Kids Eat Free in Canada 🧒
Most “kids eat free” lists are copied from each other and years out of date. We checked every chain against its own website on October 2, 2026 and found only six that genuinely publish a day-of-the-week kids-eat-free offer in Canada. Here they are — plus the popular ones that have quietly ended, which is the part the other lists get wrong.
The short answer: Tuesday is the best day in Canada, Wednesday is Swiss Chalet, Sunday is Symposium Cafe in Ontario, and Friday/Saturday are Smitty's at participating locations. Monday and Thursday have no verified national deal — Boston Pizza's Kids Card or Denny's are your options on those days.
📅 Quick reference — who's free, by day
| Day | Where | What you get | The fine print |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | No verified national offer — use Boston Pizza's Kids Card or check your local Denny's | ||
| Tuesday | East Side Mario's Canada-wide | Free kids' meal | Kids 10 & under · with adult entrée $19.99+ · dine-in only |
| Tuesday | Kelsey's Original Roadhouse Canada (Ontario-heavy) | Kids' meal for a $2 donation | Kids 12 & under · with adult entrée $18.99+ · $2 donation to BGC · dine-in |
| Wednesday | Swiss Chalet Canada-wide | Free kids' meal | Kids 10 & under · one per adult entrée · dine-in · offer page says valid to Oct 31, 2026 |
| Thursday | No verified national offer — use Boston Pizza's Kids Card or check your local Denny's | ||
| Friday | Smitty's Canada (franchise group) | Kids eat free | With entrée $16.99+ · 4pm–10pm · no age limit stated · participating locations |
| Saturday | