Eat out for less

by Anna Powell on 16 March 2010  |  21 comments
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Here's how to get discounts from top restaurants and cut the cost of eating out.

Over the past ten years, British food culture has changed forever. Our restaurants have got better, and we’ve got better at going to them. On average, the British now spend £1,250 per year on eating out.

But now, thanks to recent events in the economy, eating out is a luxury that could go by the wayside for many.

So here are some top tips on how to minimise spending – and maximise enjoyment – from Michelin star to McDonalds.

Discounts for diners

There are some astonishing deals out there for diners prepared to do a little research. Various websites have special offers online – including London Eating (my favourite, because it has a busy review community), Toptable (for restaurants all around the UK), and Lastminute. Typical offers include 50% off the a la carte menu, a set menu for £15 or less, or discounts on drinks.

I’ve used offers like this plenty of times, most recently at Villandry in London, which was super. You need to mention the offer when you book. (It’s usually better to confirm a time and table first, before mentioning the discount – the same applies if you’re booking theatre tickets on a discount, perhaps through one of Theatremonkey’s brilliant deals.)

Then I usually mention the offer to the maitre d’ when I arrive, as a reminder. I’ve never had any trouble with the bill, or been treated any differently from a normal customer.

One point to remember is the precise details of the offer. Sometimes the discount will be on a set menu, sometimes on the a la carte, or it might be a different offer all together. Make sure you remember the details, and voucher if required, before you order!

Credit crunch lunch

Various chain restaurants have special offers on at the moment, hoping to attract customers feeling the pinch. You can find out all about the latest offers in our Frugal Food blog which is published every Friday.

Don’t be afraid to haggle

If you’re booking for a group, sometimes restaurants will haggle for your custom. This obviously isn’t going to work for dinner a deux at Gordon Ramsay, but if there is a number of you planning to eat and obvious competitors nearby, it can be worth asking for a quiet word with the manager first. You might be able to arrange a free round of drinks or a discount off the bill.

The Bengali restaurants on Brick Lane, where I live, are particularly keen hagglers. A quick-fire negotiation for free poppadoms or beer (usually Carling, rather than Cobra) is all part of the Brick Lane experience!

Restaurant rules

A painless, guilt-free way to cut costs is to order tap water, rather than expensive mineral water. Anyone who still thinks this is penny-pinching is behind the times. Tap water is way more environmentally sound than bottled water, which has often travelled hundreds of miles to get to your restaurant table.

And if you can stay away from alcohol, that’s even better. Restaurant economics dictates that most profit is made on alcohol, rather than food. The typical mark-up of a bottle of wine in a restaurant is 100% above the retail price – double what you’d pay in a supermarket. Cheaper wines are usually marked up more than pricier bottles, incidentally. If wine is a must, drink by the glass, or check out this list of ‘bring your own’ places – some of which are quite upmarket.

(One great tip for wine-lovers near London: the restaurant at Tate Britain, while fairly standard in other ways, buys its wine young and stores it itself while it matures. Most restaurants don’t do this, but the Tate has underground store-rooms. Hence, it offers fabulous stuff at better value than anywhere else I know. The wine list has won numerous awards.)

While cutting the tip might seem like a good way to cut costs, it’s a false economy if you’re planning to go back. Plus, it’s unfair not just on the waiters, but on the rest of the kitchen staff, since your tip usually goes towards their work as well. Of course, if the service is genuinely poor, then you shouldn’t feel guilty about not tipping.

Budget brilliance

Finally, how to find good, cheap restaurants? Try Chowhound (and check out chef Anthony Bourdain’s cheeky tip on how to make the best of restaurant forums) for unbiased reviews.

In London, there’s always Time Out’s cheap eats. And finally, see restaurant critic Charles Campion’s favourite places in the UK to eat out for under £10 – proof that even gourmets know how to find a tasty bargain.

This article was first published in October 2008 and has since been updated.

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