25 Best Fast Food Deals for Game Day

Football season is in full swing, and fans all over the country are planning their Saturdays and Sundays (not to mention some Thursday, Friday, and Monday nights) around the big game. And for many, a big part of that preparation involves food. Sure, some game days you’re in the mood to whip up some tailgate fare, but others you’d rather just have a beer in one hand, a giant foam finger on the other, and exactly no feet in the kitchen. With that in mind, we took a look at the current fast-food landscape and found some menu items and exclusive offers that can feed you, the family, and anyone else that comes over for kickoff and beyond. 

Related: 32 Secrets for Better, Cheaper Meals at Your Favorite Chains

Okay, so maybe you weren't able to book a room at the Taco Bell hotel this summer, but that doesn't mean you still can't live más during football season. If you have a ravenous crowd, consider ordering up one (or more) of the Bell's party packs, which allow a fair amount of customization and ability to mix-and-match hard and soft tacos, burritos, Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Supremes and more. But for a bit more variety, don't neglect the Cravings Value Menu, where you can score $1 Beefy Fritos Burritos, shredded chicken mini quesadillas, tostadas, tacos, triple-layer nachos, cinnamon twists and more.

While downloading McDonald's app will fetch free drinks and other perks with a purchase, the limited-time "Buy One, Get One for $1" deal, which applies to Quarter Pounders with Cheese, Big Macs, 10-piece McNuggets, and Filet-of-Fish, is also an excellent way to cut costs at game time.

Related: Why McDonald's Fries Used to Taste Better

Want a Whopper meal deal for $4, $5, or $6? How about 10 chicken nuggets for $1.49? Or two for $6 mix-and-match chicken sandwiches? Burger King is like a team trying to hold onto a lead late in the game: aiming to keep everybody covered.

All of Wendy's Meal Deals, which feature a selection of nine sandwiches or wraps with a four-piece sleeve of chicken nuggets, small fries, and a small drink, are $4 — except for one, which includes a Bacon Double Stack burger that'll cost you a buck more. Want to add a little kick to your game-day snack? Wendy's spicy chicken nuggets are back, too — for a limited time, using the fast food chain's app to order will score you a free 6-piecer with any purchase. 

To keep competitors from outpizza-ing it, NFL sponsor Pizza Hut regularly throws a wealth of meal deals at hungry game-watching customers. From a full lineup of $5 offerings (including medium one-topping pizzas for anyone willing to order more than one) to a “Big Dinner Box” of two pizzas, breadsticks, wings, or pasta, Pizza Hut wants to be as big a deal as the game. The chain has also expanded its beer delivery service to around 1,000 locations — so you may want to check to see if your local shop offers the option.

Like its competition, Domino's throws a bunch of weekly specials its customers' way, but the $6 mix-and-match menu of one-topping pizzas, wings, breadsticks, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and desserts is the most consistently decent deal on the table.

For value, you can't go wrong with a hot-and-ready pepperoni pizza for $7. Or if you've got different appetites gathered around the TV, try the Quattro deal: a large pizza with four sections — pepperoni, cheese, Italian sausage and pepperoni, and Italian sausage and bruschetta — also for $7. But keep checking this pizza chain's site for promotions, including the occasional offer of a free 2-liter bottle of soda (or pop, if you must) with your order.

Not only does KFC now deliver through GrubHub, but you can get $5 Fill-Ups brought to your door on game day. There are five Fill-Up options — drumsticks & thighs, tenders, chicken breasts, pot pies, and "Famous Bowls" — and each will fill your game-day belly with mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuit, cookie, and a medium drink.

It might be difficult to score Popeye's much-hyped chicken sandwich right now, but the chain always has a rotating selection of deals available on its website, including some that can feed a crowd. 

It doesn't take much to get free food from Jack in the Box. Cough up your mobile number, and you'll get one of the chain's rotating offers. Download the mobile app. and you'll not only get various freebies based on location, but access to $3 loaded fries, $5 BLT Cheeseburger combos, and coupons.

