INDIANAPOLIS — Each year, many restaurants pay it forward as a way of saying "thank you for your service" to active duty military members and retired veterans with free food and deals.
Most places will require a military ID or proof of service.
Here is a list of locations offering special deals on Wednesday, Nov. 11:
Applebee's
Applebee's is offering a free meal from a special menu to veterans and active duty military when they dine in.
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse is offering a free entrée up to $14.95 and a Dr. Pepper.
The offer is good for dine in or carry out using the promo code "VETERAN" at checkout.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans Restaurants is offering a free meal to veterans and active duty military.
The special Veterans Day menu will be available all day and includes a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes that guests can choose from when they dine in:
- 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 grits.
- The Mini Sampler: One egg cooked-to-order, hash browns, home fries or grits, two sausage links or bacon strips and a biscuit.
- Brioche French Toast: Two slices of griddled Brioche bread, dipped in real egg batter, vanilla and cinnamon. Served with butter and syrup.
- Stack of Hotcakes: Four fluffy buttermilk hotcakes served with butter and syrup.
- Soup & Salad Combo: Farmhouse Garden Side salad with choice of soup: Chicken-N-Noodles, Hearty Beef Vegetable or Cheddar Baked Potato.
- NEW Hand-Breaded Fried Chicken: 100% all-white meat, boneless chicken, hand-breaded and fried to crispy, juicy perfection. Serve with mashed potatoes & gravy and corn.
- Country-Fried Steak: Golden fried country fried steak smothered with country gravy and served with choice of two sides and dinner rolls.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings is offering 10 free boneless wings and a side of fries to the men and women who serve and have served in the armed forces.
The offer is good for dine in or carry out.
Chili's
Chili's is offering a free meal to veterans and active military members from the following menu:
- Chicken Crispers®
- Margarita Grilled Chicken
- Bowl of Chili or Soup & Salad
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
- Just Bacon Burger
- Oldtimer with Cheese
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel is offering service men and women a complimentary slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake.
Cracker Barrel will also donate a $10 Cracker Barrel gift card to Operation Homefront for each Country Fried Turkey Family Meal Basket sold in the month of November, up to $50,000. The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation will make an additional $50,000 donation to Operation Homefront – totaling up to $100,000 to support military families this holiday season.
Crew Carwash
Crew Carwash is offering a free basic car wash to all past and current service members from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET.
Denny's
Denny's is offering a free Build Your Own Grand Slam for all veterans and military personnel between 5 a.m. and noon.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Dickey's Barbecue Pit is offering veterans a free Pulled Pork Classic Sandwich.
Also, guests can have the option to add one, five or 10 Pulled Pork Classic Sandwiches to be delivered to local Veteran organizations when purchasing through dickeys.com or the Dickey’s app. The Dickey family has pledged to match every sandwich donated to double the efforts to feed veterans.
Dunkin'
Dunkin' is offering a free donut of their choice to veterans and active duty military.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Einstein Bros. Bagels is offering a free hot or iced medium coffee to any active or retired veteran — no verification needed.
The offer is available at all stores excluding license stores inside of colleges, airports, hotels and hospitals.
Fazoli's
Fazoli's is offering veterans free spaghetti when they show their U.S. Military ID, discharge card or uniform.
Reward members can receive BOGO Spaghetti with Meat or Marinara through the Fazoli’s app on Nov. 11.
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is offering active duty and veterans a free meal and beverage card between Nov. 1-30, while supplies last.
Military personnel can redeem their card once for lunch or dinner Monday through Friday from Nov. 1 all the way until May 31.
Great Clips
Great Clips is offering free haircuts to retired and active military service members.
Also, non-military customers who get a haircut on Veterans Day at a Great Clips salon will receive a free haircut card to give to a service member in thanks for their service. The free haircut cards can be redeemed through Dec. 11, 2020.
Hooters
Hooters is offering 10 free wings with the purchase of 10 wings to all veterans and active-duty military.
IKEA
IKEA is offering a free meatball entrée and a can of soda in the IKEA Fishers Bistro from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
In addition to the free meal offer, the company will also be offering a special discount in their As-Is department. For one day only, STUVA products located in As-Is will be up to 75% off, while supplies last at IKEA Fishers.
Joella's Hot Chicken
Joella's Hot Chicken is offering veterans, active duty military and reserves a free meal consisting of two Jumbo Tenders, a made-from-scratch Southern side, a Dippin’ sauce and a drink.
Joella’s is also proud to offer veterans and military personnel 10% off their meal every day at each location.
Little Caesars
Little Caesars is offering a $5 HOT-N-READY Lunch Combo, which includes four slices of DEEP!DEEP! Dish pepperoni pizza and a 20 ounce Pepsi product, to veterans or active members of the United States military.
The offer is good between 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET.
Logan's Roadhouse
Logan's Roadhouse if offering a free meal between 3 - 6 p.m. ET to all veterans and military personnel from the following menu.
McDonald's
McDonald’s restaurants across Greater Indiana and Southwest Michigan are offering a Combo Meal to veterans. All forms of proof of service are welcome.
Metro Diner
Metro Diner is offering all veterans and active-duty military 50 percent off of a meal of their choosing.
O'Charley's
O'Charley's is offering all veterans and active duty personnel a free entrée from the following menu:
- Famous Chicken Tenders & Fries
- Honey-Drizzled Southern-Fried Chicken
- Chopped Steak
- Peach Chutney Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is offering all military veterans, active servicemen and women a free Bloomin' Onion and Coca-Cola.
Red Lobster
Red Lobster is offering veterans, active duty military and reservists a free dessert or appetizer from a special menu.
Appetizers:
- Lobster and Langostino Pizza
- Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms
- Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp
- Langostino Lobster-Artichoke-and-Seafood Dip
- Crab-Stuffed Shrimp Rangoon
- Signature Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
- Mozzarella Cheesesticks
Desserts:
- Chocolate Wave
- Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- Warm Apple Crostada
- Key Lime Pie
Red Robin
Red Robin is offering veterans and active military who are also Red Robin Royalty members a free Tavern Double Burger with Steak Fries, which can be redeemed between Nov. 12 - 30 for dine in or carry out.
Sports Clips
Sports Clips is offering free haircuts to veterans and active duty service members, as well as donating $1 for every haircut service provided on Veterans Day.
Starbucks
Starbucks is offering a free tall hot brewed coffee for veterans, military service members and military spouses.
Starbucks is also donating 25 cents for every cup of hot brewed coffee sold on Wednesday to support the mental health of military communities.
Wendy's
Indianapolis-area Wendy's restaurants are offering veterans or active military members a free small breakfast combo with a valid ID.
The offer is available between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. It can only be redeemed in the restaurant, and is not valid on mobile orders or at the kiosk.
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NOTE: Retail services at post offices throughout Indiana will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 in recognition of Veterans Day. Regularly scheduled mail delivery, PO Box and caller services will also be suspended for the holiday.
Also, all Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) branches will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.
