Going International!

Over the weekend we started the Kids Eat Free push into Canada. I'm super excited about that since they too have great offers! You will still see Yelp reviews and kid menus when they are available.

I will be adding Canada both to the iPhone and Android applications in the next few weeks. So, if you know a kids eat free offer anywhere in Canada, add it. Tell your friends that live there so they can add offers too.

Restaurant owners in Canada have the same features too. They can sign up for a free Owners account to help maintain their offer to ensure accuracy. So spread the word, add some deals and away we go.

Don't forget, if you want to see features added, send me feedback! I love hearing what you have to say. My products are to make your lives easier.

New Owners Page.

We are now catering not only to parents but also restaurants. Now restaurant owners and managers can sign up to either claim a restaurant or add their restaurant to our database. We are the only kids eat free product where it's always free to add kids eat for specials. The great thing about us is you see the offer information instantly after saving it. Now the owners and managers can help add to the database.

You as the owner or manager can sign up for your account for free, edit your restaurant information. We are still in beta but will be adding features as time goes one. Be sure to let us know what features you'd like to see added so we can make this an easy to use product. Owners can go here to start signing up now.

Remember, we are free and would love you your to claim your restaurant.

Humble Pie

We were finally able to eat there. I have read quite a few good reviews and have been wanting to try it since they offer a kids eat free night. We were going to try is a few Saturday's ago but it was really busy and not so "kid friendly". We were down there yesterday so we stopped in.

It was Sunday evening, nice since it wasn't busy, we were able to watch part of the Sunday night football game. We were able to order from the happy hour menu and still get two kids meals free. The Hubby and I ordered two 8" pizza Margherita pizzas for $5.00 each, I ordered a water (free), he had a Coke ($2.95), Youngling ordered Pasta with red sauce ($5.95, drink included) and Little Man had a Cheese Pizza ($5.95, drink included).

As you can see before the discount we were at $25.44, after the kids meals were taken off we were down to $13.54. Also, when you're figuring out a tip, be nice and tip on the amount before the discount was taken off. I hear a lot of complaining from wait staff about this and some restaurants have stopped kids eat free nights not only because of that but also the way staff has been treated by families. We need to be on our best behaviors as well or else these great finds will go away.

We're Updating.

We have a great new update in review with Apple as we speak right now. We have made the UI much easier to use plus added some great features. On the web site we already added Kid Menus and Restaurant Reviews, courtesy of Yelp!. Now we have added those great features to the iPhone.

I know you will like the new design. Instead of everything being on one page, we've broken it up. When you first launch the app, the Nearby is still the same. After choosing an offer, there are up to four screens you will have. The first screen has the restaurant name, address, phone number and the days the offer is going on. Tap the screen again, it becomes larger and you're able to add to your Favorites, call the restaurant and also see Yelp! reviews. Tap to go back.

Flick your finger to move to the next screen which is the information about the offer and the voting tools. If the description is on the longer side, you can also tap to enlarge. Flick again to get to the Map screen. You can tap to also enlarge, then you're given two buttons, Show Route and also Show My Location. The last screen will be the menu. Again tap to enlarge. If the menu is large you're able to scroll to see it all.

We have also added an extra button to the navigation bar, Favorites. You can add your favorites by tapping on the first screen to enlarge is. The star about 3/4 of the way down will turn yellow to show it's been selected. If it's not what you wanted you can always tap it again to deselect it. As you add favorites, a number will show up on the favorites icon.

You can see a sneak peek of the new update here. If you would like to see more screen shots you can always find me on Twitter, I'll be happy to send you more or answer any questions you may have. Don't forget that we are always looking to hear from you on how to make our site better. Be sure to click on the Feedback tab to share.

YC's Mongolian Grill

I have never felt so badly after eating here. I don't care how badly you need to eat, GO EAT MCDONALD'S! I read quite a few reviews on this place, you have got to be kidding me! If you gave this place anything higher than 2 stars you seriously have no taste buds. I can't really say that because I have noticed a lot of places here in Phoenix who have good ratings do not taste good to me.

