Less bite out of your wallet

Dairy Queen recently rolled out Sweet Deals, its version of the value meal concept that rivals like McDonald's and Burger King have been offering for years. Customers can order any two items on the DQ menu - like a hamburger and a soft drink - for $3, any three items for $4, or any four for $5.

Now is the time for the promotion, said DQ executives, because customers have been turning to fast food more often recently as they've sought to save money but still indulge. "You might not take the family to dinner. You might not take them out for the weekend," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for the company, which has 35 franchises in Massachusetts. "But you might take them to DQ for a treat."

Diners looking for a casual, family restaurant that is inexpensive can turn to Wilbraham, Mass.-based Friendly's, which is offering a free ice cream cone to everyone who visits the restaurant from noon to 5 p.m. on June 6. The chain also expanded its Create Your Own Friendly's Meal. Under the promotion, lunch or dinner that includes an entree like the Honey BBQ Chicken SuperMelt, a drink, and a sundae, costs $9.99. That's around $5 less than if the same choices were ordered separately, said Skip Weldon, the company's vice president of marketing.

The promotion has worked well because customers aren't necessarily reluctant to visit Friendly's or similar midrange spots if they can get a deal, said Weldon. "They still want a good value, but they want a good experience," he said.

Boston's most chic restaurants also are offering deals. Banq on Washington Street in the South End, a restaurant in a former savings bank whose undulating wood interior has earned kudos since it opened last year, is offering a "CD," or Complete Deal special. The special is a play on words alluding to the certificates of deposit once sold in the building.

Available from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, the $29.95 CD meals include an appetizer ranging from miso soup to lemongrass-scented mussels, entrees like the pan-seared haddock and char-grilled sirloin steak, and the Banq Trio for dessert - a collection of vanilla brulee, chocolate torte, and sorbet of the day served with pistachio savoiardi, or Italian lady fingers. Typical entrees usually cost around $26 alone, said co-owners Hemant Chowdry and Mark Raab.

"When you enter the restaurant, you feel like, 'Oh God, this is expensive,' " Chowdry said. "We want Banq to be a restaurant you can just come in anytime you want to."

Aquitaine on Tremont Street in the South End also offers discounts. Bartenders are serving a happy hour special of classic cocktails for $5 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. Currently, the Americano, Gin Fizz, and Kir Royale are discounted. The same drinks cost as much as $9 on the regular menu, said general manager Nicole Perry. Hors d'oeuvres that might cost around $5 regularly are also complimentary during the hours.

The tight economy is pinching Aquitaine slightly, said Perry. But the South End is buzzing with life now that the winter is over. "Things are looking up now," she said.