At this point everyone at your table is supposed to order soft drinks at $2 a pop. Or, better yet, beers at $5 a bottle. The real question is how can you drink for free? This is one of those rare situations where something that is good for you also lets you win. Just order water with lemon. Even the refills are free.
Whenever I dine out with my old friend Steve he always orders the twice baked potato skins with chili topping. And he wants them at our table in under five minutes. Luckily for Steve, the restaurant in question understand his needs and gets the job done fast. One day I hope I'll be able to convince Steve to stay hungry for another 10-15 minutes so I can save $8 on the starter.
The question I always seem to get concerns adding gravy for my fries. The question I always ask my server is how much? I've paid as little fifty cents for a couple of tablespoons of gravy to over $1.50. One thing I've learned over the years, asking about the price of meal add-ons is frowned upon. So if you're going to take this approach be sure to smile a lot.
So, adding it all up, you can save money while dining out. And the bonus is that as you give up the extras you also give up the extra calories. And your wallet wins too as you will save around 30% on your restaurant bill.
Putting the bill on a diet instead of yourself? Priceless.