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How to Score Free Birthday Meals, Appetizers, Desserts, and Discounts

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95 Responses

  1. John says:
    June 21, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    Birthday freebies at restaurants, cafés, and coffee shops are a delightful way to celebrate your special day. It’s a win-win situation: businesses get to show appreciation for their loyal customers, and patrons enjoy free treats on their birthdays! It encourages a sense of community and fosters a stronger bond between the establishment and the customer.

    However, I agree that it’s crucial to sign up early and pay close attention to the offer details and fine print. Some might require a minimum purchase, have an expiration date, or require an app on your smart device. Being prepared is the key to fully enjoying these birthday perks.

    I also appreciate the tips for dining out. Keeping personal items close, being prepared for a culinary adventure, and quick fixes for any unexpected mishaps are great advice for any dining experience, not just birthday outings.

    Overall, birthday freebies add a fun element to the celebration. It’s always enjoyable to see which of your favorite places offer birthday perks, and sometimes, it can even introduce you to new favorites!

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      June 21, 2023 at 8:54 pm

      Hello, John! It’s always nice to get a little token of appreciation for loyalty, and it’s nice that these annual free birthday gifts can add up to a lot of savings too!! Enjoy! 


      🎂

      Reply
  2. Scott says:
    December 14, 2022 at 2:22 pm

    I just have to comment on all your posts, because they are just wonderful! I followed your link on another post to this one about meals, appetizers and desserts. These are all just fantastic ideas to save money on birthdays. Thank you again for all the research! It is helpful to have this list of free birthday meal offers in one place. 

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      December 15, 2022 at 11:50 am

      Thanks so much, Scott! I hope you found a bunch of great offers to sign up for and that you have fun with all the delicious free birthday food you’ll get this year!

      Reply
  3. Johnny says:
    February 12, 2022 at 9:06 am

    Woww what an excellent job putting all these places together in one article. My birthday is coming up soon so I will have to spend some time to decide where to go and have a great time with my wife and friends.

    I love coffee and pastries so I think ‘Au bon pain’ or ‘Panera bread’ would be my choices! Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information!

    Reply
  4. Paul says:
    January 10, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    I did not know so many restaurants provided free food and discounts for birthdays. This is wonderful to find out about all these discount, especially for families. You did a great job researching and sharing your finding for all of your readers. I definitely plan on using a few of these. Thank you for such an article. keep it up.

    Reply
  5. Eddie Edmonds says:
    January 3, 2022 at 1:30 pm

    Alyce,
    Thank you so much for compiling this list. Everyone has a birthday and not everyone knows about these freebees that help with celebrating that day of birth that comes around but once a year. It is always nice to be recognized for each of us it seems. I would think that anyone would find it a pleasant surprise to have a present given to them. I myself will remember the places that offer a frebee and will bring people with me to celebrate in these establishments that offer so much cheer on that special day.

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      January 7, 2022 at 9:44 am

      My friends and I love stretching our birthday celebrations out for a full month — all these deals make it easy!

      Reply
  6. Jerry McCoy says:
    January 3, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    I knew of some of the places that you highlighted in your article. I agree that signing up early for the restaurants early is the smart thing to do. Not only does this give the restaurant the opportunity to have the item or gift available but it gives you the opportunity to plan for it for you or for a loved one. There may be times where there is an extra savings besides what is posted in the rules category. Some restaurants do not advertise these special savings until you are enjoying your meal.

    Jerry

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      January 4, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      Hi Jerry, It is always helpful to plan in advance, and especially if you want to take advantage of as many free birthday deals as possible. Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Rachel W says:
    December 1, 2021 at 12:09 am

    Not necessarily free to start out…. but worth mentioning….
    LANDRY’S restaurants….Bubba Gump, Landry’s Seafood, Morton’s, McCormick & Schmick’s, Oceanaire, Rainforest Cafe, Saltgrass Steak House, Chart House… and others.
    $25 to join their Landry’s Select rewards. The day after you register your card online you get a $25 off coupon. (No min purchase)… THEN… every year for your birthday you get another $25 reward!!! (Only pay the membership cost once!!)

    Plus, you get priority seating, no need for reservations.

    Once went when thr wait was an hour, and get seated next available table.

