So for the kids to eat cheap, mom and dad have to suffer through a meal at Applebees and Red Robin?

Thank you for this "50 Restaurants to Avoid" article.

Generally, you're going to be required to purchase adult entrees to go with the free kids meals, so there's not much point in eating in advance.

And even where it's not required, just bringing your kid to eat free without ordering anything yourself would be pretty crappy consumer behaviour.

Yeah... I'm pretty shocked at that suggestion too. Generally Sunday Thru Thursday are KEF days where I'm at.

What the crap is "Quaker Steak and Lube" restaurant??

@Canino: :-)

suggesting the parents eat before going to the restaurant is bizarre. Either you are going out to have a nice family meal...or your not. These restaurants are counting on the parents eating entrees that will offset the cost of free kids meals.

@pecan 3.14159265:
that's what I was thinking, in my zip code the only place that was viable was IHOP, have you been to IHOP recently? ewww.

@courtneywoah:
That's really funny advice, wait a second, kids, I have to finish my healthy meal so you can go have crappy fried stuff "for free" (even though for me to get you a free meal, i have to then eat a second meal).

@sanjsrik: I've been to IHOP recently. The one near me is quite nice.

Yeah, I don't get suggesting parents eat before hand. Especially since almost every "kids eat free/cheap" includes the caveat that you have to buy one adult meal per child meal. That and um, why would you take your kids out to a meal if you are going to eat at home?

Saving money angers me!

@sanjsrik: lol not all meals in restaurants are "fried"...or unhealthy.

@EBounding: Total sweetness. It's a car themed wing and burger place.

@Ben Popken: Thank goodness, Ben. For a minute there I thought you were immune to the advertising-induced consumer thinking the rest of us are sick with.

One reason these franchises opt out of these promotions? Precisely as you said, people try to tack on the savings by taking only free stuff, while corporate often leaves franchise owners in the cold without any compensation, even if their business is doing fine without the promotion.

You want to eat frugally? Buy healthy food at the grocery store and cook it yourself, it's much cheaper than eating out. Better yet, if you can, plant a garden, and enjoy vegetables that taste right.

I would like to see a list of 50 Restaurants Where Children are Expressly Forbidden. That way I can enjoy my meal in piece without your disgusting little hell-spawn screeching over the back of the booth right into my ear or trying to show me what he just pried out of his nose.

@courtneywoah: Well, I think for parents, eating a little bit ahead of time or just snacking a little helps cut down the amount of money on the total bill....especially if the parents are only going to Applebees because they have to eat out somewhere, and kids eat free.

That said...a lot of places only charge $6 or so for kids. If you're looking to cut spending that much to offset junior's kids portions, eat a little less and just drink water.

@Cupajo: By "enjoy my meal in piece" or course I mean "enjoy my meal in peace".

No more bourbon for breakfast for me!

And @Cupajo: And by "or course" I mean "of course".

Consumerist! If you enable an 'edit your post' feature, I will buy you a Maserati!

Dear Ben, despite all the nasty, snarky comments posted here, I think this is a great idea for an article. It's totally appropriate for the theme of Consumerist.

I'm sure that poeple who have families with children, unlike the social-misfits that congregate here, will appreciate your efforts. Thank you!

@EBounding: And why hasn't Quaker State sued?

@Harry Pothead: What nasty snarky comments? About the restaurants? Or about sticky children? Children are sticky.

@Cupajo: I was thinking the exact same thing. The other day I was in a resturant when a couple with 5 spawn came in. They were all over the place. Ugh.

@EBounding: Great wing place with about 20 different sauces for wings.

@Hoss: Quaker State would only sue if the food sucked, and it doesn't.

@Jacquilynne: And make sure you tip your server for the free meal, too. Working at Applebee's is bad enough without having extra kids' place settings to clean up. Please, please, please tip your servers generously for that.

@thelushie:
My favorite moment with one of those hell spawn parties was when an older gentleman looked at the parent and asked, "are you going to parent your child, or shall I?"

The child began to behave, much to everyone's relief.

@cupajo: I'm with you.

@lemonchar: I always tip huge when one or both of my kids make a mess. I used to be a waiter at... (throws up a little in mouth)... Friendly's.

