Free Food: These National Restaurants Are Giving It Away To Win You Back

Several national restaurant chains are giving away free food to entice people back to their restaurants. Get yours with our handy list of free food near you.

By Rick Gonzales | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Got the quarantine blues? Has the ‘Rona been keeping you down? True, there have been quite a few who have refused to let the coronavirus slow them down, while others have been staying inside, practicing proper social distancing. As portions of the USA prepare to slowly open again to the public, we wonder (as do they) just how do businesses bring the public out of the “comfort” and safety of their homes? Will the simple fact that businesses have their OPEN sign in the doorway be enough? The best way is always the free way.

Several national restaurant chains are giving away free food to entice people back to their restaurants. Get yours with our handy list of free food near you.

MCDONALD’S

May has seen free food fly off the shelf and if not free food, then free deliveries. Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut have been but a few chains that have been pumping out free deals for those of us (and those others) who have been locked away quarantine-style. The one chain that has not been heard from is the biggie: McDonald’s. That changes now. McDonalds is giving away free french fries.

For a $1 dollar purchase from their menu, McDonald’s, through June 28, is giving away a free medium-sized bag of French fries. The small catch is that they only give away free fries on Fridays. They call it, “Free Fries on Fry Day”.

But wait, is there another catch? Well, of course there is, you can’t expect life to be so easy, can you? Those who wish to cash in on the free fries Fry Day will have to use McDonald’s Mobile Order & Pay app after 11 am. Then find the “deals” section and have at it. You’ll have to be a registered user, but once registered you get one free fry (in a bag, of course) per registered user.

STEAK ‘N SHAKE

Not only is Steak ‘n Shake trying to do McDonald’s one better, but they are also trying to do McDonald’s six times better. Steak ‘n Shake is offering free fries DAILY. That means every single day.

Steak n’ Shake calls this big free food giveaway “We’re All Essential”. The chains first free fry giveaway is centered around (and rightfully so) the essential workers. It was a hit for those areas that had Steak ‘n Shake franchises in them. But SNS CEO Sardar Biglari said in a recent statement, “In such challenging times, we would like to do our part for our communities by giving our free fries to all.”

Here is how it works: Go to the Steak n Shake drive-thru. Get your free fries. That’s it. As far as anyone knows, there is no minimum purchase required, though ordering at least a soda would be the proper thing to do, right? There is no end date on the books for this every day free fries.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY

Want cheesecake? Well, look no further because this week (unfortunately this week only, for now) the Cheesecake Factory is offering up free food. Merely order yourself a lunch (actually order between opening time and 4:30 p.m.) and customers will get either a free slice of cheesecake, a small plate/snack, or a complimentary kid’s entrée.

You only need to spend $15 or more to receive one of these items. Of course, there are a few details (the devils always in them!). You must order through DoorDash, the Cheesecake Factory’s delivery partner and it must also be for same-day delivery or pickup. You must use the code LUNCHTREAT at checkout and your free food will be on its way.

It is nice to see restaurants offering up freebies for a public finding it difficult to remain inside and many of whom have limited means of cash flow. Stick together, we are going to come out on the other side of this one way or another.