Kids Eat Free or Cheap Twin Cities List

Because dining out can be considered family fun…right? All “Kids Eat Free or Cheap” entries have been personally verified and are updated regularly. However, because they are subject to change without notice, please call or check the website in advance – especially if you are visiting a local chain of a national restaurant. Scroll to the bottom for national chains. The table below can be sorted by name, city or day of the week.

One nice thing about Kids Eat Free deals is that they usually indicate family friendly restaurants. Another indicator would be kid-friendly entertainment:

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Kids Eat Free or Cheap April 2020:

Now-April 12, 2020

RED ROBIN SPECIAL: Use this for a special occasion or for a day that needs a pick me up. Locations in Bloomington, Shoreview, Apple Valley & Plymouth.

Meals Through Minnesota Schools During the Shutdown:

School Districts will be offering meals. If you know of details for your district, please share, we’ll add them to this list:

• Minneapolis Public Schools will provide meals to students at 20 locations around the city while schools are closed due to COVD-19; see where these sites are and related information. Children do not need to be enrolled in MPS, qualify for free or reduced lunches, or show ID of any kid to receive meals. Like the summer meals program, they just need to show up and collect their meals to take home.
• Saint Paul Public Schools are providing food assistance using their bus routes: SPPS Bus Routes are now food drop-off locations.
• Osseo Area Schools: 
  • March 16 & 17: Students may receive a free cold lunch from 11 am to 1 pm at any District 279 school.
  • March 18-27: A plan to provide meals under the governor’s directive will be communicated as soon as it is finalized.
• St. Anthony / New Brighton School District (ISD 282) will be notifying families about how they will begin to provide meals (breakfast and lunch) starting March 23.

Note: We would not expect any of these restaurants to be open for dining during mandatory closures in Spring of 2020. But they might be offering the same deals for carryout. It could be worth a phone call to ask!

Kids Eat Free or Cheap Twin Cities List:

Important Note: If you are viewing this list on your phone, you’ll need to scroll to the right to get the details. We include some deals that are “as good as” kids eat free but possibly called something else (i.e. Family Night or $1.49 Tacos).

NATIONAL CHAINS WITH MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

The following is a list of National Chains that often offer Kids Eat Free Nights. Some leave the offer up to the individual restaurant owners. In those cases, we suggest you call your nearest restaurant for more details.

Kids Eat Free Tuesdays – National Chains

• Chilis – Tuesdays: 99¢ kid’s meal per adult entree purchased. Call your favorite location to verify. (Verified for Roseville 11/6/18.) Tip: sign up for Chilis’ email Rewards Program to get any-time coupons for free kids meal. These coupons land in my inbox regularly.

• Denny’s – Tuesdays, 4-10 pm: One free kid’s meal per adult entree purchased. Valid at 13 Metro locations. (Verified 1/19/18)

• Famous Daves – Tuesdays FREE Lil’ Wilbur Meal^* with purchase of an adult entrée. Call ahead on this one though, or check the link because it is a limited time deal and not all restaurants participate. Their is a drop down menu at the link showing several Twin Cities participating restaurants. (Verified 10/31/2019)

• Perkins – Tuesdays, 4-8pm: Kids 12 & under get one free kids meal per adult entree purchased. Call your favorite location to verify.

• Sonic – Tuesdays – Family Night, 5 Close: Half-Price Cheeseburgers for everyone (not just kids). Locations: Bloomington, Columbia Heights, Elk River, Saint Paul, Savage.

• TGI Fridays – Tuesdays. Kids eat free on Tuesdays. Not all locations participate. Call your favorite location to verify.

Kids Eat Free Every Day – National Chains

• Boston Market – Daily: While Boston Market doesn’t offer a specific Kids-Eat-Free Deal, they do offer Family Meals ranging from $20-$40 depending on the family-size. They also offer lemon slices for water. Because my goal, with Kids Eat Free deals is to feed my family of six for $40 or less, this amounts to pretty the same thing. These work great when you have kids with tiny appetites. (Verified 10/31/2019)

• Culvers – Daily: Kids 12 & under receive 1 free frozen custard per kids meal purchase. (Verified 10/31/2019)

• Holiday Inn – Daily: Kids 12 & under receive 1 free meal with adult purchase. According to my phone call with the St. Paul Holiday Inn, any Holiday Inn with an attached restaurant offers Kids-Eat-Free to their guests. You do need to be a guest of the Hotel to get this deal. In St. Paul, the attached restaurant is The Liffey. (Verified 10/31/2019)

• International House of Pancakes (IHOP) – Kids eat free everyday from 4-10 pm., but not at every location all the time. Call your favorite location to verify.

Kids Eat Free – Owner Discretion

• Applebees– Applebees allows its individual stores to determine kids deals. There are 10 locations in the Twin Cities. I’ve not come across any good deals, but haven’t visited them all. Drop us a line if you know of one. Call your favorite location to verify.

• Firehouse Subs – Five Twin Cities locations. Kids Eat Free Nights are at the discretion of the individual stores. Call your favorite location to verify.

Kids Eat Free When Traveling The US

Who better than local parents to recommend where to dine when traveling. Bookmark these pages from our our friends around the country when you are traveling. If you are locally traveling to Rochester, Minnesota, we recommend ROCHESTERfamilies Kid’s Meal Deals.

• Alabama – Huntsville via Rocket City Moms
• California – Los Angeles via MomsLA
• California – Oakland via 510Moms
• Florida – Lakeland & Winterhaven via Lakeland Mom
• Florida – Pensacola via Pint-sized Pensacola
• Illinois – West and Southwest Suburbs of Chicago via Kidlist 
• Illinois – Champaign-Urbana via Chambana Moms
• Indiana – Terre Haute / Wabash Valley via Haute Happenings
• Indiana – Indianapolis via Indy with Kids
• Kansas – Kansas City via iFamiilyKC
• Kentucky – Elizabethtown via EizabethtownFamily
• Kentucky – Lexington via lexfun4kids
• Kentucky – Louisville via Louisville Family Fun
• Louisiana – New Orleans via Pint-Sized NOLA
• Michigan – Ann Arbor via Ann Arbor with Kids
• Michigan – Grand Rapids via GRKids
• Michigan – Kalamazoo / SW Michigan via KZooKids
• Nebraska – Omaha via Family Fun in Omaha
• New Jersey – New Jersey via Jersey Family Fun
• South Carolina –  Greenville via Kidding Around Greenville
• Tennessee – Nashville Area via Nashville Fun For Families
• Texas – San Antonio via San Antonio Mom Blogs
• Washington – South Puget Sound via Sounds Fun Mom
• Wisconsin – Milwaukee/Waukesha Countyv via Lake Country Family Fun
• Wisconsin – Appleton & Green Bay via Go Valley Kids

Want some other good dining ideas? Check out these articles:

• FFTC’s Guide to Kid-Friendly Food Trucks
• 10 Spots for Outdoor Summer Dining with Kids in the Twin Cities
• Sweet and Savory: Twin Cities Summer Dining with Kids
• Twin Cities Fast Food Play Areas – A reader-sourced review. Leave your own recommendations in the comments.

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