If you like Chinese food and live in Wiltshire yesterday was the day to visit The Oriental Aroma restaurant in Wootton Bassett. Owner James Huynh decided that the way to give his customers a fillip in these cash-strapped times was to allow them to eat as much as they want for free, then slip them a shiny pound coin and bottle of beer on their way out.
Huynh's altruistic, although seemingly reckless business strategy, is part of a nationwide effort by restaurateurs to lure customers back into their recession-hit eateries. No one is quite as generous as Huynh, but a quick internet search revealed hundreds of deals for those who find it hard to justify dining out with the economy contracting around them.
Here are just a few of the mouth-watering offers designed to tempt you out once more. These desperate times mean you could even find yourself dining in restaurants once out of your price range.
Aspiring foodies who never thought they would be able to afford a Michelin-star meal, the one-starred Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Oxfordshire, is offering a three course lunch for just £13.50. You can assume that booking a table in advance is a must.
In Lancashire, celebrity chef, Paul Heathcote, is discounting lunch at his flagship restaurant, The Longridge, near Preston by 30% for Heathcote's Reward Card holders.
At the other end of the market, moneysavingexpert.com details a whole host of meal deals including a 50% discount on home delivery from Pizza Hut, if you spend £30 or more, a two-for-one deal at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and another half-price offer at tapas chain La Tasca.
Curry lovers in south Wales can eat a three course meal for less than £10 at Spice Quarter in Cardiff.
If you're feeling a little sneaky, gather together at least three friends and book a table at La Garrigue in Edinburgh. The person making the booking gets their meal for free.
This morning, Toptable, the reservations website, listed 467 offers in 261 venues in London alone, the one that caught my eye, for the sheer number of courses was the brasserie at 1 Lombard Street. Diners who turn up on a weekday evening can get five courses for 19.50, do the maths.
So what brilliant bargain basement deals have you heard about recently? Don't keep your best tips for recession-related penny pinching to yourself. Share the wealth (or lack of it, as it were) and we can all be frugal together.
