It’s Saturday afternoon.  I’m with my wife and 2 little girls and we are a hungry.  However, I get nauseous at the thought of ordering one more flippin’ Happy Meal or Kid’s Meal from my car!  (I usually get my grease fix when I’m alone). 

Right now my wife and I want to go to a “family friendly” restaurant where we can sit down with our kids, order an appetizer, maybe a couple of beers or margaritas, and have a good meal without spending more than $50 for the 4 of us (and yes, that includes tip). 

The Diner Dave Definition of a Family Friendly Restaurant

Now keep in mind that my definition of “family friendly” might differ from yours.  In my opinion a restaurant doesn’t necessarily need a sandbox, a ball pit or a bunch of colorful giant plastic gerbil tubes to be considered family friendly. 

To me a family friendly restaurant has to have the following:

• Kid’s menu - with food that kids will actually eat!
• Friendly waitstaff - just be nice to my kids…that’s all that I ask.
• Inexpensive meals where you can get a lot, but pay a little.
• Drink specials - that’s right….I wanna drink after I’ve spent all day with hyper little girls (don’t I deserve it?)

By my definition, Chuck E. Cheese does NOT qualify as a family friendly - no drink specials for the adults!

Casual Dining Chains to the Rescue!

So where do you and your brood go when tummies start growling?   You go to the Casual dining restaurant chains of course! 

Interesting fact:  Did you know that casual dining chains are struggling right now because of this tough economy?   Many of them are willing to discount their appetizers and entrees to get you and your family out of the car and through their front door.  

Since restaurant patrons are paying more attention to prices, casual dining restaurant owners are now lowering their menu prices to compete with the quick service and fast food restaurants.   Here are a few prime examples:

Diner Dave’s Top 10 Family Friendly Restaurant Deals of 2009

One of Applebee's 2 for $20 entrees

1. Applebee’s -  Where “feelin good in the neighborhood” means sharing an appetizers and 2 entrees for only $20(including the Fiesta Lime Chicken…YUM!).   No Applebee’s coupons are required to take advantage of this special offer.

2. T.G.I.Fridays - Check out their “Right Portion, Right Price” menu with entrees ranging from $6.99 to $9.99.  Their slogan says it all:  ”Stretch your taste buds’ limits, not your wallet’s”.  
3. Chili’s - 10 entrees under $7.  Need I say more?  Gotta have those baby back, baby back, baby back ribs?  You can even order a half rack to save some moola.
4. Ruby Tuesday - you gotta try their mouthwatering handcrafted burgers!   My fave is the simple Ruby’s Classic Burger for only $6.99…it’s the American classic “perfected” (at least according to their menu). 
5. Macaroni Grill - Try the “Chicken Fingerias” for your kiddos - only $5.99 and it comes with their signature Mac & Cheese.   Speaking of Mac - you can now sign up for the Mac Pack email club and get a free appetizer with 2 entrees.   Added bonus:  your kids get to draw on their paper table cloth with crayons!  
6. Outback Steakhouse - Go down under with 15 entrees that are “down under” $15!  Many of the entrees on the Outback Steakhouse menu start at $9.95.  This restaurant is a little pricier compared to the other restaurants, but they have an excellent “Joey Menu” for the kiddos with a big selection of kid friendly dishes under $6!
   

   Olive Garden Endless Soup & Salad

7. Olive Garden - You know that I have to include Olive Garden in my list of family friendly restaurants.  Afterall, their tag line is “when you’re here you’re family”.   Here you get a lot for your money with the “endless soup & salad” and a wide selection of Italian specialties for under $10.

