For All Our Veterans, On Their Day

For Veterans Day, for all our Veterans out there, a list of all the restaurants and businesses offering free or reduced items for you across the city and metropolitan area today.

• Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City: Complimentary lunch at Horizons Buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10.
• Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: A free dish from its “Thank You Meal” menu
• Back Yard Burgers: Free Back Yard Classic Burger
• Bar Louie: Free flatbread or burger
• Barley’s Kitchen + Tap: Free entree
• Blue Moose Bar & Grill: Free entree
• Bob Evans: $5.99 breakfast from a select menu
• Bonefish Grill: Free order of Bang Bang Shrimp
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Free order of wings with a side of fries
• Carrabba’s Italian Grill: Free appetizer with the purchase of an entree and Coca-Cola product
• Chili’s Grill & Bar: Free Old Timer cheeseburger, chicken bacon ranch quesadillas, chili or soup with salad, or Cajun chicken pasta
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Buy one/get one free
• Chuck E. Cheese’s: Free personal pizza
• Coco Bolos Wood-Fired Grill & Cantina: Free entree
• Cost Plus World Market: 20 percent off entire purchase (alcohol not included).
• Cracker Barrel: Free slice of double chocolate fudge Coca-Cola cake.
• Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar: Free slice of pie
• Denny’s: Free build-your-own Grand Slam
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Free meal
• Dollar General: 11 percent off purchases
• Donutology: Free glazed doughnut from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Dunkin’ Donuts: Free doughnut
• Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Q: Free lunch combo
• 54th Street Grill: Free meal (up to $12). Dine-in only
• Firebirds Wood Fired Grill: One complimentary military entrée with the purchase of an entree on Nov. 10.
• Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: Free combo meal coupon good through Nov. 30
• Golden Corral: Free dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13
• Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria: 15 percent off on Nov. 10 and 11.
• Great Clips: Free haircut on Nov. 11
• Hereford House: Free entrée (up to $20) with the purchase of a second entrée at lunch and dinner. Hours vary per location.
• Hooters: One free meal from a select menu
• Houlihan’s Restaurants: Free meal from a special menu
• Hy-Vee: Free breakfast
• HOP: Free red, white and blue pancakes
• Kansas City Zoo: Complimentary admission
• LaMar’s Donuts: Free doughnut and 12-ounce coffee.
• Little Caesars: Free lunch combo ($5 value) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• LongHorn Steakhouse: Free appetizer and 10 percent off the total bill from Nov. 10 to 12.
• Main Event Entertainment: Complimentary $10 FUNcard that can be used on all Main Event games, and one free entrée from the special Veterans Day menu.
• Minsky’s Pizza Cafe & Bar: Free 6-inch Philly cheesesteak, fries and a soft drink, dine-in only.
• Muscle Maker Grill: Free meal
• Museum at Prairiefire: All access for veterans and their guests
• O’Dowd’s Gastrobar: Free entree
• Olive Garden: One free entree (five to choose from) with unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks, dine-in only.
• On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Free lunch combo
• Outback Steakhouse: Free Bloomin’ Onion and free Coca-Cola drink
• Pie Five Pizza Co.: Free pizza
• Pinstripes, Prairiefire: Free entree up to $20.
• Porto do Sul: Free Harvest Table, for lunch only Nov. 10 and 11.
• Price Chopper: 25 cents off per gallon (or 500 points toward food savings) on veterans’ next fill-up at QuikTrip (up to 20 gallons). Veterans need to bring their Chopper Shopper Rewards Card to one of the stores on Nov. 11 to receive the discounts.
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews: Free Red’s Tavern double burger with bottomless steak fries
• Red Lobster: Free appetizer or dessert.
• Rock & Brews Restaurants: Free pulled pork sandwiches Nov. 10.
• Ruby Tuesday: Free appetizer
• Scooters Coffee: Free cup of coffee
• Shoney’s: Free all-you-care-to-eat breakfast bar from 6 to 11 a.m.
• Spin Neapolitan Pizza: Free Mini Mia pizza and salad or soup combo
• Sport Clips: Free haircuts
• Starbucks: Free tall coffee
• Stroud’s, Fairway and Overland Park: Free entree
• Texas Roadhouse: Free lunch from a select menu
• Topgolf: Free basic lifetime memberships if veterans sign up on Nov. 11, as well as 10 percent off gameplay and 20 percent off other memberships.
• Twin Peaks: Free menu item from a select menu on Nov. 13.
• Yard House: Free appetizer, dine-in only.
• YaYa’s Eurobistro: 20 percent off purchase and a $10 bonus card.
• Zarda Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q: Free pulled pork sandwich, side and medium drink from 11 a.m to 2 p.m.

And for a national list:

All the Restaurants Where Veterans and U.S. Military Eat Free This Weekend

Then, additionally, there is this:

All US national parks are free on Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day.

Veterans Day, 2014

"I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.” 

--Mohandas K Gandhi

Veterans Day, in retrospect

I have to tell you, if you don't have a Veteran in your life and/or you didn't go to an Applebee's restaurant yesterday, you really missed something.

But first, a little background.

At my office this week, a newer colleague--a Vet--asked me Wednesday if I'd care to go with him to lunch Thursday--yesterday, of course--for Veterans Day as they were giving Vets a free meal.  (There really is a free lunch, occasionally, if infrequently).

Naturally, I said yes and we made plans.

So off we went yesterday and I had no expectations for the lunch or experience.  I didn't think much of it.

What a payoff I got.

When we arrived, the place was packed.  It was nearly standing room only.  I had no idea that a) it would be so busy or that b) Applebee's did this annually.  I didn't know any restaurant group did this.

Next, what I noticed was that Applebee's--this one, at least--was really ready for this onslaught.  Everyone was flying--calmly and under terrific control and organization--everywhere.

And check this out--instead of just printing up a sheet that the restaurant would re-use, year after year, without a date on it, Applebee's had a nice big laminated sheet printed up with the specials for the Vets right on it.  That was expensive.  They didn't have to do that, either.

After that I noticed that the camraderie was almost palpable.  Whoever wasn't just quiet and cooperative was ready and willing to chat nearly anyone else up.  It was all "hello" and "how are you?" and "when did you serve" and "where did you serve?" and all that.  It was terrific.  Really fantastic.

My co-worker and I chatted up another senior Vet who said he served from 1947 on and retired with the service after serving all over the US.  He was a really nice, talkative guy.

And the Vets were all ages, too.  Most were Seniors but some were young guys in uniform.

The staff got us to our table, took our order and after a little wait, we had our food.

Was it fantastic food?  No, not really.  But it was good.

And far more than that, it was served to a large and very appreciative crowd.  I'd never witnessed such a full house of good feeling before.  Really, there was nothing like it.

Sure, if you're cynical, you could point out that Applebee's more than made up for whatever they gave away. I recognize that.

But this "giveaway" and all the work it took was a great way to say thank you to all kinds of Vets, nationwide, and a terrific way for them to impart goodwill that would last all year, for me, at least (and I'm not even a Vet), but for a large number of Vets nationwide, who took them up on their offer.

So kudos, Applebee's.  That was/is a terrific idea, a great effort and a really nice thing to do for all the Vets and, who knows?  Maybe all the rest of us US citizens, too.

It warmed my cold heart on a cool, Autumn day.

Links:  http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/298663747131442.bsp
http://www.kbnd.com/page.php?page_id=60247&article_id=3552
www.applebees.com

On Veteran's Day

Partly to say "happy Veteran's Day", sure, but more to say a heartfelt thank you.