Today Show Tip: Save When Dining Out!

Wow!  This segment from the Today show really opened my eyes about how important it is to be aware and observant when choosing foods from a menu.  Apparently, most restaurants hire a specialist to place items in a way that will encourage patrons to order the pricier food!  Who knew there was an actual psychology to creating menus!

Some of the tricks restaurants use is burying the price under the food description, removing dollar signs all together and putting overpriced food next to something that is so ridiculous (like a $1000 lobster frittata – yes, one thousand dollars) that it looks reasonable.  How sneaky!

The money-saving tips didn’t stop there, though.  One thing that was suggested was that you consider eating an appetizer instead of an entree which is particularly reasonable since portions are now so large.  Another tip is to find places that allow you to bring your own beverage (BYOB) to save money on overpriced soft drinks and alcohol.  A final suggestion was to befriend the bartender (I wonder if this works better for women than for men…).  I don’t eat out much anymore but I will definitely keep these things in mind when I do go out!