Cheap Eats: 10 National Chain Restaurants With Great Happy Hour Specials

Blog | September 5th, 2024


After a long day of work or raising a family, sometimes the absolute last thing you feel like doing is cooking. Eating out can add up quickly – but if you time your dining right, you can save lots of cash by visiting restaurants during their happy hour. From $1 draft beers to $4 appetizers, we’ve hunted down some of the happiest happy hours out there.


Here are 10 national chain restaurants with exceptional happy hour offerings. Please note: some locations may have slightly different hours or specials, so check individual restaurants before heading out. And most restaurants only offer happy hour prices in their bar area so make sure you choose your table or seat accordingly.


BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse


Since this is a brewhouse, we’ll start with the brews on special. BJ’s has domestic bottles for $4 and their signature handcrafted beers on draft for $5 during happy hour. When BJ’s has seasonal or guest draft beers those are $1 off. If beer isn’t your thing, Dark Horse brand wines are also $5 or you can try the Brewhouse Margarita for $6. Call drinks are also $6. Of course, you’ll need something to munch on with your beverage of choice. Chips and dips are $4, and select appetizers and mini deep-dish pizzas are $7. Depending on the location, the select appetizers may include sliders, avocado egg rolls, mozzarella sticks, and more.

BJ’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 – 7 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday 9 p.m. to close.


Buffalo Wild Wings


With over 1,200 locations across the country, chances are there’s a Buffalo Wild Wings near you. Their happy hour eats include chips and salsa, and tater tots each for $3, mozzarella sticks for $5, and everything pretzel knots for $6. To wash those down, BWW has a house beer for $4, Bud Light for $5, and Voodoo Ranger IPA for $6. On the cocktail side of things, there’s a Blue Long Island Iced Tea for $4 and a Strawberry Margarita for $6.

Buffalo Wild Wings happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 – 6 p.m.




California Pizza Kitchen


This happy hour is available throughout the entire restaurant at California Pizza Kitchen – not just the bar area! All drinks and starters are half off; which means you can choose to pair a cocktail, beer, or wine, with anything from lettuce wraps to avocado club egg rolls. They also have a $9 happy hour special with select seven-inch pizzas and a featured beer. Pizza options feature some of CPK’s most popular pies including the California Veggie and the Original BBQ Chicken.

California Pizza Kitchen’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 – 6 p.m.


Dave & Buster’s


This should be an easy one to remember. Dave & Buster’s happy hour is all day every day and the items included – both food and drinks – are all $5. Tasty bites include a cheese flatbread, loaded nachos, and fried pickles. Drink options include domestic draft beers featuring Miller Light, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Coors Light. Once you’ve filled up, you can use the money you saved to try your hand at D & B’s arcade games!

Dave & Buster’s happy hour runs every day of the week all day.


El Torito


Drinks and savory dishes are sizzling in El Torito’s Cantina every night of the week with this happy hour. $4 offerings include street corn, queso dip, well drinks, draft beer pints, and house wines. For $6, there are signature margaritas, mini steak and chorizo tacos, and more. For $8, you can spice things up with a jalapeno cucumber margarita, beef birria tacos, and more. And for $10 there is a margarita flight, salmon tacos, and more.

El Torito’s happy hour runs every night of the week from 4 – 9 p.m. During NFL Football games, on Thursdays, the same specials start at 3 p.m and run through close, and on Sunday game days the food specials run 2 p.m. to close with drink specials all day.




P.F. Chang’s


The headline with this happy hour is that it goes all day! P.F. Chang’s has select drinks for $5 and select appetizers for $10 for their happy hour. Drinks include their Pink Lotus Cosmo, Zen Margarita, select well drinks, the restaurant’s specialty house beer Ha-Chi 5251 Pilsner, domestic draft beers, and 14 Hands Merlot and Chardonnay. The savory starters available include their signature lettuce wraps with chicken or veggies, crispy green beans, crab wontons, and dumplings with shrimp or pork.

P.F. Chang’s happy hour runs all day every day.


Red Robin


This happy hour has a lot of drink options – all for only $4 – $6! Domestic draft and bottled beers, Truly hard seltzers, and house margaritas are all $4; a Tito’s Blue Chill (kind of like a Blue Hawaii topped with whipped cream and a cherry), and 6-ounce wine pours are $5; and craft draft beers and bottles, a Long Island Iced Tea, and a Spiked Freckled Lemonade are all $6. That last one is made with citrus vodka and has a sugared rim for a tasty blend of sour and sweet. For food options, Red Robin offers $3 off several appetizers including fried pickles and onion rings, and 10-inch Donatos cheese and pepperoni pizzas. And if you’ve left room for dessert or want something sweet on the side you can also get $3 off their gourmet milkshakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Red Robin’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 – 6 p.m.


Ruby Tuesday


Every day of the week Ruby Tuesday has happy hour, not once, but twice with a late-night happy hour option. Drinks start at only $1 for domestic draft beers, with $3 six-ounce wines and mixed well drinks, and $5 nine-ounce wines. If it’s been an extra long day, there’s the Ruby Relaxer for $4 or make it a large for $5. There doesn’t seem to be any happy hour food discounts but Ruby Tuesday does have daily specials with meals as low as $6.99 depending which day of the week you visit.

Ruby Tuesday’s happy hour runs every day from 3 – 6 p.m. Late-night happy hour runs Sunday – Thursday 8 p.m. to close, and Friday and Saturday 9 p.m. to close.




Steak ‘n Shake


If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this one’s for you. Steak ‘n Shake’s happy hour includes half off all shakes and drinks. There are no food specials included but their thick, creamy shakes are so deliciously decadent they may be enough of meal themselves! Flavors include classics like chocolate and vanilla, candy-inspired creations with Butterfinger and Kit Kat bars, and some unique choices like cotton candy and birthday cake.

Steak ‘n Shake’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 2 – 4 p.m.


Yard House


The restaurant known for having the world’s largest selection of draft beer also has a large happy hour offering. Their happy hour includes half off select appetizers and pizzas with $2 off draft beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails, $3 off nine-ounce wine pours, and $4 off half yards of beer. The food selection varies by location but you can expect to see items like boneless wings, sliders, spinach dip, nachos, and that sort of fare.

Yard House’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 – 6 p.m. and Sunday through Wednesday from 9:30 – 11 p.m. (drink specials only) at most locations. Some locations do not offer the late-night happy hour specials.


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