Celebrate Free Slurpee Day @ 7-11 today!

Wow, this heat must be going to my head because I totally forgot that today is Free Slurpee Day at 7-11 stores nationwide. And while the heat of the day may be burning off, that doesn’t mean there’s not still time to get out there and get your free Slurpee on. So, have one on me, amigos!

Oh, and stay away from the Sugar-Free Mango flavor. I tried it recently in an effort to stick to my diet and, lord in heaven, it is a total abomination. Seriously, it’s the worst Slurpee flavor I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had them all…so, avoid the Sugar-Free Mango at all costs! You’ll thank me later…

And, once again, Happy Free Slurpee Day 2012, everyone!

National Donut Day 2011

Although I still think it should be held in the dead of winter, instead of the beginning of June, today is National Donut Day! And you know what that means? You guessed it…free donuts at Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts locations nationwide. Hooray!

I’m not sure who else is participating in this glorious day, but, it’s worth checking out your local donut mongers to find out what kind of deals they got going. I mean, hey, even a sale donut is better than nothing!

See ya in line, amigos…

Free 2 Taco Day @ Jack in the Box (November 16, 2010)

Hmmm…guess where we’ll be this afternoon at 2:00PM? Trust me on this one, amigos, the best fast food tacos on earth only taste better when they’re totally, 100% free. And this year, you don’t even need to print up a coupon!

Gotta love those tasty, deep-fried Jack in the Box tacos!

Free Slurpee Day @ 7-Eleven

My apologies for not posting news of this wondrous event in time for y’all to actually partake in said free 7-Eleven Slurpees, but, the good news is that once you read this post, you’ll know to look out for Free Slurpee Day 2011. So, yay!

Never heard of Free Slurpee Day? Well, until last week, neither had I. And I am a fairly regular consumer of Slurpees,  my usual being a mixture of Fanta Banana and Coke flavors. Anyway, this magical day is celebrated every year at participating 7-Eleven stores on July 11th. Seven-eleven…get it?

Cooler still is the fact that the free Slurpees come in cute-ass little cups that measure out to exactly, you guessed it…7.11 ounces. Awesome! The only problem we had is that the first 7-Eleven store we went (at Verdugo and Olive in Burbank) claimed to be out of free sized cups by the time we arrived? Huh?

I mean, yeah, it was 8:30PM, but the promo was supposed to last until 11:00PM! So, as you can imagine, we were seriously annoyed.

We got even angrier when the dude behind the counter wouldn’t answer us when we asked him if they had any more free sized cups. He just stared into space ringing up customers. It was so weird. Luckily for us, my brother Ryan (who took the lovely pictures you see here) was there to cut through the bullshit.

Glaring at the dude from across the store, Ryan bellowed, as only he can bellow: “Oh really?! You’re out of free Slurpee cups on Free Slurpee day?!” I swear to God, I thought the cashier was gonna faint…he looked absolutely terrified. And two seconds later, we had four free sized cups in our hot little hands. Ha!

So, we filled our tiny cups a few times over then headed off to another 7-Eleven that was supposedly offering 50-cent hot dogs as well! Yee-haw!

That 7-Eleven (which is now officially our favorite in Burbank) is located at the corner of Hollywood Way and Burbank and was far more festive with all kinds of banners and balloons and shit in the store.

But even though they were much more forthcoming with the free sized Slurpee cups, they were totally out of 50-cent hot dogs, which kinda sucked. That said, the cashier there was the nicest 7-Eleven clerk in the world and even had a big old plate of free sliced fruit at his register, so…we left smiling!

Until next year, happy belated Free Slurpee Day 2010, amigos!

Free Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea Day @ Popeyes

When Christine told me last night that yesterday was National Iced Tea Day, I just knew we had to have some. And when we walked into Popeyes for dinner and the place was covered with flair advertising their brand-spanking-new offering, Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea, well, guess what we ordered to drink?

Actually, Greta and her sweet-tea-hating Mommy had water. And even though I am usually more of a Dr. Pepper man at Popeyes, I decided to honor this awesome holiday I knew nothing about by sampling the Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea.

And, man, was I glad I did! I haven’t had sweet tea in years, even when my Mom and sister lived in the South, we never drank it. I mean, it’s good and all, but, a little Southern sweet tea goes a long way. I’m not kidding, you get like, instant cavities…it’s freaky.

