I couldn’t help but notice restaurants have a new plan to try to drum up business in these tough times. It’s a good thing they have some ideas, because one of the first things people cut when money is tight is going out to eat. Let’s look at what just a few national chains are advertising.

Denny’s $4 Weekday Express Slam Breakfast

“It’s one thing to bail out Wall Street, but who’s going to bail you out? Denny’s!” Their Weekday Express Slam is just $4. I’m not the only one laughing at this Denny’s commercial. Of course, earlier today, I saw a commercial from Kellogg’s and Walmart touting that cereal costs 50 cents… including milk. So even the bargain at Denny’s looks pretty poor in comparison to cereal that you can make at home.

Sizzler’s Ultimate Value Menu

For years I thought Sizzler had gone out of business. Instead they just pulled out of New England. It’s not typically the first restaurant I think of going to considering I’m too tempted by the unhealthy foods there. That said, it seems like very good value to have an 8oz steak and their endless salad bar for $9.99.

KFC $10 Challenge

In this commercial, KFC challenges a family to get all the ingredients to make a 7-piece of chicken meal for less the $10. The meal that the family has to make has to include a side dish and biscuits, just like you can get at KFC for $9.99. The camera follows them into the store as they give it a shot. Unfortunately the 30-second shot only seems to show a girl surprised by the cost of 7 pieces of chicken, them packing in a whole bag of flour, and of course asking where to find the “secret herbs and spices.” The thing that isn’t mentioned is that a bag of flour not only makes 7-pieces of chicken, but it makes around 100 pieces. Most of the ingredients are like that, you can get a lot more for a small price. So maybe it ends up costing you $13, but then you have enough for a lot more meals.

This is just a small sampling of the deals at restaurants that I noticed recently. If you are going to go out, I still think the best plan is to practice these tips to save money at restaurants. Of course, a cheaper plan is almost always to make food at home.