Ask any family who goes out to eat regularly and you’ll often hear the parents lament how expensive kids meals have become. It’s not uncommon for a kids cheeseburger meal at a sit-down restaurant to cost upwards of $6 or $7. A nice counter to that up until this year was that many restaurants had regular kids eat free promotions. Those have slowly disappeared as the economy has improved and the restaurant business has picked up, but thankfully, there are still some kids eat free promotions you can find.
We’ve compiled a list of all the national chain restaurants that are known to offer free meals for kids (restaurants that only offer kids a free drink or dessert are not included, nor are restaurants that only offer discounted kids meals, but not free ones). Check it out:
Applebee’s: There is currently no national policy in place for when kids can eat free, but some locations offer periodic kids eat free promotions, typically during Mondays or Tuesdays from 5-9 p.m. Check with your local Applebee’s to see if they have any kids eat free nights.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s: Several local bloggers report that kids can eat free on Tuesday nights with the purchase of an adult entree. We verified this for one Texas locationand suspect it’s probably true most places, but check with your local restaurant.
Bob Evans: Multiple sources say that Bob Evans lets kids eat free (with an adult purchase) on Tuesday Family Nights, but the Bob Evans Facebook post that mentioned the promotion has since been deleted, so we suggest you confirm with your local Bob Evans whether this still applies. The store has also had temporary month-long events when kids could eat free every weekday, so keep your eye out for that.
Boston Market: While not a regular thing, Boston Market does occasionally release printable coupons for free kids meals (with adult entree purchase).
Captain D’s Seafood: Several blogs indicate that Captain D’s allows kids to eat free on Thursdays from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. with the purchase of an adult entree, but we weren’t able to verify that, so check with your local restaurant.
Carraba’s Italian Grill: It’s exceedingly rare, but there have been times in the past when Carraba’s has announced coupons where kids can eat free with the purchase of an adult entree. Currently, there are no such offers.
Chevy’s:Two free kids meals come with every adult entree purchase on Tuesday. The offer only applies to kids 10 & under.
Chick-fil-A: While not a formal company-wide initiative, kids apparently eat free on Tuesday nights from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at some locations, according to numerous sites.
Chili’s: Every now and again Chili’s has coupons for a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree, but currently there are no such coupons available.
CiCi’s Pizza: Kids 3 and under eat free every day.
Denny’s: Every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. kids eat free.
Dickey’s: Children 12 and under get a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal every Sunday.
Einstein Bros. Bagels: We came across one location in Knoxville, Tennessee where kids can eat free weeknights during the summer from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., but weren’t able to find any other locations with a similar offer.
Famous Dave’s: In September of 2014, Famous Dave’s had a special in which kids could eat free every Tuesday in September with the purchase of an adult entree or sandwich. The link is still up on their website, so it’s possible they may bring back the promotion this year, but there has been no announcement.
Genghis Grill: Kids 11 and under eat free every Tuesday with the purchase of an adult meal.
Golden Corral: There are plenty of resources that indicate kids can eat free on Monday nights. When asked by a customer on Facebook, the restaurant said it’s up to each location to decide, but based on the information available it does appear quite a few locations do allow kids to eat free on Monday night.
Hooters: There are locations in Southern California that we confirmed allow kids to eat free on Sunday and others in Arizona and Colorado we confirmed that allow kids to eat free on Saturday (with the purchase of an adult meal). A lot of regional blogs said similar kids eat free offers exist on either Saturday or Sunday in a wide array of areas throughout the country, but make sure to check your local Hooters to get complete details.
IHOP: There are a slew of sources across social media and blogs that report various IHOP locations have kids eat free promotions from 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Some claim the offer is good every weekday, while others say it’s only valid certain days. Officially, IHOP has no such current kids eat free promotions company-wide, but there is a strong chance your local restaurant does, so give them a quick call for details.
Jason’s Deli: News reports suggest that various locations have kids eat free events from time to time, but there is no formal policy in place and the kids eat free events seem to be seasonal in nature, like celebrating back to school for example. The store is also known to have had kids eat free coupons on Facebook in the past, but there aren’t any coupons available right now.
Lone Star Steakhouse: The restaurant releases kids eat free coupons periodically on their Facebook page. The restaurant also offers kids eat free specials on Tuesday, according to its Facebook page. Many blogs and social media users indicate it’s for kids 12 and under, but it’s still wise to check with your local restaurant to confirm.
Marie Callender’s: Kids eat free Tuesdays and Saturdays with the purchase of an adult entree.
Moe’s Southwest Grill: There is no clear-cut policy in place, but past press releases from the company show that many locations have kids eat free nights, typically on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: In 2012, the restaurant did post a Facebook coupon for kids eat free, so it’s always possible they’ll do it again. We also found one location that has a current kids eat free Mondays coupon and there have been other sporadic Yelp comments and tweets speaking to various locations running similar coupons from time to time. Give your local restaurant a call to see if they have any coupons or promotions running at this time.
Piccadilly: Kids 3 and under eat for free at the weekend breakfast buffet.
Ponderosa: Tuesday is Kid’s night at Ponderosa and from 4-9 p.m. kids eat free.
Qdoba: Some locations still enable kids to eat free on Sunday, but other locations have discontinued the practice. Call your favorite location to find out.
Perkins: It appears as though not as many locations have kids eat free specials on Tuesday nights as before, but some still do. The restaurant recommends you check in with the location near you.
Ruby’s Diner: Every Tuesday night is Family Night, which means kids 12 & under eat for free.
Ruby Tuesday: There are no current coupons available, but in the past Ruby Tuesday has offered free kids entree coupons, so keep your eyes peeled.
Shoney’s: Through the month of August, Shoney’s has a coupon for kids to eat free with the purchase of an adult meal. Sign up here.
Steak ’n Shake: Kids 12 and under eat free all weekend. Drinks and shakes are excluded.
Texas Roadhouse: There is no consistent policy in place, but examples of kids eat free nights at various locations are rampant on Twitter. Verify with your local restaurant.
TGI Friday’s: We found multiple examples of locations that offer kids eat free promotions at various times during the week, but it differs greatly by location, so you’ll have to contact your nearest location for details.
Tony Roma’s: There are a few Florida locations where kids can eat free every Sunday with the purchase of an adult entree. Several reports, including one from MSNBC referenced on Tony Roma’s website, seem to indicate this offer is available nationwide, but you’ll need to verify that with your local restaurant.
Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Kids eat free all day every Tuesday with an adult entree purchase.
If you know of any other restaurants that offer kids eat free promotions, then please let us know by leaving a comment.
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