But this Popeyes deliciousness is a freaking revelation! I don’t know if it’s the cane sugar or what, but this is the best sweet iced tea I’ve ever had anywhere. And unlike most sweet tea, you can really taste the fresh-brewed tea in every sip. I actually had flecks of tea leaf in my ice when I finished! Awesome!

So, I take a bunch of pictures and am getting ready to blog about this cane sugar perfection and what do I read online? This Saturday, June 12th, in honor of National Iced Tea Day and Popeyes’ 38th anniversary, Popeyes locations nationwide are offering my favorite new drink in the world for free! That’s right, y’all, free Cane Sweeeet Tea for everyone! Yay!

Here’s hoping Popeyes has a rocking birthday and to the visionary soul who invented the best new holiday ever…we salute you. National Iced Tea Day 4eva!

The results are in…Via rocks!

Contrary to popular belief it did not take me twenty days to decide what I thought of Starbucks new Via Instant Coffee — I knew what I thought the second I tasted it! — but it did take me that long to find time to blog again with the wee one taking up almost all of my waking hours, so, many apologies. The truth is, I’ve missed you guys, probably a whole lot more than you missed me (ha!) but, in any case, it’s very good to be back.

And now, at long last I can tell you that the new Via Ready Brew is absolutely fantastic. I was so shocked at how good it was that I literally failed my taste test.

Seriously. I made such a face when I found out I’d guessed wrong that the barista actually laughed out loud. It was hilarious and I must say, completely surprising. Who would think instant coffee could taste exactly like brewed? Amazing.

I can’t vouch for the Colombian, but the Italian I had was so good that I actually bought a three pack to take home. And next time we go anywhere, you can bet your ass that a couple dozen of those cute little packages will be stashed somewhere in our Vue! Add some hot water at a gas station, stir, and I can drive all night, baby! Que viva la Via!

FREE COFFEE ALERT: Starbucks Via Taste Test Challenge starts today!

Just when you thought Starbucks had done it all, the mad scientists from Seattle have outdone themselves yet again. Starting today Starbucks will be selling their very own line of instant coffee — you know, the stuff your Grandparents drink — in the form of the beautifully-packaged Starbucks Via.

Available in two flavors, a mellow Colombian Roast and a more bold, dark roast Italian, the coffee comes in little packets that look to me like those fancy sugar containers at hotels and such. And though the mere mention of instant coffee brings me back to the bad old days of my Maxwell House-filled youth, I have to admit, I have been dying to try Via since I first heard about it. So, hooray!

Even more exciting than the launch of this new coffee product is the fact that Starbucks will be giving it away all weekend long as part of their Via Taste Test Challenge. All you have to do is show up at your local Starbucks, ask to take the taste test and you’ll be given a cup of Starbucks’ traditionally-brewed coffee and a cup of the new Via Instant Coffee. That’s right, two free cups of coffee all weekend long. Awesome, huh? I mean, hell, even if it sucks, it’s still free, right?

I might not be able to take the test myself till Saturday, but in the meantime, am dying to hear what the rest of you think of the latest and greatest from Starbucks. So, by all means, comment away…

Free Pastry Day at Starbucks

If I haven’t found time to head over to McDonald’s to take advantage of their sweet-ass freebies this past couple of Mondays, then you know I ain’t gonna get up early to get me a free pastry at Starbucks either.

But, just in case some of you early birds are up and about in time mañana, you should know that the beleaguered brewers from Seattle are offering up a free pastry to anyone who orders a drink (including, I think, brewed coffee) between the time that they open in the morning and 10:30AM. Not bad, huh?

I mean, hey, if you’re going to Starbucks anyway, why not partake in a little recession-friendly freebie? So, though Greta and I will probably just be rolling outta bed (and crib/co-sleeper) when this deal expires, here’s hoping some of you get your free scone on big time!

Oh yeah, and I think you might need a coupon, so, make sure and download one here before you head out in the morning. Enjoy!

Free Mocha Mondays @ McDonald’s

Just found out from one of our regular tipsters (thanks, Aunt Debbie!) that McDonald’s is offering free McCafé Mochas between the hours of 7:00AM and 7:00PM every Monday until August 3rd! Cool, huh?

Don’t know if you’ve had the chance to try this new line of fancy coffee drinks at McDonald’s yet, but Christine and I were first in line when they launched them back in May. And though the Caramel latte she had was downright hideous — I don’t know if it was the cheap caramel or what, but that thing SUCKED! — the iced Mocha I had was pretty damn good.

