How to Save Money on Takeout Food

7 ways to cut the cost of carryout food

You’re stuck at home and too tired to cook, so you order takeout. If that scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. According to the National Restaurant Association, the percentage of adults who order takeout from restaurants is up about 8% since the pandemic began, and it’s expected to rise another 10% over the next several months.

But ordering in is far more expensive than cooking. So how do you ensure you don’t blow your budget when you get takeout? Here are seven ways:

1. Pick it up yourself.

With so many restaurants offering curbside pick-up these days, you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas to get great restaurant food. Just drive up, call or text the restaurant to let them know you’ve arrived, put on a mask and wait for your order to be delivered to your car.

You will not only save on delivery fees, your food is likely to be hotter and fresher than it would be if you ordered from a delivery platform like Doordash or Grubhub. So maybe you can get those nachos or eggrolls without risking mushiness after all.

Bonus: If you order directly from the restaurant, you may also get cheaper prices, too. See below.

2. Order directly from the restaurant.

Ordering the same food through a delivery platform may very well be more expensive than ordering directly from the restaurant. Many platforms like Uber Eats and Postmates don’t just charge delivery fees; they mark up individual food items, too.

If you want to get delivery, see if the restaurant has its own delivery service.

3. Sign up for the restaurant’s email list or join its rewards program.

Most restaurant chains and many independent restaurants have mailing lists and/or rewards programs where they offer discounts and special coupons to subscribers.

Noodles, Starbucks, Texas Roadhouse, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Red Lobster, Dunkin Donuts, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin, P.F. Chang’s, Cheesecake Factory, Yard House, Buca di Beppo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Which Wich all offer rewards programs. So do Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish and Flemings, which are all owned by the same company.

4. Order family meals.

When quarantines threatened their businesses, many restaurants found creative ways to stay afloat. One tactic: They began offering family meals. From large chains to local mom-and-pop restaurants, family meals typically include an entrée, two sides, bread and a dessert for a fixed price.

The cost is often far less than what you’d pay for individual meals for each family member, and you may have enough for leftovers.

For example, Bonefish Grill has entrees ranging from roughly $16 to $26. Most include two sides, but that still costs $16 to $26 per person. However, Bonefish also offers a dinner for a family of four that includes an entrée (either roast chicken, salmon, mahi mahi or shrimp tacos), salad, side dish, bread and dessert for only $30–40 total.

5. Skip the drinks.

Why pay $18 for a glass of wine when you can buy a bottle for the same amount at your local beer and wine store? The same goes for sodas and bottled waters. You’re eating at home anyway, so you might as well stock up on drinks at the supermarket to shave your takeout dining bill.

6. Buy a discounted restaurant gift card.

You know those restaurant gift cards you got for Christmas and forgot to use? Well, a lot of people sell their unused gift cards on places like GiftCardGranny.com, Cardpool.com or Raise.com. These online gift card marketplaces will pay you cash for your cards, provided you accept less than the face value. They then turn around and sell those cards to buyers.

That means that as a buyer, you can get gift cards with discounts of 20% or more to your favorite restaurants. For example, I found cards with a 22% discount at California Pizza Kitchen, a 9% discount at Cheesecake Factory and an 8% off at Chart House recently..

Important: Read the fine print about how these marketplaces work before ordering your gift card. Some cards are delivered electronically; others are physical cards. Most will send you a follow-up email with directions for getting your card, and they will typically require two-factor authentication, such as a text to your phone to verify your identity. And be sure to look for gift card marketplaces that offer a guarantee the cards you buy will work.

7. Use a rewards credit card to pay.

Several rewards credit cards specialize in cash back for dining. The Capitol One Savor card, for example, offers 4% cash back on purchases from restaurants and 2% back on groceries. It also has a one-time $300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on the card.

But don’t just look for cards that specialize in dining deals. The Marvel Mastercard, for example, is billed as an entertainment card offering discounts on Marvel merchandise. Yet it offers 3% cash back on dining purchases plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Plus, it has no annual fee.

Many of the dining cards do have annual fees, though, and they can be quite high. For example, the American Express Gold card offers a juicy 4x points for dining, but it costs $250 annually.

These cards could still be worth it if you know that the perks will outweigh the cost of the annual fee. Just be sure to do the math before applying.

Or look for a no annual fee dining card like the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa card, which offers 4x points on takeout, dining and food delivery plus 2x points on grocery purchases.

Don’t forget the frontline workers

One area where you shouldn’t try to cut costs is tips. The pandemic is hard on everyone. Remember that the people who are taking your order and preparing and packing your food work hard. Tips are an integral part of their income.

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