Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?
Every year businesses give away thousands of dollars in free food as a way of promoting their restaurants, food delivery apps, brands or even giving free food for those who vote!
I've put together a list of my favorites that will give you more than a mouthful of free food.
Some of them only require filling out a form. Some of them take a bit more effort, but you can easily knock out all of these on a weekend.
How to Get Free Food
Whether you want to join a rewards program, download food apps, or get hip to the latest loyalty programs that score you free drinks and food — we are here to help.
Without further ado, here are ways to get free (or cheap) free food, free donuts, free chips, free beverages, free appetizers, free desserts, free milkshakes, free burritos, free burgers and free tacos include:
1. Score free food from food delivery apps
Whether you are feeding yourself or your entire family, all of these food delivery services offer online ordering, great on-time ratings and reviews, and insanely helpful 5-star customer service make it easy to find and order catering anywhere in the U.S.
In order to get new business, they often offer free account credit when signing up for a new account.
If you wanted to order food right now with the food delivery apps near me, check out our top 5 picks.
| Details | Download | Special Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
  | Get breakfast, lunch, dinner and more delivered from your favorite restaurants right to your doorstep with one easy click with DoorDash. | DoorDash Promo: Get a $0 delivery fee when you sign-up on this page (new customers only). | |
 | Grubhub is an online and mobile food-ordering company that connects diners with local restaurants. | GrubHub Promo: Get $12 off your entire first-time Grubhub order of $15+: | |
 | Uber Eats partners with restaurants in dozens of cities around the world. Ordering can be done on their website or with a smartphone/tablet application (only iOS and Android). | Uber Eats Promo: Get $25 off your entire first-time Uber Eats order by using code eats-ubersignupfree at checkout. | |
  | Delivery.com is another popular food delivery app that offers others additional services such as alcohol, groceries, dry cleaning and laundry delivered as well. | Delivery.com Promo: Get $7 in FREE Delivery.com credit. |
Uber Eats (iOS/Android)
Uber Eats is an American online food ordering and delivery platform launched by Uber in 2014 and based in San Francisco, California. Uber Eats partners with restaurants in dozens of cities around the world. Ordering can be done on their website or with a smartphone/tablet application (only iOS and Android). The website claims a delivery time of 30 minutes or less. Use your Uber account to order food you crave from restaurants you love, delivered right to your door.
Fee: Uber Eats charges a $5 delivery fee.
Availability: Uber Eats is available in hundreds of cities around the world.
Promo: Get $15 off your $20 or more Uber Eats order by using eats-ubersignupfree as a new user. Claim here.
Enter the Uber Eats promo code eats-ubersignupfree at check out and get a $15 FREE bonus when you order a $20 order.
GrubHub (iOS/Android)
Grubhub is an online and mobile food-ordering company that connects diners with local restaurants. Based in Chicago, the company has more than 14 million active diners and approximately 80,000 restaurant partners in over 1,600 cities across the United States and the United Kingdom, food delivery or takeout is just a click away.
You can filter restaurants by hours open, average customer reviews, best coupon deals and much more. You can save your food delivering order details to your favorites for future orders too.
Fee: Grubhub is free to use, though some restaurants near you may charge a delivery fee (typically $1.99 – $3.99) and have a minimum order amount.
Availability: Grubhub is available in more than 900 cities.
Promo: Get $12 off your entire first-time Grubhub order of $15+ when you sign-up through this promotional offer and make your first order.
DoorDash (iOS/Android)
Did you know that the best local restaurants now deliver? Get breakfast, lunch, dinner and more delivered from your favorite restaurants right to your doorstep with one easy click with DoorDash. All types of foods are available too, if you wanted chinese food delivery near me, then you’re in luck. Burger and fries? Yep, that too.
DoorDash launched in San Francisco and has since expanded to 56 markets and more than 600 cities across North America and will deliver your food from hundreds of great local restaurants in your area in 45 minutes or less.
Fee: Fees vary for each restaurant on the DoorDash platform.
Availability: DoorDash is currently available in over 850 cities across North America and is growing fast!
Promo: Get $7 off your first DoorDash order over $10 when you sign-up on this page (new customers only).
Postmates (iOS/Android)
Postmates offers on-demand delivery of everything you need, whenever you need it. The website claims they offer food delivery, grocery delivery, alcohol delivery, and more—they bring the best of your city to you, in minutes.
They get the good stuff delivered to your door, in minutes. It’s as simple as placing your food order online or through their food delivery app and leave the rest to Postmates.
