Monday Restaurant Deals and Freebies: A Guide to Cost-Effective Dining

Monday is often considered the most challenging day of the week for dining out, as the weekend festivities have ended and the work week begins. However, for consumers in the United States, it is also a day rich with opportunities to save money through specific promotional offers, discounted meals, and free items. A review of current promotional materials reveals that numerous national and regional restaurant chains offer dedicated Monday deals, ranging from discounted multi-course meals to free items with purchase. These offers are frequently tied to loyalty programs or specific ordering methods, such as mobile apps or online ordering platforms.

Understanding the landscape of Monday restaurant deals requires an examination of various categories of offers. These include discounted meal bundles, specific menu item promotions, loyalty member exclusives, and occasional freebies. By leveraging these offers, consumers can significantly reduce their dining expenses.

Discounted Meal Bundles and Prix Fixe Options

Many restaurants utilize Mondays to promote value-driven meal bundles designed to attract customers during a traditionally slow period. These deals often provide a complete meal at a fixed, reduced price.

One prominent example is O'Charley's Restaurant & Bar, which offers an "O'Charley's Pit-Stop" for $6. This meal includes four chicken tenders, fries, and a Coke. It is important to note that this offer is valid only on pickup orders, requiring customers to order ahead for takeout rather than dining in.

Ruby Tuesday targets the lunch crowd with a specific time-bound offer. Every Monday, from opening until 4:00 p.m., customers can purchase a Smashed Burger with fries or tots and access the Endless Garden Bar for $9.99. This allows for a substantial meal at a low price point for those dining in during lunch hours.

Pie Five Pizza offers a "buy one, get one" style deal for its rewards members. Circle of Crust members receive a free personal pizza when they purchase any Signature or Build Your Own Pizza every Monday. Similarly, BJ’s Brewhouse & Restaurant offers half-off Tavern-Cut and large pizzas every Monday, providing significant savings on shared meals.

On The Border offers a unique dining experience for $13.99 on Mondays with "endless enchiladas." This offer is valid for dine-in only and allows customers to mix and match flavors. Rewards members at On The Border also receive an additional benefit: $2 off queso every day, which can be combined with the Monday enchilada deal for extra savings.

Quiznos provides a daily "Sub of the Day" promotion, which on Monday features an 8" Classic Italian sub for $7.45. This offer is flexible, valid for pickup, delivery, or in-store orders.

Cotton Patch Texas offers a specific discounted entree for $9.99: a chicken fried steak. This deal appears to be available for dine-in or takeout, though specific ordering restrictions were not detailed in the source materials.

Taco Bell offers a $7 "Build Your Own Luxe Cravings Box" every day of the week, including Mondays. This box allows customers to choose a specialty item like a Crunchwrap, a taco or burrito, a side, and a drink. A Supreme version is available for $8, and a Classic Luxe Box is available for $5.

Subway offers a daily $7 meal deal that rotates each day of the week. On Mondays, the deal includes the Cold Cut Combo, a 20-ounce drink, and a choice of either a bag of chips or two cookies.

Granite City Brewery focuses on burgers on Mondays, offering $8 burgers or chicken sandwiches. They also offer $10 select specialty burgers, $10 pitchers, and $6 growler refills, though these specific pricing details are noted in some sources as being for dine-in only.

Uno Pizzeria & Grill offers a weekday lunch special available Monday through Friday until 3:00 p.m. This includes an individual Deep Dish or Chicago Thin Crust Pizza paired with a Garden or Caesar salad or soup.

Village Inn offers a $5 Crush Burger and a choice of side every Monday.

Cracker Barrel offers weekday specials on Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Monday specials include an $8.89 "Pick two Country Combos" and $9.69 Chicken n’ Dumplings. However, it is worth noting that another source lists Cracker Barrel Monday specials as "Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout n’ Turnip Greens," suggesting that menu availability may vary by location or year.

Famous Dave’s offers "Burger Mondays" for $4 with the purchase of any beverage. This deal is valid all day for dine-in only.

Genghis Grill offers "Kids Eat for $1.99" on Mondays starting at 4:00 p.m. This offer requires the purchase of an adult meal, is limited to two per table, and is not available for online ordering.

Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, and Wienerschnitzel all offer mobile app coupons that are valid every day of the week, including Mondays. While specific Monday-only deals are not detailed, these apps are a reliable source for daily savings.

Loyalty Programs and Rewards Member Exclusives

Several chains restrict their best Monday deals to members of their loyalty programs. Joining these programs is typically free and can be done via a mobile app or website.

Noah's New York Bagels offers rewards members 30% off a Baker's Dozen (13 bagels) every Monday.

Bruegger's Bagels offers a similar deal for rewards members: a Baker's Dozen for $9 on Mondays. Members must log in to their rewards account to activate the offer.

Einstein Bros. Bagels offers rewards members a baker’s dozen of bagels for $16 on Mondays.