You're going to want to order a 30-burger crave case of sliders with cheese ($28ish) just so you can present a briefcase full of burgers on game day. Don't. You might want to get a Crave Crate of 100 (around $75) to really bowl people over. Refrain. On game day, if it’s available where you are, there is no better deal than the online-only Super Sack Attack: 20 original sliders with any amount of cheese for $10. That's $50 for 100 or $20 for just 40, making it the best deal in the Castle.

Related: 30 Things You Didn’t Know About White Castle

Yes, joining the online club or downloading the app will get you a free taco, but Del Taco's occasional buy-one-get-one-free taco specials are the big draw for the big game. Granted, those deals require you to be in the online club, too, but paying half price for a huge game day taco order is some tempting bait.

The Mexican grilled chicken powerhouse starts by giving away an Original Pollo Bowl just for signing up for its app. But its family dinner meals are priced in bulk, putting anywhere from 8 to 16 pieces, served with sides, tortillas, rice, and toppings in the $20-$35 range.

For folks outside of Papa Murphy's country, take-and-bake pizza just sounds lazy. But those who grew up on it in the Northwest or had it move into their back yards elsewhere know that its Tuesday deals, which offer large pizzas for $10-$12, are a steal. Ask a Papa Murphy's crew member to double wrap your pizzas for you, and you can freeze them for game day. 

The struggling chain is no longer the NFL's official pizza sponsor, but that isn't stopping it from regularly offering deals like two medium one-topping pizzas for $6 apiece. And if you join its rewards club, there are even more opportunities for savings.

Like other popular pizza chains, Hungry Howie's has a rotating roster of deals. A recent offer included a mix-and-matcher that let customers order any two items — pizza, wings, sandwiches, salads, and more — for $5.99 each. Another offered 2-topping large pizzas for $7.99. 

This New England-based chain will give you a small pizza just for joining its rewards program, plus it offers a full page of deals on its website, including a meal deal — large pizza, boneless chicken wings, and cinnamon sticks — for just $16. 

Wienerschnitzel is best when dealing in volume. Check out its crowd-pleaser meals, which can feed up to six for a fair price. Or score free food and coupons via the Wiener Lovers' Club — you'll get a free corn dog just for texting a code, and a free chili dog for signing up.

It isn't a given that downloading a franchise's mobile app will get you free food, but get BR’s and it means a free scoop — not on a waffle cone, but any of the 31 flavors you want.

Uber Eats also delivers Jersey Mike's Subs, which recently launched its own rewards program, MyMike's. By joining, sub fans will earn discounts via points, as well as birthday rewards and exclusive offers and promotions. Got a crowd coming to watch the game? Mike's also offers Subs by the Box that serve 10. 

The sandwich chain ran a Super Bowl commercial a few years back, has a catering service for such occasions, and will occasionally offer as much as 10% off of the first order with certain coupon codes. If you can snag a coupon before the big game, it comes in handy.

Around this time of year, the “carhop classic” — a double quarter-pound cheeseburger or 6-inch Philly cheesesteak with tater tots — returns for $3. Meanwhile, rotating app exclusives offer deals such as half-price drinks and slushes, and free corn dogs with the purchase of another item.

Like to watch the game with your kids? The chain offers plenty of ways to save, including a kids-eat-free-all-weekend deal that comes with the purchase of a regular meal worth $9. It's dine-in only, though, so take a few bites and grab a doggie bag before kickoff. There's also a rewards club, as well as a half-price happy hour on shakes and drinks that hopefully coincides with half-time. 

Dairy Queen is offering BOGO Blizzard treats in exchange for your loyalty — and a bit of information, meaning if you download the Dairy Queen app and provide an email address and phone number. If the game's really dragging in the fourth quarter, it may not be a bad time to go get dessert.

Sign up for Arby's email list and you can get weekly sandwich coupons and other exclusives. Give the chain your mobile number for even more deals. You're signing up for coupons and other marketing messages, but you can always opt out if you feel the deals aren't worth it.