How to save money in restaurants

How to eat out for less

Everyone enjoys eating out once in a while, be it for a special occasion, meeting up with friends and family, or just to have a night off from the cooking. However, if you're not careful, the cost of dining in restaurants can soon add up.

Here are some clever tips on how you can reduce your restaurant bills and be able to dine out more often and in better restaurants.

1. When to eat

The time of day when you eat out can have a big impact on the size of your bill. If you want to eat out a peak times, then you must expect to pay peak prices. However, if you can be a bit more flexible about when you eat, then you could save as much as 50% off the price of your meal.

For example, many restaurants offer lunchtime menus that are a fraction of the price of the equivalent evening dishes. If you fancy eating out at a really posh restaurant but can't stomach the prices then have a look at their lunchtime menu, you may well be pleasantly surprised.

Another way to get a good cheap meal is to go for a pre-theatre menu. Many restaurants close to theatres offer special deals for diners eating early in the evening and, even if you're not going on to a show afterwards, this can be another excellent way to save some money.

2. Where to eat

This section should really be called where not to eat because the tip here is to avoid tourist areas. In any large city like London or Paris there are always areas that are hugely popular with tourists and it is these areas that will always have the most overpriced food and the least inspiring menus. Most of the restaurants will probably have pushy waiters standing outside trying to lure you in with enticing deals and tempting dishes. However, the food rarely lives up to their promises and you will probably leave disappointed.

To find the best value restaurants and the ones with the best food, head to the areas that are frequented by locals. Usually, locals will not put up with overpriced menus with sub-standard food. They will go to places that they have been to before, or have been recommended by a friend, and know offer good value for money. If you eat like a local then you can't go too far wrong.

3. How to book

By booking your table through the right channels, you can save a fortune at the best restaurants in town, with many offering special reduced-price set menus or even 50% off the total food bill to those in the know. The "right channels" are restaurant booking websites such as www.toptable.co.uk, where you can search for the best deals in town and book your table.

What's more, if you later write a quick review of your dining experience for the website, you can collect points which can quickly add up to a free meal for two. Now that can't be bad.

4. What to order

My final tip for saving money in restaurants is to be clever about what you order.

It's usually far cheaper and much better value to go for a set menu or one with a limited number of choices per course, than to order a la carte. Going for a set menu has the added advantage of speeding up the decision making process too.

Also, try to avoid ordering bottled water. Not only is it extremely un-environmentally friendly, but it can also be hugely overpriced. With being green becoming trendier by the day, asking for tap water is no longer as socially taboo as it perhaps used to be.

When it comes to wine, then at any decent restaurant you do generally get what you pay for. However, look out for the possibility of ordering house wine by the carafe, as this can be a great way to order exactly the amount of wine that your table needs, and at a nice price.

So there you have it, my top tips for getting better deals and saving money in restaurants. Try some of them the next time you eat out, and I hope that you will see just how much further your money can go.

Bon appetit!