I seriously will never, ever go back. I have yet to find a good Mongolian grill place here in Phoenix. Whenever I go back east I always Go Mongo with shrimp, lemon, garlic, onion and a ton of other things wrapped up with rice in a flour tortilla (man I'm getting hungry again).

YC's fails in comparison. On their web site they say they are "healthy". Do you know why they are healthy? Because when they cook your food they use water and wash what little flavor you do have off. You aren't able to put any spices on since there aren't any. After it was cooked I had to keep running back to the buffet and grab different sauces to try and give it some flavor. It's hard to do that when you have water in the bottom of your bowl. What are you thinking using water? I mean they had to have put at least 2 cups of water on my little bowl, walked around the grill twice and the water wasn't even evaporated.

I really was not happy and I should have asked for my money back but I really just wanted to get out of there. I will never go back there. I will wait until I visit back home to eat good Mongolian BBQ.

Chipotle.

I had been craving Chipotle for quite a long time and I couldn't wait for Sunday (kids eat free). The family and I went yesterday and tried their new new kids menu. It's nice to know that they now have a dedicated menu but it's not good for my 6 year old. I haven't put the menu up since their kids eat free deal ends soon, so here it is:

1. Small Quesadilla $2.95
2. Small Meat & Cheese Quesadilla-Choice of meat. $3.50
3. Single Taco-Soft or crispy shell and a choice of any three items (one meat or guacamole) and a side of rice. $3.50
4. Taco Kit (they build it)- Choose any three ingredients (one meat or gaucamole) and two soft or crispy shells. $3.95

All meals are served with kid's chips, side of rice, beans and a drink.

When they say small quesadilla, they really mean small. My 6 year old was still hungry after eating his #2 so he ate the rest of my burrito. Since my 4 year old doesn't eat much to begin with I wasn't too worried about her since she had the #1. It's a cool idea for them to have a kid's menu since it's been a long time coming. To me it seemed more geared towards the little kids. They need to add an inbetween meal for normal eaters. The kids I know need more food than what Chipotle has to offer in the kid meals but the adult sized portions are way to big. Actually the normal size portions are huge and unhealthy for adults.

There needs to balance on calories, sodium, fat and portion size that's within a normal range. I eat out probably more than I should but I know what I should eat and from where. I only eat Chipotle twice a year since I've seen what the the nutrional facts are on their food.

I have to say good job Chipotle for trying now try to make it a little more healthy and normal portions and I'll be glad to try you again.

Sweet Deals!

It is finally Friday! It's been crazy for the family. Here's an update on a deal. Olga's may have an awesome deal soon. Possibly $1.99 kid meals everyday. If they had one out here, I would so be there. I love food! That's why I do this. I like knowing if nothing else sounds good, I can always go to Denny's for dinner. I also love finding the great places to eat at like Cocomo Joe's, 44th Ward Dinner Party and if I lived in Seattle, Ivar's food sounds delicious. On a cold, rainy day, sit at one of their three restaurants right on the pier. That just sounds like fun doesn't it? These are the deals I LOVE finding for you!

It's not just me finding these great deals either. The owner of South added their great deal the other day. Now I know while I'm on vacation where I'm eating now. I just can't stop talking about all the fun deals that have been added by all of us! Thank you to everyone who has contributed and for all your feedback! We really do listen to what you want to see.

Thank you again to everyone adding deals! I love the foodies that want to share where they eat. Don't forget to also write a review to let people know how you feel! Remember I'm not just on the web but also for the iPhone and Android. Don't have an Android? Wait a little while longer because some awesome ones are starting to come out!