And when some freebie coupons came our way a week or so later, we tried some more of the McCafé drinks and were both very pleasantly surprised by how tasty they were for the price. It’s not Starbucks or anything, but they do pack a wallop in the caffeinated department and they are way cheaper than almost anything else on the market…so, I say try them out at least once.

And with Free Mocha Mondays for the rest of the month, how can you not try these drinks out? I haven’t sampled the hot mocha yet, but I can tell you from personal experience that the two iced mochas I’ve had have been kinda magical. So, I’d go cold on this one, amigos. Or, if you really wanna get your freebie on, go cold for breakfast and then head back later and go hot just before dinner…either way, you gotta try these things!

Oh yeah, and just to give you a heads up, the free version of the Mocha is served in an 8 ounce cup, not the usual 12 ounce. Just wanted to let you know so you don’t bitch out your McBarista when you get a small-ass cup.

Dying to hear what y’all think of the drinks, so, as usual, McComment away!

UPDATE: 31-Cent Scoop Night @ Baskin Robbins (2009)

OK, I don’t know if it was the cold weather or this crazy Swine Flu mania, but for some reason, there was virtually no line to speak of at this year’s 31-Cent Scoop Night at our local Baskin Robbins. And we went to the “good” Baskin Robbins on Victory this time too. Crazy, huh?

All I know is that the smaller crowds made it that much easier for myself and our friend Mike to sneak back inside for round two while his wife Patty and our other friend Elyse waited outside with Christine and Greta. Yee-haw!

Oh yeah, and this year, the scoops were way bigger than last time too…so, thank you, Baskin Robbins for another awesome adventure in cheap ice cream. You guys seriously rock!

31-Cent Scoop Night @ Baskin Robbins (2009)

Believe it or not, it has been a whole year since Christine and I celebrated 31-Cent Scoop Night at the Baskin Robbins in Glendale with my brother and sister-in-law, which means…ta da…the second best deal in the ice cream biz is happening again tonight between 5-10PM. Yay!

I know we’ve enjoyed many discounted and free meals and such during the past year, but honestly, nothing in God’s green Earth beats paying 31-cents for a scoop of freaking primo ice cream. So, check out all the pertinent details here and see ya in line, amigos!

Greta’s first free food @ Denny’s…

Technically, this momentous “first” took place the week before Easter, but seeing as we’ve had more than a few sleepless nights recently, I’m only just now getting around to blogging about it…sorry! In any case, Greta’s first free food at Denny’s was pretty amazing.

Of course, she didn’t actually eat anything on the menu. But Christine, myself and our friends Mike and Patty sure did and it was great. And better yet, we practically had the whole place to ourselves!

I don’t know if it was the fact that the last ad was hyped so heavily during the Super Bowl or what, but the lines weren’t nearly as long as the last time we schlepped to Denny’s for free grub. Which was fine by us, since this time we came with a stroller!

And though I’m still partial to the Lumberjack Slam or those totally badass Nachos with the fake cheese sauce, I gotta tell you the free Grand Slamwich Christine ordered — I ordered the traditional Grand Slam, which you had to purchase to get the sandwich free — was pretty tasty.

Basically a sandwich version of the Grand Slam, the Grand Slamwich consists of two scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, shaved ham, mayo and American cheese grilled on potato bread with a maple spice spread. I know, sounds like I’m describing heaven, right? Well, it was pretty close, amigos.

Christine found the flavor combo a bit overwhelming, but the couple of bites I had of that larger-than-life concoction were pretty incredible. It’s no Southern Style Chicken Breakfast Bisquit, but it was definitely worth trying at least once.

And though she didn’t eat there, Greta actually woke up and demanded to be taken out of her carseat/stroller for the first time in her short life. Seriously, she has slept soundly at every restaurant we have taken to her so far, but for some reason, she woke up at Denny’s!

I don’t know it’s coded in her DNA or what, but I like to think my girl just knew somehow that this magical place with the red and yellow decor and 24-hour service with a smile was truly something worth waking up for.

Yep, guess that apple didn’t fall very far at all…welcome to the great, wide-world of Denny’s, baby!

TODAY ONLY: Free tacos at Jack in the Box!

