If it's your birthday today, happy birthday! If it's not today, that's ok, this article still works for you - just save it for the big day.
Everyone has, probably as a teenager, told a waiter that it was their friend's birthday to see if they'd get a free dessert with their meal. Sometimes this gamble pays off, but often, it can land you with a slice of cake added to your bill.
How can you avoid this travesty? Consult this list of restaurants that offer birthday freebies. They range from a dessert to ice cream to a full breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes (God bless America!).
These restaurants all offer a treat to the birthday person, usually with purchase of an entree, but some don't even require you to buy anything at all. There are many other offers that require an email sign-up, but we're here to tell you about the freebies that won't end up flooding your email with spam about a new pasta dish or updated terms of service.
These 12 establishments will help make your birthday a happier one because there's nothing better on this planet than free food. Be sure to bring an official piece of government-issued ID with you to any of these restaurants, because many require verification before they give you your well-earned free food.
1. Krispy Kreme gives you a free doughnut and a drink.
2. Denny's gives you a free "original Grand Slam" - that's a whole hefty breakfast for free.
3. Pretzelmaker gives you a free order of pretzel bites, which they refer to as Birthday Bites when it's your special day.
4. The Cheesecake Factory gives you a cup of ice cream for dessert.
5. Marie Callender's gives you a free slice of pie, plus $5 off your bill.
6. Outback Steakhouse gives you a free kids-sized sundae with chocolate syrup.
7. Margaritaville gives you a free sundae with chocolate syrup, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top.
8. Ike's Place gives you a free sandwich.
9. Frost a Gelato Shoppe gives you a "Frostbite," which is an order of gelato dipped in chocolate.
10. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse gives you a box of chocolate truffles.
11. Cracker Barrel gives you a free dessert.
12. Corner Bakery Cafe gives you a free pastry, slice of cake, cookie or bar.
