EATING out with friends and family is always a real treat, but soaring costs can leave a lump in your throat when the bill arrives.

This week, Mel Hunter reveals how to take a bite out of your bill and save money on dining out . . . 

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FAMILIES

EATING out with children is an expensive business unless you know where to find the best deals.

The average cost of a family meal out is around £90, according to Greene King ­— but with some discounts you can treat the family for less than half that.

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Ricky Willis, founder of the money-saving community skintdad.co.uk, says: “There are lots of offers out there, even outside the school holidays, and there are plenty of ways to get more for your money.”

Here, we round up the best.

Tesco shoppers can swap Clubcard points for double their value at Pizza Express, ASK Italian, Prezzo and Zizzi.

Sign up to newsletters and apps to get discounts.

For example, Brewers Fayre gives 25 per cent off your food bill when you join.

With Pizza Express Club, get free doughballs worth about £5.95 on a first visit and collect stamps to get free food on future visits.

Wagamama fans can get a free portion of edamame beans worth around £4.90 when you first sign up and spend over £12.

At Bella Italia, children eat for £1 from 4pm-6pm Sunday to Wednesday and for free Thursday.

Children eat free at Dobbies Garden Centres and for £1 at Hungry Horse pubs every Monday.

Get a free kids’ meal for every £10 spent by an adult at Real Greek restaurants on Sundays.

With TGI Friday’s app Stripes Rewards, children under 12 eat free all day every day when you buy a full price adult meal.

BEST: Dine out as a family for under £15 at a Sizzling Pub on weekdays from 3pm to 7pm. Families of four can enjoy two adult main meals for less than £12 and two kids’ mains for £1 each.

COUPLES

IF you’re heading out for a date night or meeting up with a friend, there are ways to save cash.

Aim for a Monday to Thursday night, as this is when you can gobble up the best offers.

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It is when restaurants run two-for-one deals, which rarely apply at weekends.

A Tastecard is a great source of meal deals. It can cost £7.99 a month, but look out for a free trial.

Myvouchercodes.co.uk is currently offering 60 per cent off annual membership, taking it down from £79.99 to £29.99.

If you work in the civil service or public sector, or used to before retiring, a Boundless membership, from £40 a year, gets you a free Tastecard as part of its benefits.

Otherwise, look out for great value on set menus.

We’re impressed with Bill’s two-course meal for £17.50 each, Cote’s Prix Fixe deal for £17.95 and Bar+Block’s £13.95 menu which runs until 5pm.

To get a prime seat at a posh restaurant, look for deals at opentable.co.uk or squaremeal.co.uk, or maybe tuck into a cheap pre-theatre menu, usually served around 5-6pm.

If that’s a bit too early for you, book a date at a restaurant where you can take along your own booze.

With a bottle of house wine costing upward of £20 at many places, this could immediately cut your bill.

Find a list at wine-pages.com/business-directory and search locally as well.

BEST: Want to impress? The Ivy restaurants, with stylish branches throughout the UK, offer a set menu for under £20.

FRIENDS

THERE’S no need to dread splitting the bill if you choose what you eat and where you go wisely.

If you are going out for your birthday, you can bag yourself a freebie (and leave the others to split the bill) by signing up as a loyalty member at many restaurants.

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They will then reward you with a treat at around the time of your birthday.

This might be a free main meal or bottle of bubbly.

Look out for birthday freebies at Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Las Iguanas, Frankie & Benny’s and Pizza Express.

Even if it is not your big day, there are big ways to save with friends.

Yasmine Camilla, who posts about her journey to get out of debt on TikTok and Instagram (@yasminecamilla), says: “You need to get organised beforehand.

“Use WhatsApp to talk to the group and make sure everyone is signed up to get the same deal before you go out.

“That way, you won’t end up splitting the bill and paying for someone else’s more expensive meal.”

At Prezzo, you can get a code for a free bottle of Prosecco when you sign up for emails and spend at least £25.

At Hungry Horse pubs you can buy one burger at get another free on Fridays.

BEST: At Bill’s you can get a free birthday bottle of Prosecco worth around £29.50, if you sign up for the newsletter at least four weeks before your big day and meet the other terms and conditions.

UNIVERSAL CREDIT FIASCO

ALMOST 900,000 Universal Credit claims were closed before being paid in the last year.

That was the finding of a freedom of information request by Sun Money to the Department for Work and Pensions.

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Between July 2023 and June 2024, 896,000 claims were shut down without payment.

Having insufficient evidence was the main reason that claims were unsuccessful, with 92,000 such cases recorded.

This could include not having a valid UK passport, payslips dated within the last three months or your most recent P60.

These documents are important because the amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to depends on your individual circumstances.

And almost 64,000 cases were ended because the claimant failed the “habitual residence” test.

This can stop someone who has a right to enter the UK from claiming social benefits after they arrive.

Ayla Ozmen, at charity Z2K, said: “We know that people struggle to meet all of the requirements of the claims process, often because of a disability or because they have difficulty using computers.

“This can lead to people missing out on vital income.”

A DWP Spokesperson said: “We support millions of people every year through Universal Credit, and our priority is to make sure people get the support.”

OLIVIA MARSHALL

PENSION MISTAKE RULING

HUNDREDS of thousands of savers could be owed cash in the aftermath of a huge pension mix-up, Sun Money can reveal.

In July, the Court of Appeal upheld that telecom giant Virgin Media had not obtained a legal sign-off from an actuary, a type of financial expert, on changes it made to its company pension scheme several years ago.

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As a result, these changes were deemed invalid, and the court said they should be reversed.

Savers with reduced pension benefits owing to the changes would therefore be owed money.

We have now learned that between 1997 and 2016, many companies made changes to their pension schemes to save money on National Insurance contributions.

Insiders said a number of those firms did not get the required sign-off, like Virgin Media.

These insiders told us that hundreds of thousands of workers’ final-salary pensions could therefore be worth more than they thought.

But we believe these firms are calling on the DWP to remove the past sign-off requirement.

A DWP spokes-person said: “We have been closely following this case. We will consider the wider implications for both schemes and scheme members as we explore the implications of the judgment.”

A Virgin Media spokesman said: “Following the court decision, we are working to ensure the pension scheme is being administered correctly.”

ELLIE SMITHERMAN