Free birthday treats in the Sarasota area
Photo courtesy of iHop

Free birthday treats in the Sarasota area

Photo courtesy of iHop
Photo courtesy of iHop

Students – and people in general – in the Sarasota area can enjoy some free treats on their birthday, and while it may not be as easy as blowing out those birthday candles, it is easier than one might think. All it takes is a little preparation and about an hour of filling out name and email forms on different websites, and producing a valid I.D.

For those looking to start their birthday right, IHOP, with the closest location on  N. Washington Blvd, just nine minutes from New College, is a good place to begin the free birthday food adventure. To receive this birthday treat it is required to join IHOP’s rewards club, however, upon joining the club not only do participants receive a free stack of Rooty Tooty Fresh N’ Fruity pancakes or any other stack of pancakes of equal or lesser value but they also receive another essentially similar coupon just for signing up.  If that’s not enough, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, located eight minutes away from New College by car on 14th St., also offers a free birthday breakfast for joining their rewards club.

For lunch, Denny’s – although not quite known for their food, but instead their interesting social media presence – offers a free birthday meal. While many require joining a birthday or rewards club, with the benefits of receiving a coupon which can be used for a period of time, Denny’s is the only one on this list that does not require a rewards club membership, all that’s needed is to show up and present valid I.D, and with a Denny’s only a little more than ten minutes away by car on US-41 North, this is the easiest deal on the list.

For a mid-afternoon snack Panera might sound good. To get this birthday discount requires scoping out a local Panera restaurant, with one less than ten minutes away by car on University Parkway, a little bit in advance to get a rewards card and register it to their rewards club. Similar to IHOP however, the rewards card earns the participant a free pastry just for registering the card with their website as well as the free birthday pastry.

For dinner, Olive Garden – located on the corner of 14th St. and US 41 less twenty minutes from New College – offers some savings with a free appetizer and a dessert with the purchase of an entree for joining their rewards club. Another great choice, Ruby Tuesday, located on University Parkway thirteen minutes away by car, offers a free burger up to an eight dollar value, and similar to IHOP and Panera the rewards card holders earn a free appetizer just for signing up.

For dessert, there’s some hard choices to make between Baskin Robbins, Ben and Jerry’s and  Culver’s, all of which offer a free scoop as a birthday gift for joining their rewards club. Baskin Robbins and Ben and Jerry’s also offer a free coupon for three dollars off of an ice cream cake. Culver’s offers one free topping for your ice cream, although, according to the man at the counter, nuts cost a dollar extra. While Ben and Jerry’s is located less than fifteen minutes away from New College near Lido Beach, Baskin Robbins and Culver’s are located in the same building less than five minutes away on Tamiami trail.

Finally, for that extra kick that will be needed to get through the long night of studying that’ is ahead for the birthday student who spent an entire day collecting free food and not doing their school work. Dunkin’ Donuts offers a free birthday coffee for joining their rewards club. With its location in it’s shared building with Baskin Robbins getting a free cup of birthday coffee to end the day of free food hunting is extremely simple.

Getting free birthday food isn’t as easy as pie apparently, but getting free birthday treats in the Sarasota area is a possibility without spending much money, with only a minimal amount of email spam – although, Gmail does a good job of filtering most of it into the promotions folder with a small amount of work. And, it’s a good way to stock up on yummy treats, at least for a few days. So, happy birthday, and make sure to enjoy this birthday treats responsibly.

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