I know I’ve been a pretty lame-ass blogger this past couple of weeks, but with the baby coming in a little less than two weeks, I’ve been trying to finish up work on other stuff lately and have been kinda swamped…sorry.

But when I head the news that Jack in the Box was offering two free tacos today to anyone who downloads the coupon at HanginthereJack.com, I knew I had to break my blog silence and tell you about it.

I don’t know if you’ve been following the wacky, “Hang in there Jack” viral advertising campaign — launched with that hilarious ad during the Super Bowl…yes, we Tivo-ed the game for the commercials — but the updates about Jack’s health on the website have been pretty funny.

And while I don’t know if Jack will live or die, I do know what Christine and I will be having for dinner. Yay! Jack in the Crack tacos have always been my favorite thing on their menu…so, getting them for free is kind of crazy awesome!

Also heard from our free food guru, “Santa Fe Sarah”, that IHOP is giving away free pancakes today as well. Our IHOP in Burbank is super ghetto and is always way too crowded, so we’ll probably skip that, but if you’re interested, you can read more about the promo here.

In the meantime, pray for Jack’s speady recovery (that is his most recent X-ray, above) and get yourself some free tacos pronto!

UPDATE: Free Grand Slam Day at Denny’s!

I hope you all took advantage of Denny’s gift to America yesterday and got yourself a free Grand Slam Breakfast, but for those of you who missed out, never fear, because…as always…I took plenty of pictures!

It all started at 10AM when my friends Mike and Patty and I met up in the parking lot at the new Denny’s near the Burbank airport and found ourselves a place in line. Yes, there was a line, and it was long as hell, but hey, the food was free and the crowd was in a great mood…so, we had fun.

I think we waited in line for about half an hour — a small price to pay for free grub at the what I consider the best Denny’s in L.A. County — but once we got a table, our piping-hot food was up and ready quicker than you can say: “a side of hash browns for 99cents”. Seriously, the service was fast, man.

And while I’ve heard some grumblings from haters who didn’t think the line was worth the wait, I gotta tell ya from years of experience, free food events are not about the wait or the food…they are all about the experience.

And in today’s cruel economic climate, I can’t think of a better experience than a rocking free breakfast with America…so, thank you, Denny’s!

Free Grand Slam Day @ Denny’s!

Hopefully, you guys will read this in time to take advantage of this sweet-ass offer…but today only, February 3rd, from 6AM to 2PM, the kind folks at Denny’s are giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts! Yep, I said free…as in, all you gotta buy is your coffee. Pretty cool, huh?

I’m sure this killer offer is not news to anyone who watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, but seeing as Christine and I were otherwise engaged (and just now finished watching the Bowl commercials on Tivo) we just heard about the Denny’s deal of the decade last night.

And in case you were wondering, I did read the fine print on the website, and unless you live in the town of Baker, California or Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Grand Slams will be free at every single Denny’s in the United States. AND from what I’ve read on a couple of other sites, you can add another two items to your breakfast for only 99cents each. If that’s true, then…wow, I’ll stay there all day.

Ooo, speaking of…if I go to bed right now, I can squeeze in a good five hours of sleep before my free breakfast. Later…

L.A. Loncheros Community Forum

First off, sorry for being away for so long. Our friend Ginger was in town this weekend and we kept ourselves way busier than usual with tons of totally blogworthy adventures. And while I am chomping at the bit to blog about them, have been way too busy to even post our pictures to Flickr yet, much less blog (or sleep!), so, it might take a couple of days to get back up to speed. Sorry!

In the meantime, while Christine and I sleep off our “staycation” hangovers, wanted to alert los locals about a super cool Taco Truck Community Forum that is taking place this Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Organized by La Asociación de Loncheros L.A. Familia Unida de California — I know, talk about a mouthful! — the event is geared towards updating the taco truck community and their many fans about recent developments in the ever evolving Taco Truck War of 2008.

And while all that sounds kinda cool, the big selling point for this street taco fanatic is located in the fine print at the bottom of the flyer…FREE FOOD! As you all know by now, nothing gets my fat ass out of the house faster than the promise of free food, and free taco truck food…hell, I’m thinking about camping out tonight to score a good place in line!

Thanks to our compadre Aaron Sonderleiter at Saveourtacotrucks.org for the heads up on this rocking event. Call the number on the flyer above for more info and if, by chance, you happen to grab a place in line ahead of me, I am totally cutting in line to stand with you when we get there. You know, if that’s cool with you and everything…

Either way, que viva los taco trucks!