8. Cheesecake Factory - The Cheesecake Factory’s menu can be a little overwhelming with over 200 “fresh from scratch” menu items and 30 mouthwatering cheesecakes to choose from!  However, you are almost certain to find something that everyone at the table will enjoy.   The “Small Plates and Snacks” menu features 16 entrees & apps priced at a measly $3.95 to $6.50.
9. Buffalo Wild Wings - OK..so maybe this one is a little more for me than my kids.  After all, they’re known for their wings, sports, and beer for daddy.  But, they also have video games and some tasty chicken tenders for the little ones.  Plus, they have great promotions on weekdays to reduce your tab (like 40 cent “Wing Tuesdays” and 60 cent “Boneless Thursdays”).
10. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers -  Of course I have to include a burger joint on my list.  I’m a burger-holic and this place makes burgers that are quite simply works of art!   I joined their Red Robin eClub in March and have already received 3 emails offering free burgers, appetizers, and drinks.  What a great way to recruit a customer (and his family) for life!

I don’t always eat out at the casual dining restaurant chains, but when I do, these are my favorites (I sound like the Dos Equis guy, right?).  And, most importantly, my kids love these restaurants.  The food is consistently good, the waitstaff is friendly and the kids menus are always a big hit!

Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant I didn’t include?   I would love to hear your top picks in the comments section!

Restaurant.com sells $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10 EVERY DAY!   You can select restaurant gift certificates from over 8,500 restaurants nationwide and print them right from your computer.   Honestly, I  consider these to be restaurant coupons rather than restaurant gift certificates since I usually purchase them for MYSELF!

Remember, it’s best to purchase your gift certificates before the 3rd week of the month since many of the restaurants on this site will limit the number of gift certificates they offer and they tend to run out by the end of the month.

Diner Dave Tip:  Join the “Dinner of the Month Club” for even deeper discounts.

Have you ever wondered what ingredients go in to some of the dishes that you enjoy at your favorite restaurants?  Me too!  Unfortunately, many restaurants keep their recipes hidden in a secret vault somewhere next to the formula for Coke.  Well, not any more!

Ron Douglas and Chef Tom have been cloning recipes from billion dollar restaurant chains since 2003 and have perfected them to taste exactly like the original.  In fact, they test and tweak their recipes with over 45,000 subscribers on RecipeSecrets.net to ensure that they are identical to the originals!  They amassed hundreds of top secret restaurant recipes and gathered them up in a book called “America’s Secret Recipes”, which is an e-book download available on their website  [There is a link at the end of this post to save you $20 on this book!]. 

Make restaurant meals in your own kitchen!

I purchased “America’s Secret Recipes” last week from their website and I am having a blast experimenting with their recipes for restaurant dishes like P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, Outback’s Coconut Shrimp and I even made a Burrito Supreme that tasted better than the Taco Bell version! 

Their recipe books contain hundreds of recipes from several restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining.  Here is just a sample list of restaurant dishes featured in “America’s Secret Recipes”:

• Fast Food:  Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich,  Burger King Whopper,  KFC Fried Chicken,  McDonald’s Big Mac
• Casual Dining:  T.G.I. Friday’s Jack Daniels Grill Glaze, Cheesecake Factory Bang Bang Chicken & Shrimp, Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac n’ Cheese
• Fine Dining:  Ruth’s Chris Petite Filet & Sweet Potato Casserole, P.F. Changs Dan Dan Noodles, Carraba’s House Salad

That should be enough to get your saliva glands going, right?   Well, that just scratches the surface.   There are over 700 restaurant recipes outlined in their cookbooks….including recipes for cocktails, desserts and special sauces!  (I’m buying the ingredients to make Cinnabon Cinnamon buns tonight).

Dining Out vs. Dining In - The Eternal Struggle

Normally, I am all about heading down to a nearby eatery (with my restaurant coupons or gift certificates in hand), but sometimes I just don’t want to leave to house.   If I’m trying to avoid waiting for a table, or fighting the rain, or I just plain don’t want to take a shower and put on pants, then I’ll prepare something easy to eat at my casa (but my wife will usually make me put on pants).

