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Savvy diners find ways to save on meals
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Published: May 1, 2009
At the end of February, the Chick-fil-A on Turnersburg Highway was packed with hungry residents looking to bite into a good deal.
Manager Matt Webber initiated the economic stimulus week to give customers a break and attract new business.
The recession forced many people out of their normal eating habits. Over the past eight months, many people told the R&L that eating out was one of the first items they cut from their budget.
Fear not though. Free and discounted food can be found everywhere, when you know how and where to look.
The key can be found in coupons, value menus, customer appreciation days, free food nights and fan clubs.
Don't forget the free desserts many restaurants offer for birthdays. A new commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken offers the new grilled chicken for free to its customers.
"Any restaurant I go in, normally there is some kind of value menu," said Mike Neader, owner of the McDonald's franchises in Iredell County. "Usually, you can save a good bit of money."
Several fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's, Jack In the Box, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell, dedicate a portion of their menu to items that cost a $1 or less.
What some restaurants call a value menu, others call specials. Not every restaurant has specials splashed in a location where the average passer-by can see it, so sometimes it pays to walk in and ask.
"We do all kinds of specials," said Carolina Bar-B-Q co-owner Linda Medlin.
The restaurant on Salisbury Highway sells party and family packs, which allows people to buy barbecue by the pound.
Customer loyalty clubs
For free food, check to see if your favorite restaurant has some sort of e-mail or fan club.
Zaxby's and Chili's have e-mail clubs and when you first sign up online the restaurant gives you a free menu item. At Zaxby's, members of the Zax Mail Club are given a free Meal Deal Coupon.
And most restaurants didn't forget children either. A lot of them have kid's clubs, which also offer free food, and some, such as Village Inn Pizza, have nights when youngsters eat for free.
The clubs are a good way for restaurants to keep customers up to date with what is going on, said Zaxby's spokeswoman Nicole Jenkins.
"It's been quite successful," she said. "Because it gives us a direct line to our biggest fans, the people that we are sending those e-mails to are people who want to hear about Zaxby's. We've been known to send additional coupons for a free appetizer."
Village Inn has a similar customer loyalty punch card program. Customers receive a punch on their card for every $5 they spend, Village Inn Pizza President Elizabeth Miller said.
Depending on how many punches are on their card, customers can receive a luncheon pizza, a buffet or a large dinner pizza.
Coupons
Coupons and gift certificates are another way to get an inexpensive meal.
Medlin and her husband, Gene, offer buy one, get one half off coupons every so often.
Miller and Neader have distributed gift certificates through the schools and churches.
"We really do stuff that benefits the community," Miller said.
The coupons printed in the R&L also bring a good turnout, she said.
Webber said the free food coupons he distributes sometimes makes up 10 to 20 percent of his business.
During the economic stimulus week in February, the restaurant offered a receipt day, which offered paying customers the chance to bring back their receipt in March for the same meal for free. Around 70 percent of the customers came back, which is good, Webber said.
Most restaurateurs consider 50 percent redemption to be a success.
Webber said he prefers to give away food instead of discounts. When you attach strings, such as a free sandwich with the purchase of french fries and a drink, the retention rate is going to be less, he said.
Customer appreciation
Having some kind of attraction in your parking lot is a sure way to make someone pull over to see what is going on. Adding free or discounted food into the mixture draws in a crowd.
Take Webber's economic incentive week or Village Inn's 40th anniversary party for instance.
Both events were well attended and people left stuffed. Both stores plan on doing it again.
Miller said Village Inn will be hosting another 40th anniversary party at the grand re-opening of the Hickory store.
Webber said Chick-fil-A will be holding a customer appreciation week with more free food sometime in the future.
The idea is to entice customers into Chick-fil-A, and impress them with the value of the restaurant so they continue to come back, he said.
"We grow our business through raving fans," Webber said. "They are more loyal when you develop trust. We are about value."
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