8 Best Sit-Down Chains To Feed A Family Of 4 For Under $75

Going out to dinner as a family of four can cost more money than you might think. Since prices are consistently rising, too, knowing which chain restaurants can be relied upon for a meal that's tasty and affordable is helpful. After all, many chains offer family meals, kids menus, and discounts for older people (among potential deals). Other chains have generally lower prices when it comes to full meals, reducing the likely cost for a family dining experience.

With that in mind, we gathered a collection of sit-down chain restaurants where you can feed a family of four for under $75. Now, as a baseline, we paid close attention to restaurants that offered a decent number of meals for under $18.50 (before tax), ensuring each family member would have a variety of options to choose from without going over the assigned total. Plus, each of these meals had to include a substantial amount of calories and other nutrients, so each person leaves the restaurant feeling full and satisfied.

After combing through multiple chain restaurants, we came up with eight options to keep in your back pocket. Many of these establishments can be found throughout the U.S., so each is accessible for just about anyone. Additionally, all mentioned prices are current as of this writing, though they don't include any additional taxes or fees. Without further ado, load the family in the car and enjoy a nice meal out at one of these wallet-friendly chain restaurants.

Texas Roadhouse is known to be incredibly family friendly, with waitstaff known to break into line-dancing throughout meal services. Of course, since it has free bread rolls, a lively atmosphere, and a generally affordable menu, we also think Texas Roadhouse is one of the best sit-down chains to feed a family of four for under $75 (just be sure to check our article on Texas Roadhouse rules before you go).

Now, many people know this chain for its steak dishes, and there are several options available to keep you under budget. The 6-ounce sirloin, 8-ounce sirloin, and steak kabob dishes all come under $18 each, for instance. Plus, each comes with two complimentary sides, which can be quite filling (like a baked potato or Texas red chili). You can opt for other cheap dishes like a burger and fries for under $13 if you'd like, or one of several chicken dishes for around $17.

Texas Roadhouse offers great discounts, as well, including a kids menu. Each meal costs around $8, with the most expensive costing $12.49. Each kid's meal also comes with a main item, your choice of side, and choice of drink. There are also family packs that you can order for the table, which are meant to serve three to four people. These meals range from about $34-60, depending on which meal you choose.

With over 1,600 locations globally as of October 2025, Applebee's is a widely-known chain. Serving American cuisine, Applebee's has an incredibly large menu with numerous popular items that will appeal to the whole family. If you're craving a classic burger or sandwich, for example, this is a great place to stop.

The handcrafted burgers at Applebee's come with fries and generally cost between $12.99 to $16.49, with nine different options to choose from. Each member of the family could easily get a burger entree and a soda, while still keeping the total under $75. Then again, if salads are more your thing, the average salad at Applebee's costs around $15. Now, these aren't just boring old salads; they tend to come with proteins (like chicken or shrimp), as well as other ingredients to make the salads nice and filling.

Another great option to consider at Applebee's is to order from the 2 for $25 menu. This deal allows you to get two entrees, plus an appetizer, for just $25. The items on this deal may vary by location, and some menu items cost an upcharge, so keep that in mind when ordering. Generally speaking, you can choose items like pasta, steak, burgers, ribs, and chicken from the 2 for $25 menu, and you may have enough money to treat yourself to a cocktail during dinner.

Many people associate road trips with Cracker Barrel. The chain is often found with easy access from major highways, after all, making it a common place for families to stop while traveling. Of course, you may be wondering: Is it actually affordable? Depending on what you get, the answer is yes.

Right off the bat, you can keep things simple by ordering one of the chain's family meals for the table. These are designed to feed up to five people, and cost between $40.99 to $63.99. There are a variety of meals to choose from, too, such as breakfast platters that include pancakes, eggs, breakfast meat, and a hash brown casserole. Conversely, you could opt for a lunch or dinner option, with food like meatloaf, chicken tenders, two classic sides, and buttermilk biscuits.

If each person in your family wants to choose their own entree off the menu, that shouldn't be a problem, either. The kids menu has very cheap options ranging from $4.79 to $6.49. As for full-sized entree options, there's a surplus of choices available for under $15 each. This includes items from its breakfast menu, sandwiches, chicken dishes, soups, and salads. You may even have enough money to order a latte with your meal, but remember to brush up on the Cracker Barrel rules to remember before you visit.

With a combination of Tex-Mex cuisine and classic American pub food, Chili's is a popular chain that can be found in almost every U.S. state. More than that, the wide variety of cuisine types and categories on its menu means you can easily stay within a $75 family budget.

For starters, if you have younger children, the kids menu is a solid option. Everything costs less than $7, and each entree comes with a choice of a side as well as a drink. Another perk of ordering from the kids menu is that you'll have money left over for an appetizer, which typically range between $10 and $18 each.