With “America’s Secret Recipes” you can have the best of both worlds: delicious restaurant cuisine without leaving the comfort of your own home.  Not to mention, you can impress your friends by creating some amazing entrees that taste just as good as if they were brought to your table by a waiter (you could even brag that you are a close personal friend of the chef…I won’t tell!).

My Wife Laughed at Me…

One of the statements that Ron Douglas makes on his website is “If you can fry an egg, than you can get started with America’s Secret Recipes immediately!”

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat

I’m here to tell you that I am by no stretch of the imagination a good cook (that’s why I like to dine out a lot!).  I can, however, fry an egg…although I prefer them scrambled.  My wife laughed at me when I pulled out the ingredients to make the P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef featured in the book.   Her exact words were “don’t burn down the kitchen”.  She wasn’t laughing 20 minutes later when she sampled my scrumptious Mongolian Beef “clone” (pictured on the left)!   If I can make it…so can you!

These recipes are easy to follow and you will get much bigger portions than if you dined at a restaurant.  Which means leftovers without carting home a doggie box. 

Plus, it is so much cheaper!  If you were to order the Mongolian Beef at P.F. Changs for 1 person, it would cost you $14.95.  My cost to create the same dish for 4 people:  $8.37!

What’s this Book Gonna Cost Me?

I looked on Amazon.com to see if I could get a better deal on this book than what it sold for on Ron’s website - maybe someone had a used copy.   I was stunned that the lowest price for a used book was $86.41!   (here’s the proof)

The regular retail price for this amazing compilation of tasty top secret restaurant recipes is $49.97 on Ron’s website.    However, if you click here or on the banner below you can get “America’s Secret Recipes” for only $29.97 plus, you get Volume 2 of “America’s Secret Recipes” and 7 bonuses for free! 

Once you download this restaurant secret recipe e-book from RecipeSecrets.net, I would love to hear which restaurant dish is your favorite in the comments section below.   Bon appetit!

I feel the need…the need for GREASE!  And, I want it fast and cheap.  Well, it seems that the recession has also resulted in deeper deals being offered to ”drive thru afficionados” and “fast food junkies” (see my last post on Restaurant Recession Specials Means Big Savings for Diners).   Yes, my dear diners, it is still possible to feed a family of 3 for under $10-$12 when you order your food through a speaker and drive around for your total.  Of course, you could always walk in, but that would mean you have to get out of the car…and that kinda defeats the purpose of “fast food”, right?

When it comes to fast food, I have a few tried and true favorites that always leave some extra dining dough in my wallet when I am too busy (or too lazy) to stop and get out of the car.    Here are the  Diner Dave’s top 10 best fast food deals of 2009 (prices and participation may vary in your area):

1. Arby’s -  Get a roast beef sandwich, curly fries, and a drink for less than $5.  Plus, now until the end of June 2009 you can get freebies every Wednesday!
2. Dairy Queen - Featuring “Sweet Deals” with low pricing on multiple menu items - 2 for $3, 3 for $4, and 4 for $5.  That’s only $5 for a burger, onion rings, drink and a sundae!
3. Jack in the Box - Jack calls them mini sirloin burgers, but they’re called sliders (or slyders) in the other restaurants.  Either way, they are deeeelish and you can get 3 of them for under $2!
4. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - I’m loving the new GRILLED chicken on the KFC menu!  Unfortunately, they are no longer offering a piece of this scrumptious chicken for free.  You can, however, get 2 pieces of grilled chicken and 2 sides for only $3.99!  Plus, they have the KFC Value Menu with several items under $1!
5. McDonalds -  Billions and billions served…and no wonder with prices like these!   McDonalds invented value combo meals and they are still one of the cheapest fast food joints in town!  You can get just about any sandwich, fries and a drink for under $5 (does not include super sizing).
6. Quizno’s - Get one of 5 foot long toasty torpedo sub sandwiches for only $4!
7. Subway - Select foot long subs are only $5!  Foot long sub = lunch for TWO = healthy lunch = happy campers.
8. Taco Bell - “Yo quiero Taco Bell” with their 79 cent, 89 cent and 99 cent menu.  Me gusta chicken burrito or chicken soft taco for only 89 cents and a cheesy double beef burrito for only 99 cents.
9. Wendy’s - The Wendy’s ubiquitous “3conomics” TV commercials just scratch the surface of all the value menu items available.  You can get a crispy chicken sandwich, double stack burger, jr. bacon cheeseburger, chili, small french fries, baked potato, and a chocolate frostie for 99 cents each!  “It’s waaaay better than fast food!”
10. White Castle - See also: Krystal.  Either one of these mini burger joints can get you at least 3 of those tasty little sliders with fries and a drink - all for under $5!   If you prefer 1 big burger to 3 small ones, you can get the big angus basket meal with a big angus burger, fries and a drink for only $3.99 at Krystal.

