If you're going somewhere local, Restaurant.com is a fantastic option. You type in your zip code and it gives you a list of restaurant choices in your area. You then purchase a $25 gift certificate to that restaurant, but Restaurant.com only charges you $10 (or sometimes a $10 gift certificate costs $3). The purpose behind the website is to encourage local patrons to frequent locally-owned restaurants, rather than chains. I especially like this because, for me, it's always a little nerve-wracking to go to a new restaurant and possibly spend quite a lot of money on a sub-par restaurant. This way, you get to try a new and unique restaurant without spending quite as much. The only caveat is that some restaurants require a minimum purchase (usually $35 to $45) or at least 2 entrees. Restaurant.com lists applicable restrictions, so you don't have to worry about surprises. There are also seasonal discounts around holidays or graduation times, when you can get even better deals, like a $25 gift certificate for $4 or $5.

If you’re planning on going to a chain restaurant, you should absolutely not walk out the door without doing a quick check for online coupons. There are numerous websites that collect coupons you can print:

Wow Coupons
Money Mailer
ValPak
Thokalath

Many chains also have coupons right on their website that you can print:

Carl's Junior
Boston Market
Chuck E. Cheese
Pizza Hut
Quizno's
Schlotzky's

Most national chains have some version of a "Kids Eat Free" deal, though it's usually one night a week, and often contingent on buying an adult meal for every free kids meal. At Denny's, for instance, kids eat free on Tuesday nights from 4-10 p.m. and you can get two free kids entrees for every adult meal purchased. The website also says that, in some areas, kids eat free on Saturday nights too, which would be worth looking into. TGI Fridays, Bennigans, IHOP, Roadhouse Grill, and dozens of other restaurants do the same thing, although the day of the week varies by location, so you'll want to call ahead to find out. If you make a list of all the restaurants in your area that have a kid's night, you might keep it in your glove box so you can decide on a restaurant at a moment's notice.

Additionally, some restaurants have programs for kids that reward them with free meals (someone else is willing to provide the incentive for you!). Many libraries have a summer reading program with free food coupons for local restaurants that are distributed to children who accomplish reading goals. The Old Spaghetti Factory website allows you to print a coupon, have your child read five books, and once you sign the coupon, it's good for a free meal.

Kids Birthday Clubs are hugely popular at most restaurant chains (for good reason; you bring your one child for free and pay to feed the rest of your family). Just register your child and, around their birthday, they'll receive a coupon for a free meal, dessert, or both. Best of all, you can register for most of them online and then not think about it again until your coupon shows up at your child's birthday.

The Old Spaghetti Factory
Denny's
California Pizza Kitchen
Baskin Robbins
Friendly's
Cold Stone Creamery (any age!)

Keep an eye out for special events. Besides the free food, these are usually just fun community opportunities to attend with your family and friends. Ben and Jerry's has an annual "Free Scoop Day" on April 17th. Chick-Fil-A celebrates "Cow Appreciation Day" on July 13th, where you can get a free meal if you dress up as a cow (or wear some sort of cow print accessory). Our local Chipotle recently gave a free burrito, salad, or set of tacos to anyone who brought in non-perishable food items on a designated day. We stood in line for about fifteen minutes and saw several other families from our ward, enjoying the evening out.

When you go out for fast food, make sure to check out the dollar menu. Nearly every fast food restaurant has one these days and my husband and I love Jack-in-the-Box's two tacos, Wendy's Junior Cheeseburger Deluxe, or McDonald's Hot n' Spicy Chicken sandwiches, all of which cost only a dollar. It’s a great thing to drive away with a full bag of food and to only have spent six or seven dollars.

Since I've started looking for coupons and special offers, I've been amazed by how many automatically turn up in my mailbox, even without taking the newspaper. There seem to be an especially large number of fast food and pizza coupons, which are handy for nights when you need something quickly. New restaurants, too, tend to be liberal with coupons. I cut out any that look appealing and throw the rest of the coupons away so they don't clutter up my house. I’ve recently started keeping all my coupons tucking in an envelope in the glove box of our car so I can pick up a pizza whenever the mood strikes, or we can go straight to dinner after picking my husband up from work. Plus, if we only spend $4.99 on a large pizza, I feel much better about not making a real meal.

With minimal effort, you should be able to save a considerable amount of money when you go out to eat with your family and maximize the dollars you do spend. And when you’re done, you can just walk away from the dirty dishes and return to your wonderfully unsullied kitchen.

More ways to save:

• Get something you'll really enjoy and are unlikely to have made at  home. Even if it's a few dollars more expensive, you'll feel better about having spent money on something you really enjoyed, rather than on a disappointing meal.

• If you have a group of people, consider getting several entrees to share. That way you taste a number of different items, you  can often order less than an entree per person, and you won't end up with as much wasted food.

• If you have leftovers, be sure to box them to take home. You can have them for lunch or dinner the next day.

• If your kids mostly like to get the same things when you eat out (chicken fingers or macaroni and cheese, for instance), check out the adult menu to see if you can get them in a less expensive form than the kids meal. You may be able to get a side of mac and cheese for only a dollar or two or a chicken fingers basket off the appetizers menu that will have enough for several kids.

• If you're not very hungry, start with an appetizer or split a meal with someone. You can always order something else if necessary, but I'm surprised by how often I'm almost full on breadsticks and chips before my food even comes, and then I find myself staring at a plate of food that suddenly seems less interesting then it did twenty minutes before.

• Water is almost always free at a restaurant, so you can save up to three dollars per person if you order water instead of soda or another beverage. (And, of course, water is far more nutritious than soda).

• MoneyInstructor.com suggestions "Many people spend too much money on eating out because they eat out too frequently and don’t plan it into their week. Pick one night a week or every other week to go out, decide in advance which restaurant you want to go to, and even pick up a menu in advance of that night. This will help you plan how much you will spend that night, as well as choosing your food in advance!"