Sylvia Charlesworth and Gerald Kressman at Nicks on Broadway with their nine-month-old grandson Henry Charlesworth. Sharon Beaudiry, left, of Providence serves their breakfast. They save by going out to breakfast or a late lunch rather than dinner.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

How are you coping with the rising cost of food?

Some clever diners have learned how to eat at restaurants and still stay within their budget. Janice Gorman plays the $20 challenge. Sylvia Charlesworth opts to dine out for breakfast or lunch. Lynn Stephen and her family find restaurants that offer children’s specials on certain days.

Here are their stories.

Janice Gorman of Lincoln and her husband Jim eat out quite often but they try to play what they’ve dubbed “The $20 Challenge.” “Whenever my husband and I go out for dinner on a weeknight, we play a little game that we created, quite by accident,” she said.

“It all started one night in a local family restaurant. We were both so exhausted from work that we were almost too tired to eat. So instead of starting with a couple of glasses of wine, we both asked for large waters and placed our food order. When our bill arrived, it only came to $16. With the tip, we ate out for under $20 and yet, we were both full and re-hydrated,” she said. “We decided that night that we would try to keep our bill under $20 whenever we ate out on a weeknight.”

“Sometimes we’re off by a couple of dollars because of the tip and that’s okay.”

They found the easiest way to do this was to eliminate wine and alcoholic beverages. They decided they can drink wine at home for a lot less than they pay in a restaurant. “The same applies to coffee and dessert — we can have that at home, too, if we really want it,” she said.

“Besides saving money, we’ve found that we are actually ordering healthier choices. We no longer order unnecessary appetizers and desserts and we drink lots of water. We also have the added advantage of always being able to pay the bill in cash so we don’t have to see credit card bills with restaurant charges,” Gorman said.

“We’ve been playing this game for about a year and having fun doing this, although we don’t eat out as often as we once did. We’re very selective about the restaurants we go to now, but they’re all well-known.”

They like Cranston’s Twin Oaks (for the “great daily specials”); Cafe Paragon on Thayer Street in Providence (for the “fabulous hamburgers or meal-sized appetizers”); Dolce Vita on Federal Hill; North Providence’s Julio’s Family Restaurant (“love their pizza” and “good pasta dishes”); Chelo’s; and The Lodge on Breakneck Hill Road in Lincoln.

“Sometimes, we can even squeeze in a couple of beers,” she said.

“Of course, we don’t subject our friends to this game when we go out with them. But they do know about it and I think that secretly, they’re all trying it too!”

Providence’s Sylvia Charlesworth and Gerald Kressman are retired and new to Rhode Island. They moved here from Rochester, N.Y., so they could care for her grandchild Henry Charlesworth, who is nine months old, while his parents are at work. Her son is a teacher.

“But Jerry and I know about needing to pinch pennies. Although we occasionally treat ourselves to dinner out, we’ve found that a restaurant breakfast can be a pleasant start to a day and far more economical. Sometimes, enjoying a late lunch at one of the many fine restaurants in Rhode Island can also be a bargain and allows us to cut calories by combining our lunch and dinner,” Charlesworth said.

“We tend to stick close to home for breakfast, choosing Nicks on Broadway (500 Broadway) or The Classic Café (865 Westminster St.), Andreas (1551 Westminster St.) and Mi Ranchito (1516 Westminster St.) … all a pleasant walk with the stroller.

“On Saturday (combined with shopping) we may go up on Atwells Avenue to Donna’s Grill on the Hill (336 Atwells Ave.) or try the Newport Creamery in Garden City (Cranston). The late lunch tends to happen in Warwick (we are movie buffs) and involves some of the standard fare such as The Olive Garden, Applebees, etc.

“Or we will go on Thayer Street (the Avon Theater is there) to Andreas (216 Thayer St.) or Johnny Rockets (269 Thayer St.). We also enjoy Providence Place and the restaurants on Francis Street. We’ve had a late lunch at Joe’s, at the mobbed Cheesecake Factory (over Christmas recess) and have dined ‘al fresco’ at Pizzeria Uno. We’ve also done some late lunches on the piers at Newport,” she said.

Cumberland’s Lynn Stephen and husband Paul, take their kids Haley (7) and Savannah (9 on Monday) out to eat all of the time.

“I hate to cook,” she said.

“But we tend to go to places that offer reduced kids meals on certain days of the week. I hate to pay $6 for my daughter’s meal when I know she is going to take two bites, but old enough to have a hissy fit if I don’t buy her her own meal,” she said.

Ponderosa Steakhouse, 562 Washington St., South Attleboro, has kids eat free with an adult on Tuesdays after 4 p.m. At the Ground Round, 2 George St., Pawtucket, kids eat free on Sunday. At Davenport’s, a restaurant with two locations, 1925 Pawtucket Ave., East Providence, and 1070 Mendon Rd., Cumberland, kids 12 and under can order $1.99 meals.

Stephen said Emerald Square Mall offers a pay what you weigh on special nights if you are a Simon Mall Kidgits Member.

“It would be kind of nice to see an entire listing of restaurants at once so we know where to pick from,” she added.

So attention restaurants, if that means you, send along your information and we’ll share it with all of us penny pinchers out there.

gciampa@projo.com