Caution:  Eating fast food everyday can result in “super sizing” of the waist (I hate to admit it, but I’m living proof). There are ways to eat fast food frequently and STILL be healthy.  You can find menu items from these and other fast food joints that are low in calories and fat grams at HealthyDiningFinder.com.

Speaking of analyzing your food, have you ever wondered what ingredients restaurants use to create your favorite dish or make that special sauce?  I will be discussing how you can find these top secret restaurant recipe secrets in my next post.  Stay tuned!

It all started with a fundraising drive at my daughter’s school where I purchased the 2009 Entertainment Coupon Book for a mere $20.  I love the fact that not only will this coupon book help me to save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars, but a portion of the proceeds go to my little girl’s school.  

In fact, Entertainment.com has helped schools and groups in the U.S. raise more than $90 million since they started 40 years ago.  (Diner Dave Tip: if you are interested in selling Entertainment Books for your school or group click here).

How to Get the Most Out of Your Entertainment Book

Now you know why I purchased it, now let me outline how I used this hotel bible sized book filled with coupons for dining, shopping, movies, travel and other local attractions.

1. After receiving the book I activated the Entertainment.com Membership Card online.  Then I purchased another card for my wife for an additional $15.   This is a great option if you want to use the special Entertainment.com discounts at restaurants, but don’t want to lug around a 300+ page book.   I can use my membership card at 170 restaurants AND it contains codes for discounts on rental cars and hotels.  Plus, once you activate your membership, you also receive emails with the latest special offers in your neighborhood.
2. Then I put the Entertainment coupon book in the glove compartment of my Diner-Mobile (kinda like the Batmobile…but not nearly as cool and lined with hundreds of food wrappers and discarded drink cups).
3. Lastly, I pull out the Entertainment book when I’m hungry and get a “buy one, get one free” coupon for lunch or dinner at a nearby restaurant.  I generally use the dining out index of the book where I can search for the restaurants by area of town.  Houston is a big city so there are 22 regions from which to choose the perfect place to dine. 

Savings from ONE WEEK of Using Entertainment Book B1G1 Coupons

I saved $195 in one week using the Entertainment Book for every lunch and dinner (I probably would have saved more than 40%, but I’m a big tipper)!  Not a bad return on a measly $20 investment, eh?  Just  think how much I could save if I ate out this much for an entire month!   That would be a savings of almost $800…which would be enough to buy several pairs of bigger pants from the weight gain of eating out like this every week! 

Now granted I do not eat out for lunch and dinner EVERY day for a week, but I could easily recoup my $20 purchase price using the Entertainment Book coupons for 1 lunch and 1 dinner!

Of course with me being Diner Dave I used my Entertainment Book and Membership Card mainly at the restaurants.  But remember, restaurant coupons are just half the fun.  There are also HUNDREDS of coupons for movies, shopping, sports events and so much more!