Free food on election day!

I’m sure all of you are gonna be out there voting today, but just in case any of you need a little nudge towards the old ballot box…I have two words for you, and they aren’t “Hope” or “Change” or even “Sarah Palin”. The keywords for today are: free food! Or, as I like to call it…one vote, one donut.

I’m sure there are gonna be tons of local free food events on this historic election day, but the main one’s I’m concerned with are those being offered by Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry’s.

Let’s start with Starbucks. They will offer a free tall coffee today to anyone who flashes their “I Voted” sticker. And, because this is apparently illegal in California — due to some archaic voting law — the coffee fiends from Seattle have opened up free coffee day to everyone. So, you actually don’t even have to vote to get free stuff…cool! But you should still totally vote!

And for those of you looking for something sweet to go with your free coffee, Krispy Kreme is offering the super cool donut pictured above and Ben & Jerry’s is offering a free scoop to anyone who votes. Not bad!

So, please, please vote today…I don’t even care if you vote for freaking Nader — well, actually, I kinda do — but this is a once in a lifetime election, amigos, do you really wanna be the one to tell your grandkids you skipped voting because you didn’t wanna wait in line? Hell to the no!

So, get out there and vote your asses off…and, as always…go, Obama! Oh yeah, and for the love of God, please, please remember to vote “No on 8”. Future generations will applaud you…seriously.

Movie premiere food…

OK, the big story here is…free popcorn and soda! Yay! Sure there were some awesome finger foods at the premiere after party at the Cabana Club — I’ll post some pics of those amazing “American Mall” cookies very soon, I promise! — but Christine and I were probably most impressed with the tables and tables of free popcorn at the Cinerama Dome.

And this is no ordinary movie popcorn folks, this is Arclight Cinema popcorn and it’s fantastic! I guess it should be considering how expensive movies are at the Arclight, but wow, this stuff was so good we didn’t even share it. Nope, it was his and her’s popcorn all the way, baby!

I don’t think they did anything fancy to the free sodas — or even to the popcorn for that matter, maybe it just tasted better because it was free! Ha! — but after working up a sweat walking that half-a-block long red carpet, trust me…Coke never tasted so good!

So after mingling around a bit in the lobby with some of the rocking cast and crew, Christine and I took our seats — which were perfect, thank you MTV! — and watched “The American Mall” for the first time on that big-ass Cinerama Dome screen. And, whoa…let me tell ya…it looked and sounded awesome!

Christine and I have already watched the movie several times on DVD, but it looked pretty freaking incredible on that gigantic movie screen. Everything was so damn big that I noticed tons of stuff I’d never caught before, and watching it with an audience that laughed, clapped and cheered at all the right places was pretty groovy too.

All in all, it was kind of a magical night…and best of all, after the movie ended, we still had the after party to look forward too! So, yay!

Free Vanilla Honey Bee @ HD!

Hot on the heels of the recent Thirty One Cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins comes yet another reason for ice cream fans everywhere to rejoice…and this time, it won’t even cost you thirty one cents!

That’s because today only, from 4-8pm, participating Häagen-Dazs stores are offering FREE scoops of their brand new flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee. Yep, you heard me…totally FREE. And as luck would have it, there happens to be a Häagen-Dazs just down the street from my brother and sister-in-laws’ house in Glendale. So, guess who we’re sharing our free scoops with later tonight?

Hoping to bring much-needed attention to the plight of the disappearing honey bee — over the last few years honey bees have been mysteriously vanishing and/or dying off at an alarming rate due to a strange phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder — Häagen-Dazs didn’t just create a yummy new flavor to honor the bees, but they also started a very cool movement on their website: helpthehoneybees.com.

Aside from some really cute graphics — I thought the bees with little picket signs (above) were so awesome I had to share them with you– the site is packed with information and articles on the world’s current honey bee crisis and is dedicated to helping support the honey bee and sustainable pollination research programs at Penn State and UC Davis.

I don’t know if you’ve read up on any of this stuff, but wow…some of the articles on the subject are kinda “end of the world” scary, primarily because bees play such a vital role in our whole circle of life on this planet. I mean, without bees, we’d be in some seriously deep shit, my friends.

So, check out the site, donate some cash if you can, but most of all, get out there and spread the word…one free scoop of ice cream at a time! Go, bees!