Treat Yo' Self on Yo' Birthday

This month marks the annual day my body has survived the Earth's rotation around the sun. I plan to celebrate this occasion by getting as much free food as possible. Using the world's most popular search engine, I checked how many places offer complimentary items on one's birthday or birthday month. Most places require you to sign up for an email list or download an app a couple of days before your birthday; start at least a month before the day you were born to get all that's coming to you. Below is a way to break down the offers available by type of meal - happy birthday to you.

AVOID AN UNNECESSARY HASSLE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY: BRING ID WITH YOUR D.O.B

BREAKFAST

• Kettleman’s Bagel - Downloading their app and joining their rewards club get you a dozen free bagels of your choice.
• Le Moulin De Provence KD (Metcalfe & Queen) - Get a freshly-baked pastry after proving it really is your birthday. Please note this offer is not valid at the Byward Market store for some reason. 
• Perkins - Three pancakes, two eggs made to order, and two pieces of bacon are a great way to start your birthday.
  
  Coffee fans probably already know Bridgehead and Starbucks offer a free birthday beverage if you sign up for their respective rewards programs. If not, make the most of those points that have been gathering dust on your profile.

LUNCH/DINNER

• Blue Cactus - With the purchase of another main course of equal or greater value, you can get a free entrée on your birthday. If you go during the month of your birthday you can get a free dessert.
• Harvey's - They may make your hamburger a beautiful thing but on your birthday, the best they can offer is free Frings (half Frech fries, half onion rings).
• South St. Burger - As a member of the Birthday Club, you can treat yourself and a friend to a birthday burger with their ‘buy one, get one free’ coupon. The best part of this deal is that it's good on your birthday and up until 14 days afterward.
• Tucker's Marketplace: Guess who's back...back again...Two years after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the former Mother Tucker's is back with its customary free birthday meal.
• The Works: A free burger with the purchase of any burger of equal or lesser value and a side is available to you. As someone who has been working his way through their menu, I would be doing myself a disservice for not suggesting you take advantage of their offer.

DESSERT

If you have a sweet tooth, you've hit the motherlode on your birthday. The following locales will satisfy that craving by comping your dessert with the purchase of a meal:

• The Bad Alibi
• Big Rig
• Flapjack’s Canadian Diner - They offer a birthday cake milkshake which is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of birthday cake blended into a milkshake.
• Host India
• Lone Star Texas Grill
• Mamma Teresa Ristorante (300 Somerset Street West) - BONUS: A song is also served with your dessert.
• Marble Slab Creamery
• Mia’s Indian Cuisine
• Pelican Fishery & Grill Restaurant