Eating Out

Look...everyone likes going out to eat, so here are a few tips that Frugal Franco likes to use to make the experience a little easier on the wallet.

1. Drink water (the free kind). This is the number one thing I would recommend for people when they eat out. When you order a drink at a restaurant, you end up paying at least 4 times as much as it would cost you to make the drink at home. Whether you are talking about soda, juice, ice tea, or "adult beverages," drinks at a restaurant have the highest mark up of any product on the menu. That is why all good waiters/waitresses will ask you "anything to drink?". Discipline the pallet to enjoy that tasty beverage after the meal in the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the cost. My rule of thumb is that I don't order products at a restaurant that I can replicate at home by purchasing them from the grocery store (a coke is a coke, but a pizza is different everywhere you go).
2. Take advantage of the lunch special. Lunch specials are great because you typically get the same great food for a much more reasonable price than dinner. There is a restaurant close to where I work that is very nice (white table cloths, coat check, multiple wait staff per table) that serves an excellent Angus beef burger with gorgonzola cheese for $10 at lunch, whereas it would be almost impossible to get out the restaurant at dinner for less than $25 a person.
3. Split a meal. Portions seem to be getting bigger and bigger while everyone is trying to keep their waste lines from following suit. Splitting a meal with someone is an easy way to keep the wallet and the waist line happy. If your not worried about the waste line, split a meal and a dessert or appetizer if the price is right ;).
4. Use the Entertainment book. The Entertainment book is packed full of BOGO ("buy one get one" for those that are new to the game) coupons from a variety of local restaurants. I especially like using the Entertainment book to try new restaurants in my area that I wouldn't typically frequent. Some of my favorite restaurants today were found through the Entertainment book. Depending on where you live, there may be a good number or a small spattering of restaurants close by. Entertainment books are usually grouped by large population areas, so you may not want to pick one up if there are only one or two restaurants within an hour's drive of your house.
5. Budget how much you want to spend on eating out per month and stick to it. Budgeting will most likely be my next topic as it is the essence of frugalness. Keeping a lid on discretionary spending (like eating out) can really help the old bank account and put you on the Frugal Franco track -- save, invest, & give back.

One last thing about eating out before I sign off…don't try to save money on the bill by stiffing the wait staff. I'm not an over generous tipper by any stretch of the imagination, but a fair tip (15%-20%) is expected for fair service. Personally, i prefer the European model where the wait staff is paid a decent wage, the price of the food (including taxes) and service is included in the menu price, and a gratuity is something that is left for exceptional service. But until the "Colonies" decide to adopt this model, patrons will continue to be REQUIRED to pay the salaries of the wait staff. Tipping here in the US really isn't optional, so don't ruin some guy/gal's day by short changing them on a bill.

Ciao!
Franco