Fee: The Postmates delivery fee is $0.99–$3.99 for Partner Merchants and $5.99–$9.99 for all other merchants.
Availability: Postmates is currently available in all 50 states (and Washington, D.C.)!
Promo: N/A
Delivery.com (iOS/Android)
Similar to Postmates, Delivery.com is another popular food delivery app that offers others additional services such as alcohol, groceries, dry cleaning and laundry delivered as well.
It’s simple to use, just enter your address to check what is around you, and use the sorting feature to filter by food choice, average reviews, or the shortest delivery time.
Fee: The Postmates delivery fee is $0.99–$3.99 for Partner Merchants and $5.99–$9.99 for all other merchants.
Availability: Postmates is currently available in all 50 states (and Washington, D.C.).
Promo: Get your $7 in free Delivery.com credit through this link.
Seamless (iOS/Android)
With Seamless, you guessed it — you can order food delivery online from restaurants near you. Browse local menus to find the food you’re craving for delivery or pickup. Read reviews to see what’s popular in your neighborhood. Anywhere, anytime, order delivery to your door from places you love.
Fee: There is absolutely no fee for using Seamless, but you may encounter order minimums based on the restaurant.
Availability: Seamless is available in more 600 cities in the United States.
Promo: N/A
OrderUp
OrderUp is a food delivery service and quality choice among all the rest of these food delivery apps, and for good reason.
Not only does it claim to deliver food from restaurants considered “undeliverable,” but its accuracy in details and tracking are nearly unmatched.
It also doesn’t just cater to big cities. You can find great restaurants to order from almost anywhere with OrderUp.
Fee: OrderUp food delivery fees vary by restaurant.
Availability: OrderUp is available in over 40 American cities.
Promo: N/A
2. Install free food apps
Some of the popular ways of getting free food are by signing up through these fast food restaurant apps.
- Baskin-Robbins
- Auntie Anne's
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Culver's
- Jamba Juice
- Jack in the Box
- Krispy Kreme
- Quiznos
Here's more information about these free food apps and what perks you'll get for joining.
Baskin-Robbins
- Free food: One free scoop of ice cream
- Requirements: Sign up for mobile deals on the app.
By downloading the Baskin-Robbins app, you can get access to coupons and promotions right from the app! Any time there’s a special offer or flavor update, you’ll be one of the first to know about it.
Auntie Anne's
- Free food: One free pretzel
- Requirements: You can get a free pretzel with a purchase of $1 or more.
Now you can earn free pretzels even faster than before. The more you snack, the more you’ll earn. With each purchase at participating Auntie Anne’s locations, you’ll get points toward free pretzels. So start your ovens!
California Pizza Kitchen
- Free food: Free small plate
- Requirements: Register for a rewards account on the app.
The CPK Rewards app is your go-to hub for tracking rewards, online ordering, surprise offers and seasonal menu updates!
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Free food: Free brewed coffee or hot tea
- Requirements: Installing for the app and earning one point per dollar spent.
You can be brewing a whole new way to get The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the go. Get rewards, order ahead, browse the menu and customize your drink exactly how you want, pay with your phone, send gift cards and find a store near you with just a few taps.
Jamba Juice
- Free food: $3 off coupon
- Requirements: Installing for the app and registering for a Jamba rewards account.
It’s here…the new My Jamba Rewards – a refreshed rewards and app experience that’s easier to use, easier to earn, and easier to enjoy.
Jack in the Box
- Free food: 15% off your first purchase (using the app)
- Requirements: Download the app
The Jack in the Box mobile app makes it easy to order and pay for your food before you arrive at the restaurant. It’s just like having a Jack in the Box in your pocket.
Krispy Kreme
- Free food: Free doughnut
- Requirements: Download the app and register
The Krispy Kreme® app is filled with tons of delightful surprises! Download now to experience the joy of Krispy Kreme and get a free doughnut!
Quiznos
- Free food: Free small sub with your first purchase
- Requirements: Download the app and register
Download Quiznos Toasty Points loyalty app. You eat, and get rewarded with the Quiznos Toasty Points, find the closest Quiznos location, and get great deals/offers/coupons – all from the app!
3. Install cash back apps
Several companies offer some rather good deals through their cashback offers. While free food is not always guaranteed through these apps, the amount of savings you can get from the discounts is substantial.
These can be saved over a period of time and used to get free food. This is a simple way of getting free food as all you need to do is download the app and assess the eligibility criteria. While some companies offer 50% cash back on food purchased, others offer up to 100%. You can, therefore, enjoy your meal without worrying about paying for it.
