Dine Out Cheap is a simple application that attempts to find the best deals and coupons from local restaurants. With a simple user interface and some nice features, you can easily find some deals that you may or may not already know about. The problem is that many deals you find are ones that are already well publicized on television or radio ads.

The whole process of finding restaurant deals is very simple. You can search by city, zip code or your current location. When searching your current location, a list of nearby restaurant deals will be presented. Most of the deals you find will be from large restaurant chains such as Applebee’s or McDonald’s. Also, the deals you find will probably be special offers you’ve already seen on television commercials or radio ads. For example, when searching McDonald’s, you’ll come up with the dollar menu deal. Really? The dollar menu? Everyone knows that McDonald’s has a dollar menu. There’s no surprise there.

Some deals are actually pretty useful. For example, I found an actual coupon image for Quiznos that I could print out to get the deal. Would it work if I just brought my iPhone to the restaurant and showed them the image? Why not? While finding an actual coupon was great, it’s a pretty rare occurrence. Most of the deals were special day offers such as, “Monday’s buy one get one free day.” Specials like these are actually great to know about and may help you decide where to eat out that night.

In addition to simply finding the deals, you can also get the restaurant’s address and phone number to call and make reservations or get directions. The app also allows you to view the restaurant’s location on a map that you can pinch and zoom into. Tapping on the directions button will quit the app and open Google maps.

One really nice feature is the search filters that allow you to narrow your search down to a specific type of deal, food type and day. So, if you’d like, you can search for all deals that allow kids to eat Italian food for free on Sundays. There are also features that save your favorite restaurants and latest searches.

Overall, Dine Out Cheap is a nice little app that will definitely help you find some restaurant deals. However, depending on where you live, you may only find a small amount of restaurants listed. The developer promises daily additions of restaurants and deals, so I’m sure the list is growing. If you frequently go out to eat and would remember to check the app before you go out, then this app may be just the thing for you. Check it out.

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