Diner Dave Tips for Using the Entertainment Book and Entertainment.com

1. Make sure to bring a friend with you when you use the Entertainment Book coupon or membership card at a restaurant or other attraction.  Most of their coupons are ”buy one, get one free”.  
2. Register your Entertainment Membership Card immediately.  You can use this card in lieu of carrying around the Entertainment book.  It fits neatly in your wallet or purse!  Plus, when you register your membership number online you will receive special email coupons from restaurants, shops, movies, and attractions in your area!
3. You can also print coupons for restaurants and attractions in other cities.  You just change the zip code for coupons in other areas.
4. The Entertainment books go on sale in August or September of the prior year for $20-$45, but will usually go on sale for half that price or lower during early summer in the following year since most of the coupons expire on November 1st.  
5. Go to the Web Discounts page of Diner Dave for updated discounts on the Entertainment book.  It’s June 1, 2009 now and you can purchase the 2009 Entertainment Books for FREE when you reserve the 2010 Entertainment Book!
6. You can plan an entire fun weekend with your family using the Entertainment book.  Choose from dozens of attractions in your city (zoos, museums, paintball, sporting events, etc…).  Then use a coupon for a nearby restaurant or movie! 

There are sooooo many coupons in the Entertainment book that you will NEVER be able to use them all….but it sure is fun trying!

You probably already know that you can get a coupon book with BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE coupons for thousands of restaurants nationwide at Entertainment.com.  Normally you would pay anywhere from $25-$45 for these valuable coupon books.  Now you can get the 2010 Entertainment Book for 50% OFF with FREE shipping!   

If you use this coupons in this book on dinner and a movie for one night, you have already paid for it with the savings you will receive!

I’m often asked by friends (the ones who know my secret identity is Diner Dave) ”What are the absolute ESSENTIAL websites for someone who dines out frequently?”.    There are soooo many great websites and mobile apps available to help restaurant addicts that it was difficult to select my absolute faves.   I have over 300 dining and restaurant websites bookmarked and I’m STILL finding new and exciting ones out there on the net.  

If I had to put together a virtual swiss army knife of the “must have” websites no diner should be without these would surely rank in my top 10.  Here are the first 5, in no particular order:

1. Entertainment.com - Restaurant dining “on the cheap”
   If you are looking for coupons for restaurants in your area, the absolute best site to visit would be Entertainment.com. Known for 50% off discounts at local restaurants, they also offer incredible savings on grocery shopping, movies, major attractions, sporting events and more! All you need to do is go to their website, put in your zipcode or city and pay $25 to $45 to buy their coupon book. You will recoup the cost of the book by eating out once and going to a movie using their coupons. Important note: Once the book arrives, make sure you register the membership number at their website to print MORE coupons from some of their listed businesses.
2. Restaurant.com - Restaurant Gift Certificates in 55 seconds!
   This is one of my absolute favorite sites! You can see why in my post on how can save $303 in one week using Restaurant.com! The beauty of this website is that it ALWAYS sells $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10. Moreover, if you go to DinerDave.com and use the coupon codes I provide, you can purchase these gift certificates for only $4-$5 (sometimes as low as $3)! Just go to Restaurant.com, select your favorite restaurant in your city, purchase the gift certificate using the coupon code and print it right from your computer. Elapsed time: 55 seconds from restaurant selection to printed gift certificate. Pretty cool, eh?
3. Zagat.com - Restaurant Reviews for 25,000 Restaurants
   This is the best $2.08/month I have EVER spent! When you become a member of Zagat.com you get online access to ratings & reviews for over 40 Zagat Guides covering restaurants in over 99 U.S. & International cities.  And the best part is that these reviews are provided by actual diners like yourself!  You can access online menus, maps & directions and other useful tools to help you find the perfect restaurant, nightspot, hotel, or attraction.
4. Urbanspoon.com - Find a nearby restaurant online and on your iPhone
   You’ve probably seen those iPhone commercials showing someone shake the virtual restaurant “slot machine” to find a nearby barbeque joint.  That is the #1 reason I bought an iPhone!  Just so I could find restaurants in my vicinity and check out the reviews.  I’ve used Urbanspoon on my iPhone at least 4 times this week alone!  No worries if you don’t have an iPhone.  You can find restaurants in your area on their website too.  I won’t go into too much detail here because you can read more in my other post UrbanSpoon + iPhone = Match Made in Foodie Heaven!
5. LocalWineEvents.com - You want some wine with that dine?
   As most of you know, my background is in the wonderful world of wine! I transformed into Diner Dave by selling wine to restaurants across the southwest and southeast for over 14 years. LocalWineEvents.com has helped me in spreading the word about all the “wine and dine” events that I have scheduled. Local Wine Events is the world’s LARGEST food & drink calendar. You can find a wine tasting, wine dinner, cooking class, beer festival, homebrew competition, single malt scotch tasting - and more - in your area. Plus, you can sign up to receive email alerts about upcoming food and wine events in your area.

