MW All-you-can-eat deals are back at restaurants like Red Lobster and Applebee's. Here's how to get your money's worth.

By Genna Contino

Bottomless deals are an opportunity for consumers with tight budgets to score significant savings

Restaurants are fighting over a shrinking pool of customers.

As inflation has tightened household budgets, several chain restaurants have brought back all-you-can-eat deals to drive foot traffic.

While the latest data shows sales at bars and restaurants were up 2.7% year over year in April, that growth was lower than the 4.9% increase seen in overall total retail sales. And inflation data suggests diners' dollars aren't stretching as far, as the cost of eating out and takeout food rose 3.6% over the past year.

With prices rising faster than actual sales, restaurants are fighting over a shrinking pool of customers. Cue the return of bottomless mozzarella sticks and all-you-can-eat shrimp.

Earlier this week, Applebee's $(DIN)$ announced several all-you-can-eat meals with endless French fries for $15.99. In April, Buffalo Wild Wings brought back its bottomless appetizers promotion for $9.99. Red Lobster also reinstated a popular deal last month: endless shrimp priced between $25 and $30, depending on the location.

Read more: U.S. retail sales rise again, but higher gas prices and inflation play a big role

These deals are designed to bring in customers, but they aren't always the most strategic moves for restaurants - in fact, when Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in 2024, the addition of the endless shrimp deal to the permanent menu was partly to blame. Business strategist and consultant Craig Miller said many chains today are simply reacting to traffic dips rather than following a long-term plan. Because these brands are throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, they often fail to account for how much value a disciplined diner can actually extract from these deals.

Bottomless deals can build "brand awareness for the short term," said Miller, who helped Sonic Drive-In develop its digital strategy. But "for really driving loyalty, if you're going for the quick traffic hit, it won't be sustained. That's proven over and over again."

These deals do, however, offer an opportunity for consumers with tight budgets to score significant savings. If you're looking to take advantage of these promotions, here are four savvy ways to make every penny count:

1. Ignore the filler meals - not all endless items are created equal

Don't go for the endless meals that are designed to fill you up quickly. Many all-you-can-eat menus lead with heavy, low-cost carbohydrates like pasta or thick breading to trigger fullness before you've reached the break-even point on higher-cost proteins.

For example, Red Lobster's promotion offers five different shrimp meals. Kristin McGrath, a senior editor for the deal-hunting site The Krazy Coupon Lady, recommends going for the coconut shrimp or shrimp scampi and passing on the shrimp linguini alfredo.

From the archives (Nov. 2023): Endless Shrimp deal meant endless pain for Red Lobster's owner

"As delicious as it is, the shrimp linguini alfredo is loaded up with cheese and pasta, so that restaurant is betting that you're going to fill up faster and they're going to give you less shrimp," McGrath said. "It's how you order that gets you the best value."

2. Be strategic about ordering endless versus a la carte

If a specific low-value item is what you actually want, experts suggest ordering it a la carte and reserving your "endless" capacity for the more expensive stuff. For example, chips and salsa and mozzarella sticks are both included in Buffalo Wild Wings's bottomless apps deal for $9.99 - but on the permanent menu, chips and salsa a la carte are $5.99 and mozzarella sticks are $9.49. By choosing the cheese sticks for the deal, you've essentially broken even on your first plate, making every refill pure profit.

This strategy also works for leftovers. Since restaurants generally don't allow you to take bottomless refills home, McGrath suggests filling up on the apps while you're at the table.

"You can get your fill of those and then you've got a menu item to take home for a meal later," McGrath said.

3. Use loyalty programs to find hidden discounts

If you want to optimize your savings even more, sign up for the restaurant's loyalty program. Every restaurant's rewards work differently, but many offer additional freebies or discounts that you can layer on top of an all-you-can-eat special.

From the archives (Dec. 2025): Store loyalty programs are taking your personal data and may use it to charge you more. Here's how to protect yourself.

"We're seeing a lot of restaurants now put their deals and freebies behind that rewards wall, so that you have to be a rewards member or you have to redeem the offer in an app or show a code from your email to be able to get it," McGrath said.

4. Bring a group (if the deal's terms allow for it)

For bottomless deals that allow you to share, dining with family or friends will help maximize your value.

Buffalo Wild Wings's endless apps promotion allows for groups up to four people, meaning "it's $2.50 each for four of you to just get those bottomless apps. If you only have two people, you're probably going to be able to get through less of them," McGrath said. "That's a great family value, as well, even with kids who maybe aren't going to eat as much."

Read next: More diners are eating at Chipotle despite higher prices, bucking Wall Street's concerns about restaurants

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-Genna Contino

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May 16, 2026 11:03 ET (15:03 GMT)

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