There are several companies out there that will give you free money just for signing up.
The cashback app that we like best is Fetch Rewards, which is a mobile rewards app that pays you for shopping (from any store).
This is a great way to make money, the easy way, and can add up to a large wad of cash with time which you can use for free food.
Here are the steps:
- Click here to download Fetch for free
- Scan any receipt from any stores that you use daily.
- Get cash (via PayPal).
Enjoy your free money and food.
Fetch is one of the top apps for scanning receipts that we've tried. It's great because it always gives you the same amount of points for each receipt, at least 25 points, and you only need to earn a little ($3) before you can take your money out. You can scan up to 35 receipts every week, so if you shop a lot and keep using the app, you could get a few free gift cards each year. Get 250 points when you use the code C1JAV during sign-up.
4. Attend restaurant openings
Another brilliant way of getting free food is by attending new restaurant openings. Whether it’s a supermarket or a food store that is opening, chances are high that you will treat yourself to a free meal.
There are usually free samples served on an opening day. Work up a good appetite and be at the site of the opening early to enjoy the free food.
5. Use coupons
Another effective way of getting free food is through the use of coupons. In as much as using coupons may seem outdated, there are actually newer and better ways of getting free food by using coupons.
Unlike traditional coupons that were clipped off newspapers, modern coupons are digital. They are therefore easier to get since they have been moved to the phone and are a whole lot more convenient.
Looking for an easy way to coupon without having to clip coupons?
The Drop app tracks your purchases when you link up your credit card and debit cards to the free app. Then, it automatically adds Drop points to your account when you spend at certain merchants you’ve picked from their list. It's simple.
When you reach a certain threshold, you can redeem Drop points for gift cards to popular retailers, like Amazon, Dunkin Donuts, Whole Foods, JC Penney, and many more!
Related: How To Get Free Coupons By Mail or Online
5. Birthday freebies
Although this might come in handy only once a year, eating out during your birthday can treat you to a hearty free meal. There are more than a few cafes and restaurants that offer a free food policy to customers on their birthdays.
You will need to begin looking for birthday freebies well in advance to avoid the last-minute rush.
Popular restaurants that may have a loyalty program that'll give you birthday freebies to check out include Baja Fresh, Wild Wings, Burger King, Del Taco, Panera Bread, Moe's Southwest Grill, Dunkin' Donuts, iHop, Raising Cane, and Joe's Crab Shack.
You may even get certain restaurants that offer breakfast, lunch as well as dinner. I actually did the digging for you and found over 200+ birthday freebies for you to sign up for! Talk about free food!
6. Eating competitions
A brilliant idea of getting free foods is by entering eating competitions. These competitions give you the opportunity to enjoy free food to your fill. Signing up for eating competitions is always simple and straightforward.
All you need is an appetite and a name to enter the contest. More often than not, these competitions are always free of cost. You, therefore, need not worry about parting with any of your money.
7. Become a mystery diner
Ever wanted to try free and good food and get paid? Mystery diners get the opportunity to get free food and drinks, and they rate the experience they had at these restaurants.
You'll have to recall your experience quite vividly though, and keep notes and be able to speak about it over the phone.
You'll have to pay for the food up front but will get reimbursed later on.
8. Use coupons on apps
Uber Eats is an American online food ordering and delivery platform launched by Uber in 2014 and based in San Francisco, California.
It partners with restaurants in dozens of cities around the world. Ordering can be done on their website or with a smartphone/tablet application (only iOS and Android). The website claims a delivery time of 30 minutes or less. Use your Uber account to order food you crave from restaurants you love, delivered right to your door.
If you aren’t a current Uber Eats user, sign up for a new account using this Uber Eats coupon code to get $25 off your first order: eats-ubersignupfree
Enter the Uber Eats promo code eats-ubersignupfree at check out and get a $15 FREE bonus when you order a $20 order.
Enjoy Your Free Food
There you have it. If you've finished the list, you've just been able to get free food near you.
Whether you are on a budget or just wish to cut down on your expenditure, getting free food is sure to come as a big win for you.
Another instance in which free food may come in handy is when you would like to try out a meal but do not want to spend your money on it.
While the idea of free lunch may sound farfetched to many, there are actually a number of legit ways through which you can land a free meal.
Knowing where to look and when to look for free food is about everything you need to enjoy free meals.
Feel free to take the weekend off.
