Face of Nation : The first day of summer always causes double takes. There are a lot of ways we unofficially mark the start of summer. If you’re a student or parent, the end of the school year is probably considered the start of summer. If you just live for excuses to be outside, Memorial Day might be your unofficial start of summer. But the true first day of summer doesn’t come until June 21.
But it’s here. No matter how you mark the season, summer is here. To celebrate the occasion, restaurants across the country are offering free and cheap food. A lot of it is seasonally appropriate — ice cream and smoothies — and some of it is just good food, which doesn’t necessarily need to wait for the season to be right. Take a look below to find our running list of the best deals for the first day of summer from Dairy Queen, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Pizza, and many others.
Free Food for the First Day of Summer
Dairy Queen
The deal: Download the DQ mobile app for a nice way to welcome the summer season. You can get a free regular or dipped cone with any purchase.
When: June 21
Jamba Juice
The deal: Swing into Jamba for a free small smoothie anytime from 2-5pm.
When: June 21, 2-5pm
Wayback Burgers
The deal: Wayback is trotting out its annual Free Shake Day. When you stop by, you’ll get a free Black & White Milkshake at participating locations. No purchase is necessary.
When: June 21
Wendy’s
The deal: Use the Wendy’s app to get a free Berry Burst Chicken Salad with any purchase.
When: June 21 – July 14
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
The deal: Buy a sandwich, salad or Pick-Your-Pair item and you’ll get one for free.
When: June 20-21
Boston Market
The deal: Boston Market is feeling cocky about its new lunch sandwich options. In fact, they’ll let you turn in the lunch you brought to work and get one of their sandwiches for free today.
When: June 21, 11am-2pm
Smoothie King
The deal: Buy a smoothie on the first day of summer (which is also National Smoothie Day) and use your Healthy Rewards app to get a free smoothie loaded onto your account. The freebie can be redeemed anytime from June 22 to June 27.
When: June 21
B.GOOD
The deal: B.Good Rewards members will get set up with a free smoothie when they purchase any breakfast entrée.
When: June 18-23
Food Deals for the First Day of Summer
Néktar Juice Bar
The deal: Grab a superfood smoothie for just $5 anytime on National Smoothie Day.
When: June 21
Instacart
The deal: Instacart has a couple of deals on sweets. Order through Instacart, and you can get $1.50 off three pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Or you can get the same off two pints of select Talenti ice cream.
When: Valid until June 30
Pizza Hut
The deal: Get a large pizza for $5.99 in a new flash sale from Pizza Hut.
When: June 17-23
Blaze Pizza
The deal: Place an order of $10 or more through Postmates and you’ll get it delivered for free. Also, every order will come with two free Dough Knots. You don’t have to hit the order minimum to get some free knots.
When: June 19-23
Local Food Deals for the First Day of Summer
City Mouse at the Ace Hotel – Chicago, Illinois
The deal: The restaurant’s usual happy hour will run from open to close to help you maximize what is (hopefully) the day with the most sunlight this year. Drop in for a $4 Kolsch, $7 daiquiri, or $2 cheeseburger quesadillas.
When: June 21
Olive Garden
The deal: The restaurant has brought back its buy-one-take-one offer. Buy an entrée that starts at $12.99 and you’ll get an entrée to take home for free. The take-home options include Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, and Cheese Ravioli.
When: Through July 29
McDonald’s
The deal: Order McDelivery through Uber Eats and you’ll get free delivery by using the code “MCDS0DF.”
When: June 17-23
Bojangles
The deal: Swing by to grab a 32-ounce cup of Legendary Ice Tea for a buck. They’ll be celebrating National Iced Tea for quite a while at Bojangles.
When: June 10 – late July
Burger King
The deal: The King is offering a few Whopper meal options. Get a $4 Whopper Jr. meal, a $5 Whopper meal, or a $6 Double Whopper meal. The meal comes with a drink and your choice of fries or onion rings.
When: Ongoing
Stop and Shop
The deal: A five-pack of mini eclairs is just $1.99 at all locations today.
When: June 22
