National Food Holidays: A Calendar of Free & Discounted Food Days

Food "holidays" like National Taco Day and National French Fry Day have become some of the most reliable free-food days of the year. Dozens of chains run a deal on the bigger ones. The specific offers change every year, but the dates are predictable, so you can plan for them.

Coming up next

• National Sandwich Day, November 3. Sandwich chains treat this as a big promotion day. In 2025, Subway, Panera, Firehouse Subs, and Potbelly all ran deals, most of them for rewards members.
• Veterans Day, November 11. Not a food holiday, but one of the biggest free-meal days of the year for anyone who has served. See our military and veteran discounts guide.

The calendar

• National Pizza Day, February 9. 7-Eleven, Casey's, and Chuck E. Cheese ran pizza deals, mostly with a promo code or membership.
• National Doughnut Day, the first Friday in June (June 5 in 2026). Krispy Kreme gave away a doughnut with no purchase, and Dunkin' gave one with any drink.
• National French Fry Day, July (Friday, July 10 in 2026). About 20 chains joined in, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Whataburger, and Popeyes.
• National Ice Cream Day, the third Sunday in July (July 19 in 2026). Ice cream and frozen dessert chains ran deals.
• National Cheeseburger Day, September 18. McDonald's offered a free Double Cheeseburger with a $1 app purchase; Five Guys ran a BOGO.
• National Coffee Day, September 29. Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Whataburger, and Circle K offered free coffee.
• National Taco Day, the first Tuesday in October (October 6 in 2026). It used to be October 4 but moved so it always lands on Taco Tuesday. Del Taco gave a free taco with any purchase.
• National Sandwich Day, November 3. See above.

What the 2026 deals had in common

Looking across this year's offers, a few patterns stand out:

• Most needed the app or a rewards account. McDonald's, Burger King, Popeyes, and Wendy's all limited their French Fry Day deals to app orders or rewards members. Join the programs a few days ahead so you aren't signing up in the drive-thru.
• Most had a small minimum. A $1 to $5 purchase was typical. A few needed no purchase at all, like Krispy Kreme's doughnut and Whataburger's fries and coffee.
• Many lasted only one day. Some ran a few days around the date, but plenty were good on the day only.
• Promo codes change every year. Don't reuse last year's code; check the chain's app or our listings that week.

How to use this calendar

Treat the dates as reminders of when to start looking, not a promise of what will be offered. Chains usually announce their deal a few days to a week ahead. Around each date, check the chain's app or search your ZIP code on FindMeCheapFood, and tap "View source" to confirm the terms before you go.

Are these real holidays?

Not in an official sense. Most food days were started by companies, trade groups, or simply caught on over time, which is why dates sometimes shift, as National Taco Day did. The deals are real, though, and they're some of the best free food of the year.

Dates and examples are from 2025 and 2026 coverage. Offers change every year.