@nakedscience: True, but, as a parent of small kids, I'll tell you that the only remotely healthy choice on the kid's menus is the spaghetti, and frankly I let my kid choose what he wants (mac and cheese 9 times out of 10) because hey, I'm getting what I want.

It doesn't bother me though, because we go out so infrequently, and then mostly to little ethnic places that don't have a 'kid's' menu.

@Cupajo: And I would love to eat someplace they don't allow bitter curmudgeons like yourself in the door.

I know cooking at home is better, I know a lot of these restaurants suck, and I know that my children (heaven forbid!) might actually SPEAK in these places, yeah got it.

But frankly, sometimes you're in the middle of a bunch of errabnds that are taking a lot longer than you thought, they're getting hungry, and going to a crappy chain restaurant that has fast service AND crayons is an acceptable solution.

Just another good reason to fill them with the healthy stuff the other 99% of the time, so when I see my son clean up a plate of god-knows-what's-in-it nd wash it down with a glass of soda, it doesn't bother me.

@nakedscience:

Denny's has kids eat free 2x a week. We go there at times...but the food there is good. Not all chain restaurants are the same.

@takes_so_little: And I would love to eat someplace they don't allow bitter curmudgeons like yourself in the door.

Try McDonald's

@Starfury: Yeah, I live near Gay Denny's aka Jenny's (lol, yes, really, that's what we call it!) here in Phoenix, and it's perhaps one of the best Denny's I've ever been to. They have THE BEST BACON.

@takes_so_little: mac 'n cheese isn't fried and it's not really that different health-wise from spaghetti....

@Canino: I think it fair for their to be upscale restaurants that do not allow kids. There are plenty of family places around anyway.

@nakedscience: Well the cheese part of the equations adds a fair bit of fat to it.

@Cupajo: ...You could just stay at home.

"Tuesday, children 10 and under eat free at Red Robin from to 9"

From when ?

@larrymac: Ah, never mind, the linked article has the full sentence "At Red Robin kids 10 and under can eat for free on Monday (and Tuesday) from 5pm to 9pm."

So I guess there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Ha. I kill me.

All I know is 50s Mom in the red shorts in that illustration is HOT!

@takes_so_little: I have absolutely no problem with parents taking their kids to restaurants. I don't even mind being near kids when I'm at restaurants...but from my experience, it's like playing Russian Roulette. Most of the time, kids will be kids and that means they'll be a little high-pitched and a little rowdy.

We all have the right to have our meal in whatever atmosphere we so desire. I don't have a problem with kids...but there are plenty of parents who don't parent their kids in public, so I've had to be cautious when being seated near children. I don't hate kids, but the restaurant-going experience would be a much better one overall if parents parented their children and taught them to behave in public, rather than go the 'kids will be kids' route - and some people who really do hate kids would be better off keeping their grumbles to themselves instead of airing them in public.

@dragonfire81: And so does the spaghetti sauce and meatballs, if it has meatballs....

@pecan 3.14159265: But sometimes kids will be kids and no matter how great a parent you are, kids aren't perfect and still act up sometimes. Ever seen a kid throw a tantrum in the store? Yeah, it happens, and generally not through the fault of the parent. Kids can be a pain in the ass.

I suggest avoiding certain restaurants if you don't like dining where kids are.

there is something missing in that dairy queen picture but i just can't seem to put my finger on it... man, this is going to bother me for days...

@EBounding: a wing place that hovers around the Pittsburgh area.

awesome wings and onion rings! super fatty but oh sooooo good!
BTW the lube portion refers to your rectum...

@B1663R: I GOT IT!!
No nutritional info on ANY of that packaging!

@dragonfire81: I think it fair for their to be upscale restaurants that do not allow kids. There are plenty of family places around anyway.

Actually, there is a very simple solution. Since many cities have mandated that restaurants go smoke-free, those restaurants should convert their smoking/nonsmoking areas into children/nonchildren areas. Families won't bother other families, and they won't bother "curmudgeons" or people who just want a nice quiet dinner either.

@pecan 3.14159265: Red Robin burgers are fine and you can get a salad instead of fries. Some of the soups are good as well. Also the kids like the guy dressed-up as a red bird and the free balloons. Plus it is the kind of place that does not mind kids.