Tips for Saving Money on Local Food with your Student ID

Story by Ashley Schafer
Photo by Emily Hughes

College students everywhere can relate to the running joke of being a “broke college student.”

Tuition prices have increased since previous years, leaving us scraping by on ramen for dinner, not to mention the brutal month of December that emptied our wallets and left us struggling to make ends meet at the beginning of this year.

Luckily, there are ways your student status can save you money – we’ve compiled a list of local restaurants that give students a discount just for showing their student ID. Embrace being a student and have your ID ready when visiting these local eateries.

Student ID Deals

• IHOP: Offers 10 percent off your meal
• Big Boy: Offers 20 percent off your meal
• China Garden: Offers 16 different student combination plates for lunch prices, at dinner time. Each meal comes with a crab Rangoon or an eggroll, and fried rice.
• Tropical Smoothie Café: Text ‘ISLAND3’ to 30364 for weekly discounts
• GreenTree Cooperative Grocery: The store offers five percent off you the entire purchase every Friday for “Student Appreciation Day”
• Qdoba: Doesn’t offer regular student discounts, but every Wednesday night starting at 4 p.m., the chain has burrito specials starting at $4.99.

Happy Hours and Specials 

• Taco Bell: between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., the chain offers freezes, loaded grillers or a medium drink for a dollar each.
• Arby’s: Similarly between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., you can get sliders for a dollar each. Also for a dollar, you can enjoy a small curly fry, a small drink or a small shake.

Taking advantage of specials and discounts allows you to still go out and have fun, without depleting your wallet. It doesn’t hurt to ask at the checkout of any store or establishment if they offer student discounts. The worse they can do is say no.