Your favorite Special Offer - with a catch

I am loving the Subway Daily 3.99 special, that has a different sandwich combo each day of the week. It has gotten to a point where if it is Tuesday or Thursday [Meatball or BMT] I find myself considering Subway a lot more than I would have normally. The other days of the week, Subway hardly crosses my mind.

I remember one time, in college, there was a coupon that let you “Beat the Clock” at a local pizzeria. The time on the clock, when you called in your order would be the price you paid for your Pizza. I think it was a one topping medium or something like that.

**What special offers do you routinely go for at restaurants, and what is the “catch” that comes with it? **

Act now and we’ll include a second [useless item] free. [small print] Just pay separate shipping and handling charges on the second item [small print]. Not really my favorite, but a good example of the “special” and the “catch.”

There’s a coupon for $2 off Round Table’s all-you-can-eat lunch, but the catch is you have to order a fountain drink. Since that’s around $2, you really just get a free soda. (It may save the customer a little bit, but the soda costs the restaurant pennies.)

What are the “catches” in the OP?

If you want any other sandwhich, you are out of luck. You have to get the one that is that day’s special. Then again, the offering has been pegged to the same day since the deal started, so its not that bad. Probably the only way the deal can work.

If you call later, closer to Dinner time, the deal becomes less worth it.

I usually go with a friend and we’ll split a Five Dolla Foot Long. Then you can get (just about) any sandwich you want at a good deal.

My favorite local pizza place offers incredibly cheap large one-toppings for pick up only on Mondays or Tuesdays. Perfect deal for Monday Night Football, and the “catch” actually saves us a tip, so there.

Baja Fresh has a lot of coupons lately. I used one last week for “buy one entree, get one free”. You pay for the more expensive one. No catch except I had one for lunch and one for dinner which is really too much Mexican in one day… Next time I’ll plan better and go with someone else and then we can split the $$$.

Burger King coupons all require you buy their rancid fries: e.g. “Buy a Whopper, get a Whopper free! (when ordered with fries).” I haven’t been able to use their coupons in years.

Double Dave’s pepperoni rolls are to die for. But, they’re grossly overpriced…unless you go on Tuesday, when they’re “Buy 1 Get 1 Free”, which makes it reasonable. And delicious.

Old Chicago Happy Hour.

$3.49 personal pizza? Mini nachos? Artichoke dip? nomnomnom. My brother and I will go there, order a couple happy hour munchies per person and make a meal out of it. It ends up costing less than most items on the menu, and we get more food. And we drink beer. Hooray Beer!

But you have to go between 4-6pm and 10:30-close. And I usually work until 6 and am heading to bed by 10:30.

There is a place like this in Columbus (Adriatico’s) , in which their giant pizza (feeds 8) is available monday and tuesday for something like half price. It got to the point where I had a different route home from work on Mondays.