Why Kids Eat Free Exists
Everyone likes to go out to eat occasionally, even the frugal-minded, budget-wielding fanatics like us.
We don’t have any kids to get pulled in by marketing gimmicks, so we tap into any other discounts.
Even a good coupon goes a long way for a once-a-year meal out on the town, so don’t be afraid to save yourself a few dollars if you can.
The kids are the cash cow for some of these establishments and the booze on their slow nights of the week.
Some parents have difficulty saying no to their kids when they want something.
Anyone who can make money from a crying child or the child that ‘wants’ they will be in there faster than you can shake a stick.
Some may say that eating out and childhood obesity go hand in hand, but that’s not always the case.
I believe that we must learn the word “moderation” and be mindful of it when we put food in our mouths.
I do know that eating healthy meals coupled with exercise is a great way to keep fit and healthy at the same time.
Eating out should be a treat once in a while not every single night of the week.
Teach your children to cook at home and invite them to add ingredients to recipes.
Have them stir the bowl, and create meals together so the eating out suggestion might become less of a reward.
Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free
I don’t have the full list of what restaurants your kids can eat at for free in Canada.
If you head to My Kids Eat Free Canada website and type in where you live, a list of restaurants in your area will pop up. (website no longer exists)
The populated list will then tell you where you can haul your kids in your city to scoop up a free meal, but the buck doesn’t stop there.
One meal freebie that caught my eye was where kids eat free on Sundays at Crabby Joe’s for kids 12 years and under as long as there is one adult per child who orders an entrée.
That means if you have more than one child and are a single parent or a dual-parent family, you might have to invite grandma and grandpa to dinner.
What that means is the dinner gets even more expensive because, to save, you are now paying out-of-pocket for your guests.
Plus, don’t forget about the tip!
Before you go, ask yourselves these questions.
- Is it worth it?
- Can we afford it?
- How much can a kid eat?
- Is it to get out of the house after days of cooking?
- How much do you spend on eating out in your budget?
Kids Eat Free, But Is It Free?
Everything always has a catch; remember that.
You may not see the catch, it could be hidden, but it’s true- Nothing in life is free.
Unless it’s at the grocery store and they have the scanning code of practice.
Now that’s about as free as we have gotten by using a free product coupon, but even still, there is still marketing behind the coupon.
You could always complain about your meal if you don’t like it, but I’m always scared to know what happens when I return my meal to the kitchen.
In fact, watching some of those behind-the-scenes restaurant videos on television put me off eating out for the longest time.
Who wouldn’t when you see a cook or server spit in your meal because you return it? Ewe.
It happens, we don’t always see it but not every restaurant has a bad apple there are some amazing restaurants out there.
That’s just another good reason to cook at home because you are the one in charge of the cooking and handling process.
Fast Food Marketing Strategies
Most kid’s menus boast grilled cheese, french fries, soup, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks.
These convenience-type foods are easily recreated at home for a fraction of the cost.
What ends up happening is the money for that free kid’s mini meal is being funded by the adult meals being purchased and that is the power of marketing.
Did you want a beverage with your dinner?
That coke will cost you $3.00 but cost them pennies.
You just bought your kid’s meal.
It reminds us of when we go grocery shopping and look at our weekly flyers to see who has the best prices on products we want which will save us money in our grocery budget.
It’s not the specials on the front and back cover that makes the store the money.
Those are called loss leaders and aim to draw customers in.
The other items you purchase either on impulse or by finishing your shopping trip at the store give grocery chains money power.
Marketing at its best, playing to the sale when the sale is only the pitch to keep you away from the competitors.
Fast Food Marketing
Fast food marketing strategies like free meals or even discount coupons for birthdays or through direct mail are all ways to get the customer in the door.
Marketers will target the children because that’s their job, and they know that some parents have a hard time saying no, and they are the money-makers for these establishments.
East Side Mario’s has a Mini Mario Club for kids, another way to lure parents into the restaurant.
They hook the child to the establishment through their website with cartoons, promotions, and news (like the kids care, or maybe they do).
Our Canadian Budget Binder writer Katrina uses the East Side Mario’s club card to snag a deal and says birthdays are a great time to use it.
East side Mario’s has their Mini Mario Club where each kid eats free any day of the week with each adult meal purchased over $14.99 (1.free kid for one paid adult meal)…its great to use for birthdays! -Katrina
If you opt out of the traditional at-home birthday party, this savings option might work best for you, especially if going out to eat is the only other birthday meal option.
Enrolling In Kid’s Clubs For Restaurants
Is it worth enrolling in these kids’ clubs?
Maybe once in a while, the promotions may save you money if they offer coupons or discounts on meals.
However, if you use these promotions monthly, that can eat into your eating-out budget.
Now you not only have to pay for your kids to eat a discounted meal but also fund the adult meals.
I think it boils down to what you have in the budget to spend and how often you want to go out to eat.
Who Falls For Kids Eat Free Adverstisments?
We already know from previous blog posts that eating out costs more money than cooking a meal at home, so why the big lure for parents?
Most parents who take advantage of these ploys fall into one of these categories.
- Want to cook and would rather eat out?
- Don’t know how to cook or want to surprise their kids with something special.
- They are on the road and stopping for something to eat with the family.
The other reason may be that they want to make their kids happy, so they give in every time the child “wants” something, such as eating out.
This behaviour can easily become another manipulation from the child or the picky eater who won’t eat anything but take-out food.
Then this becomes less of a hassle for the parent, and they get used to it.
Free Birthday Meals
Who doesn’t like a birthday freebie? I would as long as it was mile-high chocolate fudgy brownies dripping in fudge and whipped cream lol.
Ah, who am I kidding? I could be lured in with anything sweet.