Rumbi Island

Whenever we go to the Promenade in Scottsdale I always see Rumbi Island. I have wanted to try is, the pictures looked good and The Hubby even said, "It's good, make sure you get the Rumbi Rice." Today I was in the mood to eat out and it was a toss up between this or Chipotle, I was in the mood for something new.

So Youngling and I ordered our lunches (kids eat free), I got the chicken bowl with Rumbi Rice and Youngling got the same but the kid portion with noodles. The food came, it looked good and tasted just OK. I'm not a picky eater but it wasn't really all that good to me. When you go there with kids, have them get rice instead of noodles, I'm telling you it's way easier. Youngling and I ended up splitting my lunch (luckily she ate free) but she didn't like it either.

Remember, everyone's taste is different and it also depends on your mood. To me that just wasn't good. I would like to try is again but next time try a taco or something. I like to eat at a place at least twice before writing it off. So I may try it again in a month or two and let you know then but I think you should at least try it once, or in my case eventually twice.

Have fun and happy eatings.

Boston Market and other kids eat free deals.

With all the deals being added, new promotions, emails, reviews, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da going on who can keep track? I was emailed this morning by Boston Market's PR firm letting me know about the awesome deal they have going on until 10/31/09. In case you haven't heard, all Boston Market's are letting all kids 14 years old and under eat free everyday. No restrictions at all, dine in, carry out, family meals. OK the only catch is you have to have your kids with you to get the deal. No big deal for me since mine are always with me if they aren't in school.

So not only that going on, you have Marie Callender's going on twice a week, Coco's, Carrow's for national chains. There are so many nationals that you can search at the site. I love the national chains but I really love the local ones. Especially the ones that no other kids eat free site has. I really like the "Exclusive" deal Sweet Bones has with me.

It has just been crazy busy trying to not only get all this great information out to you guys but also trying to keep track at home. It's an adjustment but to me, it's totally worth it because to me helping parents finding the best kids deal is what I'm here for. So go check out Kids Eat For and see the new, awesome updates we have done and don't forget to spread the word about us. Remember we're the only place that has the most up to date, accurate and most kids eat free information readily available than any other kids eat free site out there.

Call me a slacker but the Android app is out!

I know I said I wouldn't go days without blogging again and I lied. It's been crazy, I planted a cool garden, my anniversary and the holiday weekend, kids and the list goes on.

I am here to tell you that my Android app is now out. I'm super excited! It has the same function as the iPhone except it's an Android and not the iPhone . My awesome developer did a great job getting it done, I just can't say how great it feels to finally have it out there. I know that it was a little more difficult to develop the Android but the review process, or the lack of, really goes a long way!

So to all you Android users, enjoy and don't forget to add deals! :)

Bertha's

I didn't realize it's been so long since I've written something. How time flies when you're busy and having to run kids to the ER. I'm back now so we can get back to talking about food.

Last week we pretty much at at home. My "Better Half" did take us to Bertha's in Phx. It was really tasty and fairly inexpensive even though they don't have any kids specials. I'm not a fan of when we go out to dinner that my kids eat mac & cheese or something stupid and little like that. Bertha's is like Wildflower in the fact my kids were full afterwards. The kids meal consisted of any kids sandwich, fruit cup and you have to pay extra for a drink. So both my kids got a turkey, cheese, tomato with the fruit cup. We split the bag of chips with the kids.

I think I will go back since the menu does look very good. I'm all for trying new things.

Updated!!

My homepage has been updated!! You can go to Kids Eat For and it. As you can see I added the iPhone image on the homepage and also added a press page (newspaper icon). So go, check it out, add a few deals and don't forget to buy the iPhone app. You know you want to.

Eating at home.

Today was a busy day but I think productive. Tonight I did something out of the ordinary, I made london broil myself. It was AWESOME! Should have bought another one for more leftovers, it really was great. I love eating out but it was nice eating at home knowing exactly how my food was cooked and handled. I know that it wasn't fried (not like I eat that often anyway), my mashed potatoes were all natural and not from a box.

