Tasting our way through the city, rather than a credit card, all you need is a birthday and a big appetite. After years of saving “birthday freebies” videos all over social media, my friends Dana Zohny and Julia Bychowski and I decided to test the waters of this popular practice for Dana’s 18th birthday.
Starting off in the bustling hub of Austin, downtown, we comprised a list of 15 restaurants, from fast-food to casual dining, known for their on-the-house birthday treats. However, with Julia’s car’s tank running out and the reality that eating 15 desserts in a two-hour span may not be the smartest decision, we decided to be practical and minimize our list. We mapped out our now seven-stop journey of snacks, and first up was Nothing Bundt Cakes.
Nothing Bundt Cakes on Research Boulevard was a quick and easy treat. We simply had to download an app and then we were free to choose any flavor of their “Signature Bundtinis.” We got a Chocolate Chocolate Chip mini bundt cake, and it was spectacular. The cake was moist, chocolatey – but definitely not overly rich – and the contrasting taste of the cream cheese frosting was the perfect topper.
Next, we drove across the street to Jersey Mike’s, where we heard we could secure a free sub – a treat much larger than the other freebies offered. Upon entering, we asked about the deal, but it turned out that the birthday sub only applies if you’re part of their loyalty program, MyMike’s, and have been subscribed to their email for at least one year. After our sandwich failure, we decided to fact-check the next few places on our list before wasting our already limited amount of mileage.
We searched up Krispy Kreme’s birthday policy, and were under the perception that you could receive a couple of glazed donuts for free. After asking an employee
about this, however, in a curt manner, she expressed that only Rewards Members qualify for the free donuts. Another fail! We left the store, but the image of those pillowy Boston Cream donuts on display lingered in our heads. Searching the app for another discount, we found out that our first purchase is a buy-one-get-one-free deal for any donut of our choice. The idea of having to go in that shop, face the employee who was not too delighted by our request for free donuts and beg for another discount was almost painful. Still, we couldn’t resist the urge – $2.29 for two donuts is better than $0 for none at all! Walking back into Krispy Kreme and seeing the employee’s unimpressed look was arguably the most humbling moment of my year, but our two Chocolate Iced Custard Filled Doughnuts, as they call them, had been retrieved. Why offer discounts if they’re not going to be used? Unfortunately, the donuts were not worth our embarrassment. Cutting it into fourths, my section didn’t even have the custard. The dough had an artificial, almost salty taste. Trying to make up for it, I took a bite out of one of the fourths with custard, but it only made the taste worse. The custard tasted like plastic and factory-made. Personally, Krispy Kreme was one of my favorite donut shops throughout childhood, so this experience was definitely a let-down.
For our third failure in a row, we called up Arby’s, making sure to dodge any misinformation from the internet before driving all the way there, and it turned out that they didn’t offer any birthday deals either.
Despite these disappointments, our experience at Chili’s made up for all of it. We were getting hungry, so we decided to order white cheddar mac & cheese as well as loaded mashed potatoes. On top of that, we mentioned to our server that it was Dana’s birthday, and he immediately offered a free dessert. While the typical dessert that Chili’s offers for birthdays is a molten lava cake, our enthusiastic server could tell that we were craving a pizookie, and despite it being a lot larger than the cake, he gave us one! The skillet cookie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle was out of this world, all thanks to the amazing customer service that Chili’s offered.
At this point we were full, but a freebie is a freebie, so we decided to end our experience with one more treat, a brownie from Chick-fil-A. Coincidentally, the Chick-fil-A at Four Points was hosting a kid’s birthday party. There was a petting zoo for exotic animals ranging from a kangaroo to a goat, tons of balloons and even their iconic cow mascot was there to greet the customers. The brownie was warm and indulgent, with a gooey inside yet a perfectly hard top.
After checking “Birthday Freebies” off of our checklist, we may have to diet for the next week. Still, out of all the places we visited, we’d definitely recommend going to Chili’s for your next birthday, where you can savor the chocolatey goodness of any of their desserts while simultaneously joking around with their kind and well-trained employees.