This is another way for restaurants to get you into their establishment by offering your children a free meal on their birthday.
It’s different if you are an adult and a restaurant sends you a coupon for a free product,
For example, Dairy Queen sends a Buy One Get One Free Blizzard on your birthday.
They still get you through the door, and you spend money to get the second one free.
Other places offer free products and if you are an adult, you can go in and enjoy your free appetizer or dessert and then be on your way.
If you are a kid, you must be accompanied by an adult to get your free meal.
This means that the adult has to spend money or watch you eat.
I’m betting that nine times out of ten, the adult will pay for a meal or get an appetizer to entertain the child on their birthday.
It will ultimately cost you money in the budget because it will be more than you anticipated spending in the first place.
Return To Birthday Parties At Home
There is no reason why you can’t have a budget birthday at home by cooking a nice meal.
By inviting a few friends over, save some cash, especially if you plan to treat the family to a birthday meal.
Sure, the birthday boy or girl will get a free meal but look at how much you will pay for all your guests to eat out.
When I asked CBB fan Jen Peacock if she would bring her son to a restaurant that offered free meals for kids, she said…
Not for me at the age Adam is at.
There’s no way we’d take him to a restaurant. He can’t sit still. Perhaps when he’s older we might.
I’d be more likely to choose a place if I felt like I was getting some sort of deal like him eating free or some sort of coupon.
We don’t eat out much though because it feels like a waste of money.
I think it is probably a lure for those people who eat out often.
It makes them feel like they’re saving money even though they’re not.
Can You Afford To Eat Out?
Ultimately, it’s up to you how often you go out for dinner.
Decide whether you have the money in your eating-out budget to fund these so-called Kids free meals.
Take caution. The result could cost you more money than you may have expected.
Eating out once in a while as a treat is a great way to get the family out of the house and to enjoy a bit of R&R from the kitchen.
However, doing it every week could prove costly, even if you think the kids eating free saves you a few bucks.
Discussion: Do you take advantage of the kids eating free restaurant meals?
hell ya!!!
Interesting article, certainly food for thought!!! Lol!Monday morning and the first cuppa…. It’s been quite a while since we went to a resteraunt. When the kids were much younger we did the odd time but for the most part we didn’t even do Mickey D’s. It was in Stratford where we lived when the first two kids were small but we didn’t go. Kids were fine with it, not that we gave them the choice, but you don’t miss what you have never had. I remember back then we went into a Chinese place in Stratford with them for the buffet. We told the woman serving us we wanted the buffet so she got the plates and just handed us small plates for the 2 kids and said, “OK, 2 adults, the children won’t eat much”. We were not charged for them and just gave them bits from our plates. This was fine with the resteraunt. This is a place that has been in business for decades in Stratford. It was around when I was a kid. It’s still there last I looked. That says something about the way they do business doesn’t it?
These days, going out means a cup of steeped tea and a muffin or donut at Timmy’s while at the hospital waiting for our appointment. Our treat for the day. I get the coupons that places like MacDonalds mail out, but that’s a quick toss in the blue box. We won’t use them so we don’t even bring them home from the post office.
The whole get something free on your birthday tends to pass me by as my birthday is a holiday so nobody is open. I got a coupon from a garden centre once in the fall before they closed down for the winter but it would have been a special trip to go there so I didn’t go. Such is life. Enjoy your time off, you need and deserve it………….
I think we have once maybe twice. There are just so many reasons not to, from the crappy food to generally not wanting to live a lifestyle that involves us eating out that often. Plus, who wants to go out to eat with three kids all under the age of six? Yea, not fun if you really think about it. 😉
Filling a restaurant is an ongoing battle and I applaud any that can put more butts in their seats using coupons or promotions. We need to be savvy consumers and find deals that offer good value for our discretionary spending dollars while still making healthy food choices for our families.
My sons are taller than I am and so there is not as many bargains for us so we choose to eat out at lunch instead of supper to save money and we always order water.
We definitely enjoy the occasional meal out as a family. But I really don’t pay much attention to the kids eat free, birthday clubs, etc or base eating at those restaurants because of those perks. As you said, often times “free” really isn’t free so I’d rather chose a restaurant we look because of good food, prices and service! We do eat most meals at home and the girls are starting to help me more in the kitchen, which, I agree, is so important. I want them to know how to cook nutritious meals at home, which is good for the health of their pocketbook and bodies!
I can’t recall ever taking advantage of a kid’s eat free deal. I think the only place that does that where we live is Denny’s and we never go there. If you were going anyway, and it was offered, I would certainly not turn down a free kids’ meal, but usually coupons are a much better deal.
Like Jen and Frugal Rules mentioned taking the young ones out to eat can be misery! If they have been particularly angelic and we want to go out to eat we definitely choose a place that offers kids eat free (these establishments are usually “family-friendly” so if they get out of hand we are not getting too many dirty looks). For example I will say chilli’s does this. One free kids meal per adult meal. Perfect for us two parents, two kids. If we were paying for their meals it would cost around $5.99 for entree side and drink. So that is $12 that we are not paying…I am unable to drink soda and it makes hubby sick so we don’t buy it…the water is free. If we are thinking of continuing date night after the kids go to sleep we MAY get a dessert to share to watch a free movie (since they are usually monstrously sized!). So sometimes we are out $4.99, but that is not what we normally do. Still if we are going to have the once in a while meal out it helps to take advantage of these offers when they are there and budgeted for!
Last February we went to a resort and we availed a group package we stayed there for 2 nights and 3 days, the breakfast was included in the package but other meals are not. I remember when we had a dinner it was a buffet dinner and it cost $10 for one person. I asked the waitress if I need to pay for my 6 year old daughter? And then she told me that 8 year old and below was free.