How do I love thee Restaurant.com? Let me count the….SAVINGS!

First of all, it should be noted that I am NOT on the Restaurant.com payroll, nor am I related to anyone that is employed by Restaurant.com. I just happen to think that their website is the best thing since…well…RESTAURANTS!

Many of you know that I have been spreading the Restaurant.com gospel to everyone within earshot (or email-shot). I have used it many times to save at least 50%-75% off my meals. In fact, I use their restaurant gift certificates at least once or twice a week almost every week. Well, last week I decided to put the savings to the test and “kick it up a notch”. I dined out EVERY SINGLE day for lunch AND dinner for an entire week using Restaurant.com gift certificates at ALL 14 restaurants.

I’ve outlined my gastronomical journey below with the savings calculated in the table illustration. The savings REALLY added up in 7 days! I was able to save 43% and $303 for the entire week! Here is how I did it:

Step One - Searching for good grub!
I went to Restaurant.com and searched for restaurants in the Houston, TX area by zip code. You can also search by cuisine, by city or alphabetically if you know the name of the restaurant you are seeking. I had business meetings in different areas of town each day, so I searched by zip code. There were 175 restaurants in the Houston vicinity, but once I narrowed it down to the appropriate zip codes, there were generally about 2 dozen restaurants in each zip code. I selected 14 restaurants that sold $25 gift certificates for $10 and purchased them on Friday.

(Insider Tip: I saved even more by inputting a coupon code at checkout that further reduced the cost to ONLY $4! You can find the latest coupon codes by going to the daily deals page of DinerDave.com every week.)

Step Two - the EASY PART
I printed the Restaurant.com gift certificates directly from my printer. Easy, right?

Step Three - the FUN PART
I ate at 2 new restaurants every day for 7 days!  I never dined alone for lunch or dinner that week, so the restaurant got TWO new customers because of their listing on Restaurant.com.

Step Four - “Check Please”
Present the Restaurant.com gift certificate to the waiter when the bill arrives and it is deducted from the final tally.

Step Five - Bask in the Savings!
Add up the savings! Click on the table below for the results:

One Week of Lunch & Dinner Savings in Houston, TX

Restaurant.com Savings Spreadsheet

For those of you who want proof of the savings, I’ve even included a pic of the receipt from Monday’s lunch. You can see that the original tab was for $36, but with the $25 gift certificate the new total was $11.80! I generally tip about 20% of the ORIGINAL amount for good service so I tipped $8.20, bringing my total to $20. If you add the $4 I paid for the $25 gift certificate, then I paid a grand total of $24 for a $44 meal! Not bad, eh?

See the receipt here: Sand Trap Grill Receipts

So there you have it. The story of how one diner with a little forethought and a credit card can cut his lunch and dinner bills by 43% using Restaurant.com.  Not too shabby, eh?

Wanna know more about how to save EVEN MORE on Restaurant.com?  Check out 8 Tips to Save More and Get the MOST Out of Restaurant.com!