kids eat free

The thought of planning a meal after being a slave to the day-planner has left many a busy parent frazzled. In rosier economic times, multi-tasking moms and dads have been saved from the dinner bell by piling into the family car and heading out to eat rather than stare down the stove. In fact according to the National Restaurant Association's 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast, 69 percent of consumers said that purchasing meals from restaurants, takeout and delivery establishments makes it easier for families with children to manage their day-to-day lives.

But in the worsening financial climate dining out for many families has become a luxury and not a right of the jam-packed work week.

Even in the current economic free fall, however, many chain establishments have proven the old adage of no free lunch (or dinner) wrong, especially if you have kids. Full service chain restaurants continue to offer some pretty sweet deals in the form of kids-eat-free promotions, with some guidelines of course.

Tasty Tuesdays
If your family is perpetually on the manic Monday (and Tuesday) schedule you're in luck. Kids-eat-free promotions not only coincide with the sometimes bumpy transition from weekend to work week but are a good way to attract customers to slow moving dining rooms. Specifically, Tuesday nights are a traditionally kid-friendly time to dine and take advantage of the little ones noshing gratis. Typical offers, such as the kids-eat-free night at Denny's, allow up to two free kid's meals from 4p.m. to 10 p.m. for every purchase of one adult entrée.

Texas-sized savings abound at another fullservice restaurant, Lone Star Steakhouse. At Lone Star there are no time restrictions, and up to two kids can eat free any time during the day with the purchase of an adult entree.

Quickserve restaurants have also jumped on the bandwagon by enticing families with kids-eat-free options. The Chik-fil-A chain, made famous by media savvy cows pleading with consumers to "eat more chikin" , offers a free four-pack kid's meal complete with toy and a drink on Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for every adult combo meal purchased (check with local franchises for exact times as these vary).

But It's Not Just Tuesday!
While Tuesday's a kids-eat-free-heavy day, other days of the week feature great bargains, if you know where to look. At IHOP Monday and Tuesday are good days for families. Between 4pm and 8pm you'll receive one free Kids' Menu item for each adult entree purchased.

Trending Up
No doubt this trend can only gain in popularity in the coming months, even if the evening news continues to lead with more down-in the-mouth headlines. In a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, 51 percent of consumers said they would visit full service restaurants more frequently if they offered "kids-eat-free" options. The upside of the down economy is that consumers with kids can only benefit as restaurants experiment with novel ways to entice customers to conveniently leave the cooking to someone else.