11 Chain Restaurants Where Kids Can Eat For Free

For such little bodies, kids sure do eat a lot. Moreover, it costs a pretty penny to fuel those small, lovable humans. According to a comparison done by FinanceBuzz, the price of kids' meals has risen exponentially over the past decade. Some of the most popular food chains have raised their kids' meal prices over 50%, while others have upped the price between 20-40%. With the cost of raising children steadily on the rise, small breaks like a free lunch, dinner, or dessert is much appreciated. Despite some chains raising their prices, some restaurants have donned red superhero capes to offer parents this relief.

We've searched high and low for chain restaurants that go above and beyond for parents with their offerings for kids. Keep in mind that not all locations of these chains have the same availability or deals, and calling to confirm these offers that we've scoped out with your local store will help determine if they're right for you. Whether you're trying to have a nice meal out, squeezing in a quick bite on the go, or grabbing a small snack or dessert, these food companies often offer free options for kids.

The International House of Pancakes has been serving up short stacks and breakfast staples since the 1950s, and the iconic restaurant has become a tradition for many breakfast lovers. Families with kids can give their wallets a bit of a break by dining here, because kids eat free everyday.

Though breakfast menu items are available from open to close at IHOP, kids actually don't get a free pass during typical breakfast times — you'll need to come in after 4 p.m. to snag your children's meals for free. Most locations close at 10 p.m. during most of the week and midnight on Friday and Saturday. When we called locations to confirm their free kids' meal policy, franchises either claimed their cut off was 10 p.m. or 9 p.m. If you and your kids are night owls, check with your local IHOP or order before 9 p.m. to ensure they will honor the deal.

A price tag of free isn't the only thing that is ideal for parents with young kids. The kids' menu at IHOP is quite extensive, with plenty of options for the tiny foodies or picky kiddies. Most kid menus have three or four options, but this breakfast joint has eight full meals to choose from. Breakfast plates will still be available for kids during their free hours, as well as burgers, mac and cheese, and chicken tenders.

Every restaurant, from fast food to slower service establishments, seems to want you to download a store-specific app in order to start earning rewards with them. Chili's is no different, and as you use an email to register for the food app, you'll start receiving offers for free or discounted food. When you join Chili's rewards, you often receive deals for a free item off their "Pepper Pals" menu.

When it comes to food, kids seem to fall in one of two camps. One will pick at a full plate and end up eating ¼ of a sandwich and two baby carrots for the entire day. Another, on the other hand, will eat breakfast, brunch, two lunches, half a dinner, and three after dinner snacks. Either of these kids will typically go feral over a basket of warm tortilla chips, though, and Chili's reward members get free chips and salsa with every visit.

If you have a kid who has an appetite and wants a meal to themselves, though, Chili's comes in clutch with sporadic offers for a free kid's meal. They also provide your child with a coloring placemat and crayons to keep them occupied until their pizza, cheeseburger, or chicken strips come.

Ruby Tuesday has been around for over 50 years, which is plenty of time for families to craft generational traditions surrounding it. For the parents who grew up going here, they can now bond with their little ones over a warm meal and ample salad bar. If they time it right, parents can get away without paying for their kids' meals as well.

As long as you also order an adult meal, kid's meals are free all day every Friday and every Tuesday after 5 p.m. Ruby Tuesday has a decent selection of kid's meals to choose from, which is great for picky eaters or families with kids who have different tastes. Quesadillas, burgers, chicken tenders, and crispy shrimp are among the options available to kids, all of which comes paired with a side and drink.

The money saved thanks to free children's meals would be well spent on Ruby Tuesday's massive sundae. Both the brownie and caramel sundaes are perfect for a family to share. This, paired with taking advantage of the free children's meals, makes Ruby Tuesday ideal for a family who are trying to save money while also treating themselves.

A smash burger has become a phenomenon, with restaurants offering their own take on the compressed version of a cookout favorite. Though they didn't invent the smash burger, the official Smashburger restaurant serves up a tasty version of the style, and that applies for their kids' menu as well. The kids' menu burger is made the same way as the adult burger, and on Wednesdays, it's free when you dine in.

Every Wednesday with the purchase of an adult meal, Smashburger offers free meals from their kids' menu. The menu consists of burgers and chicken tenders, each option coming with fries and a drink. It may be a limited menu, but we'd take free over endless options any day. The deal is ongoing through 2024, but it's very possible the promotion becomes a permanent staple for the restaurant. Though not all locations participate, Smashburger makes it simple in offering a master list of which locations across the country offer the free meals.

If Southwestern food is your thing, you and your kids are in luck. Moe's Southwest Grill offers their kid menu items for free on Sundays — or, at least, some of them seem to. We investigated the claim that the build-your-own meal style restaurant was giving out kids' meals, and some locations confirmed that kids eat free there on Sundays. One location we contacted told us they did not participate.

These simple inconsistencies may be one reason Moe's Southwest Grill may not be around much longer. While it's still kicking, though, it sounds like a lot of locations are participating in the practice of free meals for kids on Sundays. Each kids' meal comes with a cookie, drink, and chips and salsa in addition to the entrée. If you're interested in taking advantage of this weekend deal, it's a good idea to call your local Moe's to confirm they offer the promotion.

To qualify for a cost-less kid's meal, you'll need to pair it with an adult meal at full price. As per our conversations with Moe's employees, the deal is a 1:1 ratio. This means that a family of four with two adults and two children could all get a meal at the cost of just two adult meals. That makes for a pretty good Sunday family lunch or dinner.