For adult entrees, there are a number of burgers offered under $18 each, though many cost around $15. Plus, each comes with an order of fries or another choice of side (if you prefer something else). Many people also love the Chicken Crispers, which are basically chicken tenders. You can get classic, honey chipotle, or Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers, along with two sides for just $16.99. You can also get a quesadilla or chipotle bowl for under $17, or check out the 3 For Me menu. This has various entrees to choose, but comes with sides, an appetizer, and a drink — all for a set price under $18.

IHOP is almost like a glorified diner, offering sizzling plates of eggs, huge stacks of pancakes, and classic black coffee refilled over and over again in your mug. And with numerous locations in most U.S. states, it's an accessible — and affordable — restaurant for many families.

Now, breakfast food may be its most well-known menu items, but there are other options available to a family of four to keep things under $75. To start, a short stack of buttermilk pancakes costs $10.99; if two people at your table want a short stack, though, you can opt for a full stack to share, which is priced for a few dollars more. You can also add some protein to your order with a side of two eggs, which is just $3.25.

As noted before, IHOP also serves menu items like tacos and burritos, which cost under $16 each. If you're craving a burger, you can get one for an average of $16, and they come with fries. And adults over 55 have access to a special menu with discounted items, too. You can choose from a few breakfast platters, a BLT, or a shrimp dish for under $14. The kids menu offers items under $10, as well, and a value menu with full breakfast combos for $7. Additionally, if you want to order IHOP to-go, you can get one of four Family Feasts, which feeds up to four and costs $44.99.

Nobody can resist diving into a basket of Olive Garden breadsticks (particularly when the menu item is hacked). Of course, the best thing about them might be that they come free with any entree order, meaning the Italian chain is ideal for anyone craving crabs while looking to keep things affordable.

One popular menu item is the Never Ending Pasta Bowl. Not only can you can eat bowl after bowl of pasta with this item, but your options include four types of pasta and six different sauces. With $13.99 starting price as of this writing, it's a great deal for the amount of food. As for children under 12, there's a kids menu featuring many different meals for just $6.99. Additionally, if you go to Olive Garden during lunch time, you can save even more money with its lunch sized favorites. A set of classic entrees costing $11.99 and under, you might even save enough money for some dessert, as well.

If you want to keep things simple for your family, there are also family style meals available exclusively for pick-up or delivery. These meals serve four to six people, and many options cost less than $75, like fettuccine alfredo, chicken parmigiana, ziti, and shrimp scampi. These come in large serving platters, too, making it easy to feed your family at home for a low price.

Denny's is an American classic that's often visited by teenagers after a football game or a high school musical. It's a great place for families to stop in for a tasty and affordable breakfast, as well. Plus, this diner-style chain has appeared in many older movies, making it a nostalgic visit. Of course, you can also get one of the best options around with its family meal deals; these serve four to five people for just $30.99 total, and include eight buttermilk pancakes, eight scrambled eggs, four bacon strips, four sausage links, and hash browns.

If the family pack isn't your thing, that's totally fine. There are lots of other options to choose from that will keep you under that $75 budget. While reviewing the menu overall, we noticed that there are only a small number of menu options that actually cost more than $18. Because of this, that means that most options that each family member would choose wouldn't amount to over $75 total.

For even more affordable options beyond the menu's cheap prices, you can check out both the kids menu and the 55+ menu. The kids menu features meals for under $7, while the 55+ menu features meals between $7.99 and $11.39. There's also Denny's Deals, which offers a variety of full sized meals for just $5 to $10 each.

Taking the family out for pizza is always a fun occasion, especially if it's at a funky chain like Mellow Mushroom. Mellow Mushroom is different from other pizza spots because it doesn't offer large pies to share with the table. Instead, each person orders their own pizza to have. While this sit-down chain will cost more than getting pizza from your local shop, these gourmet pizzas have extra pizazz to them — and a family of four can still dine here without breaking the bank.

The base prices for the pizza on the Mellow Mushroom menu cost between $11 and $17 as of this writing. The more expensive pizzas include toppings like chicken or sausage, but for the most part? If each family member chooses a pie on the menu and doesn't make any adjustments, you won't go over $75 total.

Another thing to note is that these personal pizza pies are quite large, so it's unlikely a child would eat an entire pie themselves. In that case, you can have two children share a pie, thus cutting the cost per child in half. If you're able to do that, you could also order appetizers for the table, like spinach and artichoke dip for $11.99, or pepperoni mellow rollz for $9.95.

When choosing restaurants to include in this list, we made sure to focus on a variety of cuisines. From there, we made sure that each  a large amount of options at each restaurant that would keep the family under a $75 spending limit. While prices may vary depending on location, we based these prices off of the writer's closest location for each restaurant, which was mostly spots in New Jersey. We didn't include restaurants that had smaller-sized meals that fit into the budget, and instead chose restaurants that offered a large amount of food for a small price.