Veterans Day is Sunday and to honor our vets, some local businesses are offering special deals.
Chili's on Sports Arena Boulevard is getting ready to offer active duty military and veterans a free meal on Nov. 11.
"We are doing extra prep -- we have all of our staff on just to be prepared for anything. We want to accept as many veterans and active duty in as we can, so we can give them some great food,” said Sports Arena Drive Chili’s Manager, Ken Neuman.
Chili’s is one of many popular chains honoring veterans; from convenience stores and fast food, to more formal dining. Some stores offer discounts too. The best place to find those deals is online, where you can find a number of websites with consolidated lists.
But there are usually restrictions, so you'll want to call ahead and find out what they are.
Retired Marine, Jack Harkins says it's great to see businesses giving a large scale “thank you” to our veterans community.
“It’s just as valid as noticing that someone passing you by on the street is a vet or active duty servicemen and saying thank you. So we applaud it", said Harkins.
From food and entertainment, to resorts and spas, free admission to amusement parks, even discounts on transportation -- if you've served in the military, it's definitely worthwhile to take a look at what's available to you this weekend.
And if you have a military or veteran's ID, or anything that proves that you've served, it's a good idea to bring that with you because many places will want to verify your service.
Other places offering freebies to vets this weekend include Kripy Kreme, which is giving away a donut and coffee, and Einstein Bros. Bagels, which is giving away a free bagel.
U.S. forces can also eat free Sunday at Olive Garden, Applebee’s and California Pizza Kitchen.
Meanwhile, Hooters is offering free wings, Red Lobster is offering free appetizers and Outback is giving away a free Bloomin’ Onion.
Denny’s is serving unlimited pancakes Monday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., while Golden Corral has free eats from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