Smoothie King offers a benefit for its Healthy Rewards members every Monday: double points on every purchase. While not a direct discount, earning double points accelerates the ability to redeem rewards for free smoothies in the future.

Dairy Queen offers a "Mobile Mondays" coupon every week for rewards members. The specific offer varies from week to week, but a common promotion is a Buy One Get One (BOGO) free coupon.

Sonic features a permanent $1.99 menu available every day, including Mondays. This menu includes items such as a Chili Cheese Coney, Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger, Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap, Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap, small tots, and 16-ounce Sonic Shakes.

McDonald’s offers "Free Fries Friday," which, while specific to Fridays, highlights the trend of app-based daily deals. On Mondays, consumers should check the McDonald’s app for available offers, though the specific Monday deal is not detailed in the provided source data.

Subway also offers a code for rewards club members: "FOOTLONGFAN" provides a buy-one-get-one-for-$1 deal on footlongs when ordering online. This code is valid for rewards club members and can be used on Mondays.

Kids Eat Free and Family Deals

For families, Mondays can be an economical day to dine out due to "Kids Eat Free" promotions.

Cowboy Chicken offers one free kid's meal (for children 10 and under) with the purchase of an adult entree every Monday. There is a limit of four free kids' meals per transaction.

Frisch’s offers a free kids meal for children 12 and under with the purchase of an adult meal of $6.98 or more. This deal is valid all day on Mondays.

Genghis Grill offers kids meals for $1.99 on Mondays starting at 4:00 p.m., as noted in the meal bundle section.

Specific Monday Promotions and Unique Offers

Some restaurants offer unique promotions that are specific to Mondays and do not fit neatly into other categories.

Smokey Bones offers BOGO (Buy One Get One) free wings every Monday. This is a recurring weekly special distinct from their Veterans Day offer.

TGI Fridays offers $0.50 wings every Monday starting at 5:00 p.m.

Wingstop offers $0.70 wings on Mondays.

Buca di Beppo celebrates "Meatball Mondays" with half-off spaghetti and meatballs.

Glory Days offers $10.99 specialty burgers with a choice of side every Monday. This deal is dine-in only.

IKEA offers $3 Veggie and Plant Ball plates at its food court locations. While not strictly a Monday-only deal, it is a consistent low-cost option available every day.

White Castle offers online coupons most days, including Mondays, such as buy-one-get-one-free combos.

Veterans Day and Military Freebies (Contextual Note)

While the search query specifically requested "restaurant freebies on a Monday," the provided source data includes significant information regarding Veterans Day deals. Veterans Day falls on November 11. If November 11 falls on a Monday, these deals would be relevant Monday freebies. However, if November 11 falls on a different day of the week, these deals are not applicable to a general Monday search. Since the source data does not specify the day of the week for Veterans Day 2025, these offers are listed here for context but should not be considered standard Monday offers.

  • Smokey Bones: Free entrée with one regular side on Nov. 11 (dine-in only, military ID required).
  • Smoothie King: Free 20-ounce smoothie (Strawberry X-Treme, Slim-N-Trim Vanilla, or Blueberry Heaven) on Nov. 11 between noon and 3:00 p.m. (no purchase necessary).
  • Sonny’s BBQ: Free Pork Big Deal on Nov. 11 (ID required).
  • Sullivan’s Steakhouse: Free Sullivan’s Signature Angus Burger with fries on Nov. 11 (dine-in only, ID required).
  • Taco John’s: Free small Beef Crispy Taco Combo or small Beef Softshell Taco Combo on Nov. 11 (ID required).
  • Teriyaki Madness: Free bowl of choice on Nov. 11 (ID required).
  • Santa Fe Cattle Co.: Free entrée from the Lunch Express Menu on Nov. 11 (dine-in only, ID required).
  • Scooter's Coffee: Free medium drink on Nov. 11 (ID required).
  • Sheetz: Free half turkey sub and regular fountain drink, plus a free $9 car wash on Nov. 11 (ID required).
  • Sizzler: Free lunch (choice of Half Dozen Crispy Shrimp, Malibu Chicken, or 6-ounce Tri-Tip Steak plus beverage) from opening until 4:00 p.m. on Nov. 11 (ID required, excludes Utah, Idaho, and Puerto Rico).

Conclusion

Mondays offer a diverse array of dining deals for U.S. consumers. The most consistent savings are found through loyalty programs at chains like Noah's New York Bagels, Bruegger's Bagels, and Dairy Queen. Value meal bundles at O'Charley's, Ruby Tuesday, and Taco Bell provide complete meals at low prices. For families, Cowboy Chicken and Frisch's offer free kids' meals with adult purchases. Specialty promotions like BOGO wings at Smokey Bones and discounted burgers at Granite City Brewery add variety. To maximize savings, consumers should download restaurant apps, join rewards programs, and verify offer restrictions, such as dine-in only requirements or specific ordering windows.

Sources

  1. The Krazy Coupon Lady
  2. Today
  3. Cheapism
  4. USA Today
  5. The Freebie Guy

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