Thanks to inflation, groceries are 11.4% more expensive than they were at this time last year. And they weren’t exactly cheap in January 2022, either. Dining out is also more expensive, but it’s only up 8.3% year over year, which means that at least sometimes it’s cheaper to order food in than it is to cook it yourself. In fact, there are still a handful of restaurants where you can find family meal deals for under $20.
Under $20, you ask? Pffff, but how? Seriously, there are some restaurants with dedicated family meal deals that cost less than two Hamiltons, while others require a little menu hacking. But hey, that’s what we’re here for.
Here are six restaurants that can help you fight inflation with family meal deals for under $20.
But first, make sure you download the KCL app to learn how to get the best deal on all of your household shopping, whether it’s at the grocery store or a restaurant.
1. Wendy’s 4 for $4 and Biggie Bags
Wendy’s currently has a couple of deals that can help feed your family for under $20.
Let’s say you have a family of four. You can get 4 Biggie Bags for $5 each. Each bag comes with a 4-piece chicken nugget, small fry, small drink, and your choice of:
Crispy Chicken BLT
Double Stack
Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger
Have even more mouths to feed? You can feed up to five people with the 4 for $4 deal. This comes with:
4-piece chicken nuggets
Jr. cheeseburger
Jr. Fry
Value drink
Related: Learn how to hack the Wendy’s menu for cheap food everyday.
2. Half-Gallon Soups From Olive Garden
Most Olive Garden family meal deals breach the $20 mark. But during these cold months when you just want to be warm and cozy, you can take advantage of the half-gallon soup deal where you get your choice of:
Chicken & gnocchi soup
Pasta e fagioli soup
Minestrone soup
Zuppa Toscana
A half-gallon feeds up to six people and will run you just $17.29.
TIP: Olive Garden family meal deals might be too expensive to meet the $20 mark, but they’re still a great value. You’re essentially getting each bundle for 50% off what you’d normally pay.
3. Pizza Hut delivers enough pizza for the whole brood for $19.98
Pizza Hut does have a pretty good deal on their Big Dinner Boxes, but they cost $25.99.
You can feed your family for less with two large 1-topping pizzas for $9.99 each. This delivery-only offer will cost you a grand total of $19.98. Although keep in mind, you’ll have to pay any delivery fees and, of course, a tip. So while the food comes in under $20, the add-ons for delivery will cost you. Factor that in and consider whether you should just go with the Big Dinner Boxes, which are $25.99 for carryout and will save you the cost of delivery and tip.
TIP: Seriously, the Big Dinner Boxes, aka Triple Treat Boxes, are a great deal. See if they make more sense for your family for just a little bit more money.
4. Domino’s Perfect Combo for $19.99
Currently, Domino’s is running a deal called the Perfect Combo, and it’s value-packed. For just $19.99 you get:
2 medium 1-topping pizzas
16-piece Parmesan Bread Bites
8-piece Cinnamon Twists
2-liter of Coke
Related: Check out these 18 genius tips to get Domino’s Pizza deals.
5. Build Your Own Family Meal Deal at Burger King
There is a bundle deal at Burger King that goes for $22, but we’re going to show you how to hack current Burger King deals to feed your family for under $20.
This mix-and-match option can feed four people, depending on your appetites:
$7 Whopper and small fry
2 Original Chicken Sandwiches and 2 small fries ($7.99) OR 2 Whopper Jr. Sandwiches and 2 small fries ($6.99)
Large fries and choice of 9-piece Chicken Fries or 8-piece Chicken Nuggets ($4.49)
The total cost of this DIY family meal deal is $18.48 – $19.48, depending on if you get the Whopper Juniors or Original Chicken Sandwiches.
TIP: You can score the best deals with Burger King Rewards. Check out how Burger King stacks up against McDonald’s in this respect.
6. Rise and shine with Panera Family Feast Value Meals
If you’re eating lunch, Panera’s family meal deals are just a little too expensive to make the under $20 list. But for breakfast? They’ve got you covered.
For $15.99, you can get the Fresh Baked Goods Feast, which includes six total items, chosen from any combination of the following items:
Bear claw
Blueberry muffin
Cranberry orange muffin
Pumpkin muffin
Vanilla cinnamon roll
So for example, you can get two blueberry muffins and one of everything else. Or five pumpkin muffins and one vanilla cinnamon roll. Choose your own adventure.
Your other option is their Breakfast Sandwich Feast, which gives you your choice of four of the following:
Bacon, scrambled egg, and cheese on Ciabatta
Chipotle chicken, scrambled egg, and avocado on Ciabatta
Avocado, egg white, and spinach
Bacon, scrambled egg, and cheese on Brioche
Sausage, scrambled egg, and cheese on Brioche
Sausage, egg, and cheese on Brioche
Scrambled egg and cheese on Brioche
Scrambled egg and cheese on Ciabatta
Egg and cheese on Brioche
This second option runs you just $14.99 total.
TIP: Here’s how to make Panera prices even cheaper.
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