ELLIOTT: Five Ways to Cut Meal Costs

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Five Ways to Cut Meal Costs
The Travel Tightwad · February 11, 2002

On a recent visit to Palm Beach, Fla., I had a rare opportunity to dine at L'Escalier, a five-diamond French restaurant at The Breakers. Its menu featured exotic dishes like duck confit in feuille de brique and deux souffles, the wine list was heavier than an encyclopedia, and the service impeccable. If I could eat this way every time I traveled, I'd never stay home.

Then again, if I ate like this every time I traveled, I'd also declare personal bankruptcy in no time. And if you're reading this column, chances are you would too. So how do you lower your meal expenses when you're on the road without going on a hungerstrike?

1. Get someone else to pay. This is the Travel Tightwad's favorite moneysaving strategy, but there's also a downside. You don't get to pick the restaurant, for starters. So if you don't like seafood and your host does, well, then you're out of luck. Also, the pressure's on the next time you're at dinner for you to pick up the tab (the 'ol quid-pro-quo thing). Use this method judiciously.

2. Eat when everyone else isn't. That's a favorite strategy of John Ortman, who manages a wholesale business in Quito, Ecuador, and travels frequently. He prefers early-bird specials, which typically knock a few dollars off the price of the meal. "And remember," he adds. "Lunch, not dinner, is the deal." He's right: Some lunch menus feature practically the same entrees as dinner, except that they're anywhere from 15 to 30 percent cheaper. If you're going to eat at a restaurant, make it lunch.

3. Become a member of iDine. You can either earn airline miles when you eat at a participating restaurant or save 20 percent off your entire bill, including food, beverages, tax, and tip. There's no annual fee to join iDine, the airline mileage program, and iDine Prime, the one that reduces every restaurant bill, now allows you to earn your annual fee. Frequent travelers have tipped each other off about iDine for a while, but I've found that even occasional travelers can save a significant amount of money with these incentives.

4. Two words: free breakfast. Debbie Wood, a rancher from Colorado Springs, CO, says she tries to stay in hotels that include breakfasts in the price of her stay. "Our favorite breakfast buffets are at the Hampton Inn," she says. Another breakfast worth recommending is served at the Best Western hotel chain. I can't get enough of the make-your-own waffles, which are almost enough to tide you over until dinner. All told, staying at a property that includes breakfast can save you up to $10 a day.

5. The grocery store is your friend. Finally, the obvious: A restaurant isn't the only place to eat. I'll take a home-cooked meal (even a bad one) over fast food any day of the week. In resort areas, it seems that grocery stores are hidden from public view to force visitors to dine out. But even the locals have to buy their food somewhere (I ought to know, I live in a resort area). Take a cooler along to make your groceries last longer, and use the in-room refrigerator. (Word of warning: DO NOT clear out the minibar to make room for your groceries. New minibars have sensors that detect motion. You'll get billed for the items you move.)

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.