What to Order at a Bar and Grill When You're Watching Your Budget

August 29, 2026 · Bar, grill and good times in Ephrata

CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eating out on a budget doesn't mean settling for a side salad and tap water. At a bar and grill, you can get a real meal, watch the game, and keep the bill reasonable if you order with a plan instead of just picking whatever sounds good. For two adults, a smart order at a place like the ones around Ephrata and Grant County usually lands somewhere in the $20 to $35 range before tip, depending on what you drink.

What you need

• The happy hour window for the place you're going. A lot of local bar and grills run something like 2pm to 4pm on weekdays, and that's often the cheapest window to eat, not just drink.
• A rough number in your head before you sit down. Decide what you're comfortable spending per person, food and drink combined, so you're not doing math after the check comes.
• A read on the menu categories. Most bar and grill menus split into apps, burgers and sandwiches, entrees, and a kids menu. Prices usually step up in that order.
• A willingness to share. Appetizer portions at most bar and grills are built for two or three people, not one.
• A limit on drinks, or at least a plan for them. One cocktail can cost as much as an entire plate of food.

Step by step

1. Check the clock and the calendar first. If you can eat during happy hour, do it. Discounted apps and drink specials during that 2pm to 4pm window (or whatever hours your spot runs) can cut a meal's cost by a third or more without changing what you're eating.
2. Order one shared appetizer for the table, not one per person. A basket of wings, a plate of nachos, or a sampler is usually enough for two or three people to snack on while deciding on mains. Ordering individual apps on top of individual entrees is the single fastest way to blow a budget.
3. Lean toward burgers, sandwiches, and pub-style plates over steak, seafood, or "market price" items. These usually run $10 to $16 in a typical bar and grill, while steak and seafood entrees often start closer to $18 and climb from there. A good burger with fries fills you up the same as most entrees for less money.
4. Watch what you drink, and count it as part of the meal, not separate from it. A couple of craft cocktails or a few pints can quietly double a food bill. If you're budgeting, pick one drink you actually want instead of a round of whatever's on special, or stick to happy hour pricing if it's running.
5. Use the kids menu for kids, not adult portions cut in half. Kids menus at family-friendly bar and grills are usually priced for smaller appetites and smaller wallets, often $6 to $9, and they come with a drink included more often than not.

Where this goes wrong

The most common budget blowout is ordering like it's a special occasion every time. Appetizer for everyone, entree for everyone, a couple rounds of drinks, then dessert on top. Any one of those is fine. All of them together on a Tuesday night turns a $40 dinner into $80 without anyone really deciding to spend that much.

Another one is not tracking drinks. It's easy to lose count of a second or third round, especially if you're watching a game with friends. That's where the real overspending happens, not in the food. If you're keeping an eye on the total, ask for a running tab check partway through instead of waiting for the final bill to surprise you.

Kids ordering off the adult menu is another quiet cost. A ten-year-old splitting a $16 entree with a sibling often eats less than what's on a $7 kids plate, and you end up paying more for less food actually consumed.

Last one: add-ons and upgrades. Extra bacon, upgraded fries, blackened seasoning, sauce on the side that costs extra, premium cheese. None of these are expensive on their own, a dollar or two each, but they stack up fast across a table of four.

Ask your server before you order

You don't need to guess your way through a menu. Servers know the portion sizes, they know what's actually shareable, and they know if there's a special running that isn't printed on the menu. Ask what a shared appetizer typically covers for your group size. Ask if the burger comes with a side or if fries are extra. Ask if happy hour pricing applies to food or just drinks, since that varies place to place. A thirty-second question can save you from ordering more than you need or paying for something you assumed was included.

If you're bringing a group for a game or a family dinner, it's also worth asking about combo deals or shareable platters built for the table. A lot of bar and grills, including 12 Hawks here in Ephrata, run food and drink specials through the week on top of the regular happy hour, and staff can tell you what's actually a deal versus what just sounds like one.

The one thing not to do is guess at pricing off memory from a different restaurant or a different visit. Menus and specials change. If the number matters to your budget, just ask before you order instead of after.