    Reply
  8. Rachel Willobee says:
    December 1, 2021 at 12:04 am

    Not necessarily free to start out…. but worth mentioning….
    LANDRY’S restaurants….Bubba Gump, Landry’s Seafood, Morton’s, McCormick & Schmick’s, Oceanaire, Rainforest Cafe, Saltgrass Steak House, Chart House… and others.
    $25 to join their Landry’s Select rewards. The day after you register your card online you get a $25 off coupon. (No min purchase)… THEN… every year for your birthday you get another $25 reward!!! (Only pay the membership cost once!!)

    Plus, you get priority seating, no need for reservations.

    Once went when thr wait was an hour, and get seated next available table.

    Reply
  9. Terence says:
    October 22, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    Amazing article and I am amazed at how many freebies there are. Lots of great options for every birthday girl and boy to choose from and plenty of offers to check out. My birthday is about 2 months away, and your article is a great place to start. Again amazing article, 

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      October 22, 2021 at 11:09 pm

      Hi Terence, It’s definitely good timing to find the article, as you can go ahead and sign up for your favorite free birthday offers with plenty of time to make sure your name is on the lists! I hope you score some great free food on your birthday!

      Reply
  10. Bernard Breytenbach says:
    October 7, 2021 at 12:59 am

    This is amazing. I only knew a few places that does this and some of course never provide this offer. I am certain there nyst be very strict rules in order to obtain these specials, because sadly there will always be users that lie its their birthday and try to obtain a free gift or discount. That is most likely the reason why many places do not offer these specials. But, tgank you for the share.

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      October 7, 2021 at 10:16 am

      Hi Bernard, Click the “see details” link next to the offer to learn more about the rules for redeeming free birthday food. A few places do require proof of your actual birthdate, but most places just let you pick any date that you want without the need for proof. In fact, the birthday offer from Wingstop makes light of the situation and says they will pretend like it’s your birthday even if it isn’t!

      I prefer that only a few companies have my actual birthdate, so I often use a different date in order to keep my personal data more secure.

      Reply
  11. Lily says:
    September 28, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    What a fantastic list of free gift and meal venues for birthdays. I actually never thought about this but in a family household it could become a regular thing and we all have our favorite venues. I gather that these are all places in the US but I’m sure that there must be places in Australia that want to promote their venues. I will be looking around to make my own local list now that you have bought it to my attention.

    Thanks so much for all your hard work.

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      September 29, 2021 at 11:26 am

      Hi Lily, Thanks for checking in from Australia! This list is of free birthday food at restaurants in USA, but I would imagine if you check the websites of your favorite local restaurants, that you’ll be able to find some great free deals near you as well. 

      Reply
  12. Leahrae says:
    March 16, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    Oh this is great information!  And my son’s and my birthday are both coming up.   I am going to click on the link and sign up for a few.  Would love to get a free birthday meal!  What a great post this is.  Benihana is first on my list.  And $25 off no less, which is awesome!

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      March 16, 2021 at 2:55 pm

      Hi Leahrae, The Benihana birthday offer is very generous and certainly helps to celebrate the special day! Enjoy!

      Reply
  13. Victor Johnson says:
    February 25, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    Wow, this article was really a huge shocker and an eye opener as well, I never knew that there was an opportunity like this with SO MANY FREE MEALS AND FOOD. I know many out there do not know about it as well, so I shared this with some of the huge restaurant fans that I know. I expect they are going to be very happy to learn about all of these opportunities for birthday freebies for foodies!

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      February 26, 2021 at 9:46 am

      Hi Victor, These companies are smart to offer a free birthday gift as an annual thanks for your business. I usually have fond memories of birthday celebrations, and those associations can often extend to feeling good about the place where the celebrations occur, usually at a great restaurant!

      Reply
  14. Rich Gilbert says:
    February 23, 2021 at 10:58 am

    I love getting free stuff. It was the highlight of some of our meals when my dad would pick someone in the group to be a “birthday person” Having the servers come up and sing to the individual was pretty funny when it wasn’t their birthday. The free dessert is a nice touch by some of my favorites. I never even thought about asking for birthday extras to some of these places on your list. Thanks for putting this together. I will seek out more in a few months on my next Birthday.

    Reply
    • Alyce says:
      February 24, 2021 at 9:51 am

      Hi Rich, These free birthday meals are a nice way to let yourself be spoiled on your birthday. Most of the companies don’t require proof of your birth date, so I imagine there are a lot of folks who chose a day to celebrate that isn’t actually their birthday. Enjoy!

      Reply

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