Don't worry I'll get back to my restaurant reviews on kids and cost friendliness in the next few days. Have a good night and love the food.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

It's Sunday afternoon, I figure it's a day to take it easy and spend it with the kids. That's what I did. Today is another Kids Eat Free day! Remember you can always find a deal to take your kids too from our site and that you can take us with you by buying our iPhone app which is available now. So go ahead, check out the site, buy the app, add deals because you never know when we're going to do a giveaway!

Wildflower Bread Company

You learn something new every day! I went to Wildflower Bread Company about 2-3 years ago when we learned they had free crafts and cookies once a week for the kids. The one time we went there, I was very disappointed. The cookies were stale, no other kids were there, just not a good thing. So because of that, we've steered clear until Friday. During the day, The Better Half went there for a lunch thing and LOVED his sandwich. Over the years, I've learned to trust his taste in food.

That night (after a rough day of work and Mr. 1st Grader having a rough day) decided to chance it and go there. The best decision! He had the Roast beef w/ Gorgonzola (YUM!) for lunch. I ordered that for dinner (YUM!), he got the Wildflower Grilled Cheese (DE LI CIOUS!). I was totally impressed with the shear size of the kids sandwiches too. You chose the meat, cheese, condiments and bread, all said and done it was a good looking sandwich. Next time, no mayo or mustard, makes for a real mess with a 4 year old.

The Better Half and I split our sandwiches, best of both worlds. The kids each got a ham, swiss, lettuce, tomato on sourdough (next time 9 grain). It was soooo good and with all four of us plus we all got sodas, the grand total was only $24.00. No kids eat free or for a discount, $24.00. I told The Better Half that from now on we're eating at Wildflower because it's cheap and the kids are actually full after eating there and NO MAC & CHEESE. The kids are hooked on Paradise Bakery, they have crap for a kids menu so now I'm all for Wildflower. Plus Wildflower is based out of Scottsdale, another thing I did not know.

So if you want good sanwiches, filling kids meals for cheap. Honestly, go here because it's way better than Paradise Bakery!!

Enjoy.

Wow. Crazy day!

For it being Friday and the weekend, I really thought it was Monday considering how crazy this day has been. I had another review done on the web site, which is always welcome. Today has been the deal adding day. People added a bunch both in Las Vegas and also Minneapolis today, great job to all who helped! I hope the weekend is as productive as these past few weeks have been.

Blue Agave Mexican Cantina

I went to Blue Agave during one of their kids eat free days. Been wanting to eat there since I found out two months ago they had the deal. We go there between 6-6:30pm, not busy at all. I walked in and I could just smell the food, yum!

We're seated, given chips and salsa (it's ok salsa), order our food and drinks. The Better Half ordered the steak Tres Tacos, I got one of the house specialties, fish tacos and the kids ordered the mini corn-dogs (not in the mood to argue over it that night). My fish tacos were really good, it came with a Oaxaca dipping sauce, it tastes like a awesome spicy wing sauce. The Better Half said his tacos were "OK" and of course the kids loved the corn dogs.

The service was quick. The food was good, a bit pricey even with the kids eat free deal. Overall it was good. I am go back there again since the food and service wasn't bad. I say it's at least worth trying once, go when kids eat free or if you have a sitter.

Review from Tech Talk for Moms.

I just saw the review Tech Talk for Moms did about us today. You can check the link out here. The press we have been getting so far has been more than positive. So if your in the mood for an iPhone application worth owning and serves a purpose, check out our iPhone app. Don't be lost looking for kids eat free deals. Kids Eat For iPhone app available now in the iTunes store!

Quick Tip #2.

Search. You can search easily on both the site and iPhone by either typing the restaurant name or location. Remember, if you don't see a deal, add one to start the growth.

Margaritaville.

