around.
@EricJohnTan
6 Oct, 2009
Hi Tracy, too bad we don’t have a ChikFilA in my area! lol, I was not implying that I was doing the “evil” way to get the monthly promos, I was just saying that someone “could” do it that way.
Rob Hueniken
6 Oct, 2009
This is a good and straightforward list of ways
to save money. Way to go, fellow ProBlogger!
Cynthia
6 Oct, 2009
I’ve always found great deals by subscribing to news letters, Daphne’s Greek is a good one as is On the Border. But Twitter coupons are really taking off, aren’t they? Never thought to look there.
Jane (from ProBlogger)
6 Oct, 2009
This is definitely a great idea. Although, I’m not sure I could sleep at night signing up for twelve accounts! Keep ideas like this coming! Saving money is always a top priority and I had no idea just how much you could get for your birthday!
FitJerk - Flawless Fitness
6 Oct, 2009
Good list post… made me really hungry. Damn you. And the 12 email technique is sneaky as hell. I like it.
dfweyer
6 Oct, 2009
Signed up for Restaurants.com and have purchased a couple awesome deals at local restaurant bars in the area. I’ve even used my CokeReward points to get the “Spend $35 and save $25″ coupons for nothing. Looking forward to using them now that my pool team shoots at one of the bars and they’ll let you use them on alcohol!!!!
Just Added the Top 5 Fail Gifs to my blog.
Rick Castellini
6 Oct, 2009
Great post and information. Linked over here from ProBlogger’s forums. Bookmarked!
Fiona
7 Oct, 2009
I am going to have to find out whether we have similar in good ole RS of A. If not, I’ll start a trend.
(from Problogger)
Dipankar Kuzzuk Subba
8 Oct, 2009
I love to eat and more than that I love to eat for free. Very good tips.
See you at pb.com
@EricJohnTan
8 Oct, 2009
Thank you fellow probloggers!
@Rick @Fiona @Dipankar @Cynthia @ Rob @Jane @FitJerk @dfweyer
I love free food, I hope everyone got something out of this.
Andy Bailey
12 Oct, 2009
amazing, I just signed up to a newsletter from a restaurant I visit regularly and their first email was a 50% off coupon.
sweet!
James @ PartTimePhoto.com
25 Oct, 2009
Great post fellow ProBlogger, and thanks for the comment! TGI Friday’s really has great coupons for signing up for their newsletter. My wife and I always get free appetizers and two-for-one entrees.