Eating Out Getting More Affordable

People are not eating out as much.  This  happens whenever there is a downturn in the economy or a perception that economic times are worsening.  Whichever one we are in, people have started to cut back in anticipation of the worst.  This means there are deals to be had.  So how do you know when people are starting to eat out less?  Coupons my friend, coupons.  That's right by searching through your weekly coupons you can see what is going on with the restaurant industry.

I have a file for every set of Sunday coupons for the last month and a half.  So I went through to see what restaurants were offering coupons in my area.  The majority were fast food; Subway, Bo Jangles, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.  These are no big deal.  Fast food restaurants are in a continuous battle for cheap food.  The telling coupons are when you start running into the middle priced sit down restaurants.  I found coupons for Red Lobster, T.G.I. Friday's and Outback.  Of all of these the most telling is Outback Steakhouse.  Outback is one of the most profitable restaurant chains in America.  If they are printing coupons to increase traffic that means sales are down industry wide.  For me personally, the big indicator is when the never ending pasta bowl make a reappearance.  Olive Garden saves that deal for special occasions.

In my family we take advantage of these deals.  We clip the coupons and watch for special promotions.  If you eat fast food you will notice the dollar menus are expanding.  Why not get two items off the dollar menu and enjoy a meal for less than three bucks?   If you are eating out you can get a good meal at one of the mid-price restaurants for less than $20 for two people.  The great thing is, if you are careful with your money, you can actually eat out more often because prices are so reasonable.  So watch those circulars and don't TIVO through all the commercials cause the deals are out there.