New Year’s Day 2019 Freebies and Deals: A Guide to Restaurant Offers and Promotional Discounts

The start of a new year often brings opportunities for consumers to access special promotions and freebies, particularly from national restaurant chains and retail businesses. Based on compiled information from 2019, numerous establishments offered complimentary items and significant discounts to celebrate New Year's Day and the preceding Eve. These offers ranged from free coffee and doughnuts to discounted meals and beverages, often requiring specific actions such as signing up for loyalty programs or presenting valid identification.

New Year's Day Restaurant Freebies

Several national restaurant chains traditionally offered free food items to customers on or around January 1, 2019. These promotions were designed to attract customers during the holiday period.

Free Coffee and Breakfast Items

Cumberland Farms offered a significant promotion for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Customers could receive a free cup of coffee, hot or iced, from 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2019, through 5:00 a.m. on January 1, 2019. This late-night and early-morning offer was available at participating locations.

Dunkin' (formerly Dunkin' Donuts) provided a free doughnut to customers on New Year's Day. This offer was available at participating locations, though specific terms regarding purchase requirements were not detailed in the source material.

Free Meals and Entrees

Denny's offered a "Build Your Own Grand Slam" breakfast free of charge to veterans and active-duty military personnel on Veterans Day, which occurred in November 2019. While this is not a New Year's Day offer, it is included in the source data as a prominent free meal promotion. The offer was valid from 5:00 a.m. to noon on the holiday, dine-in only, and required proof of military service.

For New Year's Day specifically, Bob Evans offered a promotion allowing customers to get two select adult entrees for $9.99 each, plus free kids' meals. This deal was valid starting at 3:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve and throughout New Year's Day, January 1, 2019.

Free Desserts and Snacks

Insomnia Cookies offered a free traditional cookie on Veterans Day (November 11, 2019) through 3:00 a.m. on November 12, 2019. While this is a Veterans Day promotion, it highlights the trend of free snack items during holidays. Chuck E. Cheese also offered a free personal one-topping pizza on Veterans Day for veterans with military ID and a coupon.

New Year's Eve Promotional Offers

Leading up to New Year's Day, many businesses offered deals to help consumers celebrate the evening.

Beverage Promotions

Bahama Breeze offered Legendary Island Cocktails for $2.19 from 9:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve until closing. The menu included drinks such as the Killer Bee, Painkiller, Goombay Smash, Zombie, and Dark 'N Stormy.

Applebee's featured a "$2 Captain and Cola" drink for the month of January 2019, made with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Pepsi. Chili's offered a $5 margarita for January 2019, specifically the Cherry Blossom margarita featuring Lunazul tequila, St-Germain, Fresh Sour, and Grenadine.

Specialized Holiday Offers

Baskin-Robbins offered regular and kids-sized scoops of ice cream for $1.50 on New Year's Eve at participating locations nationwide.

Burger King provided a free order of Chicken Fries when customers spent $5 on DoorDash on New Year's Day (January 1, 2019) through January 6, 2019. This required the promo code NEWYEAR. The offer was limited to the first 30,000 orders and was valid only for participating Burger King locations within DoorDash's delivery zones; it was not valid for pickup or dine-in.

Service-Based Freebies

AAA (American Automobile Association) offered free rides for members and nonmembers in many parts of the country through Wednesday (January 2, 2019) as part of its holiday safe ride program. This initiative aimed to reduce impaired driving during the holiday season.

Loyalty Programs and Account-Linked Offers

Certain freebies required customers to link existing accounts or sign up for loyalty programs.

7-Eleven offered a free cup of coffee for Veterans Day (November 11, 2019) to veterans who had a Veterans Advantage account and linked it to the 7Rewards loyalty program. This type of offer highlights the increasing reliance on digital loyalty systems to distribute promotional value.

Veterans Day Freebies (November 2019)

While not directly related to New Year's Day, the source data provides an extensive list of Veterans Day freebies that occurred in November 2019. These offers illustrate the scale of promotional activity during U.S. holidays.

Free Meals for Veterans

Many national chains offered free meals to veterans and active-duty military personnel on November 11, 2019, typically requiring proof of military service.

Applebee's: Free meal from a special menu.
Bakers Square: Free Rise & Shine meal.
Bar Louie: Free burger or flatbread (up to $15 value).
Bob Evans: Free meal from a special menu.
California Pizza Kitchen: Free meal from a special menu.
Chili's Grill & Bar: Free meal from a special menu.
Chipotle Mexican Grill: Buy-one-get-one free (in-restaurant only).
Cracker Barrel: Free slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake or Pumpkin Pie Latte.
Denny's: Free "Build Your Own Grand Slam" from 5 a.m. to noon.
IHOP: Free red, white, and blueberry pancake combo from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Discounts and Other Offers

Fogo de Chão offered 50% off meals for veterans and active-duty personnel during Veterans Day weekend (November 8-11, 2019), with an additional 10% off for up to three guests.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. offered 20% off food and retail purchases on Veterans Day. Giordano's provided an ongoing 20% discount on food orders for veterans and military personnel with a valid military ID card.

National Doughnut Day Offers (June 2019)

National Doughnut Day is another significant promotional event. In 2019, it occurred on June 7. Offers included:

Duck Donuts: Free Classic Duck Donut at participating locations.
Burney's Sweets & More (Raleigh, NC): Free donut or glazed croissant (no purchase required).
Carolina Glazed Donuts (Durham, NC): Free glazed or cake donut.
Daylight Donuts (Raleigh, NC): Free glazed donut with the purchase of any beverage.

Other Notable 2019 Promotional Dates

The source material lists several other "made-up food holidays" in 2019 that typically feature deals. These dates provide a roadmap for consumers looking for annual promotions.

February 9: National Pizza Day
March 14: Pi Day (3.14)
April 15: Tax Day
July 21: National Ice Cream Day
September 18: National Cheeseburger Day

Tax Day (April 15) is noted as a day where a "smorgasbord of offers" makes tax filing "a little more palatable." July is described as having "nonstop made-up holidays," including National French Fry Day, National Ice Cream Day, and National Hot Dog Day, along with 7-Eleven's birthday and Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day.

Conclusion

The landscape of freebies and deals in 2019 was dominated by restaurant chains offering complimentary food and beverages on major holidays, particularly New Year's Day and Veterans Day. Consumers could access these offers by visiting participating locations, presenting military identification where required, or linking accounts to loyalty programs. The data suggests a pattern of recurring annual promotions tied to specific dates, such as National Doughnut Day and Tax Day, providing consistent opportunities for savings throughout the year.