CLEVELAND — Each year, many restaurants offer free food and deals to veterans and active-duty military members on Veterans Day to pay it forward as a way of saying "thank you for your service."
Most places require a military ID or proof of service to redeem the offer.
Here is a list of locations offering special deals on Saturday, Nov. 11, unless otherwise stated:
Applebee's
All veterans and active-duty military can get a free meal from a choice of seven of Applebee's most popular menu items. The free meal excludes tax and gratuity, and can only be redeemed for dine-in.
A valid military ID or proof of U.S. military service is required.
Bar Louie
All active and retired military and veterans can get a free Bar Louie craft burger, including the Bourbon BBQ Burger, GastroBurger and more.
A valid military ID is required to redeem the offer, which is only valid for dine-in.
Bob Evans
Veterans and active duty military personnel can get a free meal from the following 10 options:
- Country Biscuit Breakfast: A buttermilk biscuit topped with one egg cooked-to-order, crumbled Bob Evans® Sausage, country gravy and cheddar cheese. Served with hash browns, home fries or fresh-cut fruit.
- Sunrise: Two fresh-cracked eggs, cooked to order, and your choice of hash browns, home fries or fresh-cut fruit. Served with your choice of freshly baked bread.
- The Classic Breakfast: Classic combination of two fresh-cracked eggs, cooked to order, with a choice of premium breakfast meat. Served with your choice of freshly baked bread.
- The Mini Sampler: One egg cooked-to-order, hash browns, home fries or fresh-cut fruit, two sausage links, one turkey sausage link or two hardwood-smoked bacon strips and a freshly baked biscuit.
- Brioche French Toast: Two slices of griddled brioche bread, dipped in real egg batter made with vanilla and cinnamon. Served with butter and syrup and topped with powdered sugar.
- Sausage Gravy & Biscuits: A cup of Bob Evans signature house-made sausage gravy with two freshly baked buttermilk biscuits.
- Buttermilk Hotcakes: Four fluffy buttermilk hotcakes served with butter and syrup.
- Banana Berry Oatmeal: Rolled oat oatmeal topped with wild blueberries, sweet blueberry sauce, fresh banana slices and honey-roasted pecans. Served with fresh milk and a side of freshly baked banana nut bread.
- Bowl of Rolled-Oat Oatmeal: Made fresh daily. Served with real brown sugar, fresh milk and dried cranberries or honey-roasted pecans.
- Down-Home Country-Fried Steak: Topped with savory country gravy and served with mashed potatoes and green beans with ham, served with your choice of freshly baked bread.
Proof of service is required. Accepted identification includes US Uniformed Services ID Card, US Uniformed Services Retired Card, current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), veterans organization card (i.e. American Legion, VFW), a photograph of yourself in uniform, wearing uniform, DD214, and citation or commendation.
Circle K
All current and veteran military personnel can get one free cup of iced or hot award-winning coffee, which can be redeemed through the Circle K app.
The coupon expires Nov. 11 at 11:59 p.m.
Kohl's
Active and former military personnel, veterans and their immediate families can get 30% off in stores Friday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 12 with a valid military ID.
Kohl's also recognizes active and former military personnel, veterans and their immediate families every Monday of the year with a 15% discount on purchases made in stores.
McDonald's
Participating McDonald’s restaurants are offering a combo meal to all veterans, with a valid military ID, all day on Saturday, Nov. 11. All options come with any size soft drink, tea or hot coffee, and a hash brown for breakfast or French fries for lunch or dinner.
O'Charley's
O’Charley’s is offering a special free lunch menu on Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, veterans and active duty military can order one of the following free entrées and/or receive a free slice of pie at dinner. Both offers are for dine-in only.
The special lunch menu includes:
- Tenders & Fries — Double hand-breaded chicken tenders served with honey mustard dressing and hot, seasoned fries.
- Classic Cheeseburger — Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. Served with hot, seasoned fries
- Honey-Drizzled Southern Fried Chicken — A buttermilk-breaded and fried chicken breast drizzled with honey. Served with mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli
- Southern Fried Chicken Tender Salad — O’Charley’s famous chicken tenders chopped with tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, hickory-smoked bacon and cheddar cheese with honey mustard dressing
- Bayou Shrimp Pasta — Sautéed shrimp with red and green peppers, tomatoes and onions are tossed in Cajun alfredo sauce and served with linguini. And to top it all off, there’s shaved parmesan cheese
- Or, for $10, veterans can upgrade to the Louisiana sirloin meal.
Panera
Panera Bread’s largest franchisee, Covelli Enterprises, will salute those in uniform with a free bagel and coffee on Saturday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day at participating Panera Bread locations in Cleveland, Akron, and Canton
Scooter's Coffee
Scooter's Coffee is offering veterans and military members a free handcrafted drink of any size on Veterans Day.
To receive the free drink offer, veterans and military members simply need to present their valid military identification. The offer is not available for Order Ahead through Scooter's Coffee's mobile app.
Sheetz
Sheetz will be celebrating Veterans Day with a freebie for veterans and active duty military -- a free meal and a free car wash at Sheetz stores that have a car wash.
Sports Clips
Participating Sport Clips locations will provide free haircuts to veterans and active-duty service members with valid proof of service.