Arguably one of the best desserts in fast food is a Krispy Kreme "hot now" donut, and despite a common Krispy Kreme myth, the company only occasionally gives these out for free. To get your child a free "hot now" donut, you must time it just right. These warm, melt-in-your-mouth tastes of heaven are typically only available under the neon glow of the shop's "hot now" sign. Additionally, Krispy Kreme's free donut deal for kids comes with the stipulation that they've done well in school. The donut company encourages children to get A's on their report card by offering up a free donut for every A shown on their report. Maybe a donut is still a dentist's nightmare, but who said this sugary treat can't do a kid some good?

There are a few other occasions throughout the year where you can score your little ones a free donut. The donut company also often offers free donut promotions for special occasions, like on national donut day and if you come in wearing a costume on Halloween. Rewards members also score free donuts during their birthday month, simply input your child's birthday month if you want to transfer the perk to them. Of course, it's not just the "hot now" donuts that are free here. Typically kids can choose any basic donuts, and depending on the occasion, a premium donut.

One of the untold truths of Bob Evans is that it started as a homestead, which is a pretty solid origin story for a breakfast joint known for down-home food. They're like a more Southern, homier version of IHOP, and their kids' meals are cute to boot. Pig shaped pancakes, french toast arranged as a tic-tac-toe game, and double dipping fun can be found on their kids' menu, along with 10 other thoughtful items. While the restaurant doesn't offer free meals to children daily, you can snag some on Tuesdays.

Unfortunately, you have to order on the app for this deal, but a free kiddie meal is worth a couple extra steps. To get this discount on your purchase, you must also select an adult entrée on the app. Fortunately, though, Bob Evans allows for up to three children's meals to be discounted to $0 as long as each one is accompanied by a counteracting adult meal.

Ordering on the app does not mean you can't dine in, though. Unlike a lot of other food and restaurant apps, Bob Evans' allows you to order on the app and pay at the table. Of course, if your local locations offer it, you can also order for delivery — but you won't receive the kids discount this way.

Though the TV series based around it ended after 10 seasons back in 2019, the burger spot is still very much alive and well. Still owned by the Wahlberg brothers, who have eight children between the three of them, Wahlburgers is incredibly kid friendly. While kids don't eat free here every day of the year, the company typically runs one or two "kids eat free" promotions a year. Each of these promotions have been different, either falling on a different day of the week or everyday for months at a time. Promotions also vary from location to location, so check with local Wahlburgers to get the exact deets. 

Wahlburgers keeps it simple for those wanting to stay up to date with their special promotions, as they offer a rewards app. In addition to these sporadic promotions, frequent diners can earn free food by collecting points or just maintaining the app on their phone, where offers will drop regularly. Hot dogs, mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and, of course, burgers are all options on the 12 and under menu. If you happen to live close to one of the approaching 100 locations, Wahlburgers is often a great option for grabbing a free meal for your kid.

Kids have to eat, and busy lives make drive-thru kids' meals a near necessity on occasion. It certainly helps when this fast food splurge is a free one, as Wendy's often offers its app users deals for free children's meals. Of course, these aren't drive-thru only, you could order inside and have a sit-down meal with your little(s).

The catch here is that you must have the app, and you typically have to purchase a combo meal. The offer is usually a free kids' meal when you purchase a premium combo, which is pretty much any of the numbered meals on their menu that come accompanied with fries and a drink. While an offer can be paired with an earned reward on the app, you will not be able to claim more than one free kid's meal unless you have 450 points to redeem.

The Wendy's app changes its offers often, and a free kids' meal isn't always up for grabs. However, it is available often enough to warrant a place here. Keeping the Wendy's app on your phone and checking whenever the need for a quick meal solution arises will often result in the opportunity for your kid to eat free. That being said, Wendy's has other offers that will fill the bellies of babes just fine without the title of "kids' meal" attached to it. Their free fry Friday deal is perfect for a light eater or quick on-the-go snack.

Families with picky eaters or a lot of mouths to feed likely look toward buffets as a saving grace when it comes to feeding everyone without complaint. Buffets typically have a standard price per head, though, which can be unnecessarily hard on the wallet when you have young children. Little ones don't eat enough to warrant buffet pricing and may be better served sampling off of a parent's plate. Luckily, Golden Corral waives the fee for children 3 years old and younger.

Additionally, Golden Corral has lowered prices for older children. Those who are over 3 years old but under 9 years old have a reduced price of around $6 – $7. Older kids under 13 years old cost about a dollar more for access to the buffet. Anyone 13 and older is considered an adult when it comes to endless food at Golden Corral, which will run diners around $12 each. With that being said, exact prices will vary from location to location.

These reduced or non-existent costs for kids has pretty great value, especially since so many food options are available. This is a great option for parents of young children who are exploring new foods. Instead of buying and preparing countless foods that end up being refused and wasted, tiny portions can be tried before making a bigger commitment. Try out all of Golden Corral's best (and worst) menu items, and your baby's 100 foods before 1 challenge will be boosted way ahead of schedule.

For a lot of people, ice cream holds some of the very best childhood memories. Luckily, Bruster's recognizes this by offering free ice cream to the smallest of kids. Their free kid cone policy is kind of like a roller coaster in that you have to be a certain height to ride. However, it's the kids who can't quite touch the height line that gets the free pass instead of the ones who surpass it.

Children who are below 40 inches tall according to the measuring post Bruster's have near their ordering window receive a free baby cone. 40 inches isn't much, and would typically apply to children around four years of age or even younger. The baby cone consists of one minor scoop of ice cream sitting atop a miniature sugar cone. It's the perfect size for a tiny human to hold with ease, and it doesn't matter which day you stop by for a free kids' ice cream, as their policy has no time constraints.

For everyone who often screams for ice cream at Bruster's, free ice cream is achievable through the app as well. If you have a small child who qualifies for the free ice cream and an older kid who has grown out of it, redeeming points for a $5 off reward is a great way to take the kids out for a treat for a $0 price tag.