Last night I really was in the mood for Baby's Steak & Lemonade, they have the best hot fries. Once we got near there I felt the kids out and my son wasn't going to have any part of it. I then mentioned Arizona Pizza Company since kids ate free yesterday. My husband then reminded me that every time I've eat there I have never liked it.

We decided to drive down to Margaritaville in Westgate. I know they don't have kids eat free deals, normally I won't go to places that don't. We wanted to see what it was like there and thought the kids would enjoy it. The kids loved it. There were a couple people on stilts making balloon things, Mr. 1st Grader got a "light saber" and Ms. Pre-K got an elaborate crown. The place wasn't packed but busy, the staff was nice. The food came out quickly and was pretty good.

That being said, I don't know if I would go back unless they come out with a kids eat free night. The food was good but I don't think it was worth what we paid. I'm glad that we went there and tried it though. When they brought out the check it came with a comment card, I love those now because I suggest kids eat free at some places. I doubt they ever will do that there but it can't hurt to try right?

Quick Tip #1.

Here are some Quick Tips for our iPhone app, which you can purchase here. On the Nearby Screen the green circles mean there's a deal that day at that restaurant. Orange circles mean there's more than one location.

Check back for more quick tips!

iPhone App Released!!!

Our iPhone app was released tonight!!! Props to my husband for writing an awesome program and web site! I know that if you love our site, be prepared to be blown away by our app. Go out, click the link, buy the app and love it!

A certain kids eat free deal.

I love using Twitter. It helps me do my job and if I lost that and my iPhone, I would be so lost it's not funny. Right now the hottest deal EVERYONE is Tweeting about is IKEA Kids eat free thing. Ok so I'm all for a good deal but come on! It's only a $.99 deal to begin with AND it's only mac & cheese or the meatballs. I went there a little while ago and their meatballs do not taste as good as they used to. My kids won't even touch them anymore.

You really have to look at the deal and the quality of the food before you take your kids there and IKEA is not the place where I want my family to eat. I always wish there were cheaper, healthier places to eat since my kids do eat just about anything but I know what I can get away with and where with them.

I have noticed that as my kids have gotten older, they have become better eaters. If you have picky eaters, it can change and the way to change it (which I have done this) is tell them what they can eat at the restaurant. My kids know that if they want to eat out they do not get to eat grilled cheese, mac & cheese or quesadillas. Why? My kids are growing kids and that stuff is not only unhealthy but also not filling. Since my oldest can read I ask him to read what they have and tell me what he'd like to eat. It makes it so much easier.

Off point though. Please when taking your kids out to eat, please feed them something that is filling and isn't horribly bad for them. If they start bad habits now, you may not be able to change them later.

Contest Winner.

Today I sent out the gift card to the winner of the add a deal contest yesterday. We had so many people add deals that I was surprised. I love how much exposure we are getting and I hope that the momentum can keep up with our iPhone App release. I know that that we are getting released it's just a waiting game that I'm not a fan of. I guess that's part of life right?

Here's to all of you great people and thank you! Keep up the good work!

Kids Eat For Contest!!!!

So here it is. We have a contest going on Twitter, here's the deal. Enter deals on the site and tweet us that you added it and be entered to win some money to eat out with the kids. You have until 10pm PST to enter!! So hurry or you'll miss out.

How to eat free or cheap.

Not only do I love it when kids eat free but also when I get to eat free. How do I, an adult eat free? By signing up with restaurants that you eat at a lot. I LOVE Rubios and so I joined their email club and a few times a year I get to eat free. If you sign up with Cold Stone Creamery you get at least one free ice cream a year on your birthday.

I haven't signed up with a lot of places because I know that my information ends up getting sold or that I don't get the deals I thought I would. For instance, Pampers. I signed up with them I think after I has Ms. Pre-K and I never got anything good from them. I got better deals from the box of diapers I bought. I know that my title said "How to eat free or cheap" but you have to watch what places you sign up for.

