The annual tax filing deadline in the United States often coincides with a variety of promotional offers from restaurants and retail chains. For the 2019 tax season, numerous brands announced special deals, discounts, and free items available on or around Tax Day, typically April 15. These promotions range from free food with purchase to discounted beverages and exclusive menu items. This article provides a detailed overview of the verified offers available during that period, based on information from promotional listings and news reports.
Verified Tax Day Offers and Eligibility
The following offers were identified in the source materials for Tax Day 2019. It is important to note that many of these deals were valid only on specific dates or required specific actions, such as signing up for loyalty programs or presenting coupons.
National and Regional Restaurant Chains
Several major food chains offered significant discounts and free items to celebrate the tax deadline.
- Smoothie King: Customers could save $2 on any 20-ounce smoothie using the Healthy Rewards app. This offer was valid from April 15 through April 18. The brand operates approximately 1,000 store locations across the United States.
- Sonic Drive-in: Sonic offered half-price drinks and slushies through its mobile app on Tax Day. This deal is available at Sonic locations nationwide.
- Schlotsky’s: This chain provided a free small "The Original" sandwich with the purchase of chips and a medium drink. No coupon was required for this offer, which was available at all 336 locations across 24 states.
- Slim Chickens: A "Chick’s Meal" consisting of three tenders, two pieces of Texas Toast, a side, and a medium drink was available for $5.99 on Tax Day. Locations are found nationwide.
- Sonny’s BBQ: The chain featured a half-price "Irresistible Ribs Special" (IRS) on April 15. Participating locations are in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
- Round Table Pizza: Rewards members could order a large or extra-large pizza and receive a personal pizza with up to four toppings for $4.18 on Tax Day. Additionally, members of the Round Table birthday club receive free food on their birthday. The chain has more than 450 locations in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
- Sauce Pizza & Wine: Dine-in customers could purchase beer and wine for $4.15 on Tax Day 2019. Locations are in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
- Smokey Bones BBQ: Loyalty members were eligible to receive $10 off a purchase of $25 by using a coupon sent via email.
- Red Lobster: A coupon for $5 off two dinner entrees or $3 off two lunch entrees was available, expiring on April 22. The brand encourages customers to sign up for the Red Lobster rewards club for additional freebies and discounts. Red Lobster locations are found nationwide.
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: On April 17, the chain offered Tuesday taco specials all day, extending beyond the usual select hours. Locations are in California, Arizona, and Nevada.
- Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery: This chain offered $5 off any $15 purchase, valid until April 21. Locations are spread across several states, including Colorado, Illinois, California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- 7-Eleven: Customers could order a $5 pizza through the 7NOW delivery service on Tax Day.
- Acapulco: The restaurant offered $3 margaritas. Signing up for the Acapulco eclub provides a free appetizer upon signup and a free entree on one's birthday. Locations are in Southern California.
- Applebees: The chain featured $5 "Springtime Sips" and a bonus $10 gift card with the purchase of a $50 Applebees gift card. Applebees is located in all 50 states.
- Arby’s: A free "Value Curly Fries" was offered on Tax Day. Additionally, joining the Arby’s VIP Extras Club provided 50% off any sandwich, and members receive a free shake and free fries on their birthday.
- B.Good: Customers could download the free app to receive a free green or grain bowl or a burger through April 20. Existing app users could get free fries with any purchase. Locations are in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas.
- Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt (now Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salad): A free small frozen yogurt was available on Tax Day by mentioning the offer when ordering. Locations are in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
- Bite Squad and Waitr: These delivery services offered no delivery fee with a $20 purchase using the promo code TAXDAY19. Bite Squad serves Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
- Fresh Brothers: A two-topping cauliflower crust pizza was available for $10 on Tax Day 2019 (April 15 and 16). Locations are in Southern California.
- Frutta Bowls: The WOWorks family of restaurants, including Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek, and Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, offered select menu items for $6 all day on Tax Day. Frutta Bowls has 41 locations in states including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- Godfathers Pizza: A large one-topping pizza and Monkey Bread were available for $10.40 using the code 8011E on April 18 only. The chain has over 1,200 locations nationwide.
- Great American Cookie: Customers received one free Original Chocolate Chip Cookie at participating stores on April 18.
- CiCi’s Pizza: A coupon allowed customers to get a free large pizza with the purchase of a large pizza and a drink. CiCi’s has nearly 300 locations nationwide.
- Cinnabon: Two free Classic Bites were offered; customers should check with local restaurants for participation. Cinnabon is found in almost every state.
- Corner Bakery: A free hazelnut cold brew coffee was available with purchase on Tax Day. Locations are in numerous states, including California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
- Dunkin’ Donuts: DD Perks loyalty members could get a medium hot or iced coffee for $1 at participating restaurants nationwide.
- Einstein Bros. Bagels: A coupon for a free egg sandwich with purchase was valid until May 2. Joining the Shmear Society Rewards provides a free bagel & schmear for signing up. The company has over 700 locations in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
- Farmer Boys: Customers could pay $10.40 for two Breakfast Burritos or two Double Big Cheeses on Tax Day at participating locations. There are over 100 restaurants in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
- Firehouse Subs: A coupon allowed customers to get a free sub with the purchase of another sub. A free sub is also available on one's birthday when joining the eclub.
- Noodles & Company: NoodlesREWARDS members could take $4 off online and mobile orders of at least $10. This required signing up for the rewards program by April 9.
- Mountain Mike's Pizza: Customers could get $3 off a large pizza with code "481658" or $8 off any two large pizzas with code "883457" on April 15.
- Melt Shop: In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, Melt Shop offered the "Notorious CHZ" sandwich starting at $6.99 through April 30.
Retail and Other Offers
- Staples: The source material indicates a free offer of "up to 1 lb," though the specific item is not detailed in the provided text. Staples also offers free and discounted paper shredding services closer to the tax deadline.
- Ruby Tuesday: The chain was giving away $500,000 in gift cards and free food. Customers could enter by making a purchase or using an alternate method of entry.
Terms and Verification Status
The source materials include a disclaimer stating that offers marked with an asterisk (*) had not yet been verified for the current year (2019) at the time of publication. Consumers were advised to stay tuned for updates. Many offers required specific actions to redeem, such as:
- Joining Loyalty Programs: Several deals were exclusive to members of brand loyalty clubs or rewards programs (e.g., Noodles & Company, Smokey Bones BBQ, Round Table Pizza).
- Using Mobile Apps: Offers from Smoothie King and Sonic Drive-in required the use of their respective mobile applications.
- Presenting Coupons: Some deals required physical or digital coupons (e.g., Red Lobster, Rock Bottom Restaurant).
- Geographic Restrictions: While many brands are nationwide, some offers were limited to specific states or regions (e.g., Sauce Pizza & Wine, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Fresh Brothers).
Conclusion
Tax Day 2019 offered a wide array of food-related deals and freebies for consumers. The promotions ranged from free items with purchase to significant discounts on meals and beverages. To successfully redeem these offers, consumers typically needed to pay attention to specific dates, join loyalty programs, use mobile apps, or present coupons. Availability was often limited to participating locations, and consumers were advised to verify the details of unconfirmed offers directly with the brands.