There are only a few places I have signed up for and of those only four give me good deals to either eat at or free things. So sign up for places just make sure you're getting the best deal.

Charleston's Phoenix

My goal here is to help you with not only our site but also where to not go and get pulled around. We went to Charleston's a few weeks ago on a Sunday (kids eat free) and we've been wanting to try it for a long time. It's wasn't busy at all and I'm sure it's because of the construction on Scottsdale Rd and FLW. The prices were ok, I've seen way better. The food was ok. Desserts come with the kids meals which I think is nice. It was an overall ok meal until I looked at my bank statement and saw they put two holds of the full bill on my card.

I understand that places do that but I don't appreciate it when the bill comes to over $45 that you out a hold of $100 on my account. I'm telling you as a parent who loves kids eat free deals to stay away because it's not right for the amount of money you pay for a meal and they double it up for seven days.

Cocomo Joe's

If you're ever up in Cave Creek, AZ on a Sunday, stop in. Why? Tonight we had the best service, best food I had in a long time and kids eat free. It wasn't busy since we went between 5-6pm but the atmosphere reminds you of some place you'd eat at on the ocean. Relaxing, great beer (Kilt Lifter) and just really delicious food.

The kids were having so much fun they didn't even notice there was TV's there. Cocomo Joe's so good there that they have triangular crayons. That totally puts them high on my list of places I will visit more often. After sitting down and listening to the music it totally feels like Jimmy Buffet could walk in the door any minute and start to jam.

Speaking of food, their chicken wings rock! Try it with the wasabi sauce, yum! Nicho's Fish Tacos were delicious. My better half loved his Big Cheddar Bacon Burger. Their kids menu is good too. Our kids were in the mood for tiny burgers, our son loved the burgers more than our daughter but we had a great time. I think we were there over an hour just hanging out and nobody cared, the kids like I said we in rare form.

Honestly, if you want a relaxing night with the kids, go to Cocomo Joe's Sunday and they'll treat you right.

End of summer fun.

I just saw that Medieval Times has a great deal right now, purchase a regular priced, adult ticket and get kids get in free. I went there once as a kid and once after I got married, I remember that is was a ton of fun. It's great for the whole family because you're cheering as a family, the kids get to eat with their fingers and watch a show based on 11th century Spain. How could you go wrong with that?

So if you're looking for a fun night under $130, which includes a show and dinner for the whole family. It's a fun night and you won't need a babysitter. I would go during the kids eat free deal because it makes it cheaper.

For more information go to Medieval Times for showtimes, prices and menu. Offer ends September 7, 2009.

Back to school.

If you're like us, then it's back to school today (for us Arizonans) and with that comes the after school activities, sports, friends coming over to hang out. It not only makes for a fun filled evening but also a stressful time because you need to figure out how to feed the kids between activities. We got you covered with our deals because the database is growing everyday and into different cities. So check us out and we'll help you get dinner under control.

Deals, deals and more deals

Maybe I'm spending too much time working on our site. Maybe it's because I think about "kids eat free" from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed at night. I don't know. But lately I've been wondering if it isn't easier to make a website of where kids don't eat free. Every time I turn around there is a new restaurant offering kids eat free or kids eat for 99 cents or something.

I'm sure it's related to the current economic state and that people are definitely not afraid to save a few dollars where possible. People like kids eat free. It's not a joke. It's not a gimmic. People will absolutely come visit your restaurant more often on kids eat free nights.

Welcome to Kids Eat For

We are a husband and wife duo who are trying to help all parents find places where kids eat free or pretty darn close to it. We run a website called Kids Eat For which we think is pretty cool! We have completely redesigned the site from the ground up and we've added a lot of features.

We do have an iPhone app up for review right now and we'll let you know when that will be available for sale when that happens. But in the mean time you can check it out here.

Remember you can add deals if you find we don't have any where you are. We are a community site and can always use your help and feedback. We look forward to seeing you and enjoy our site.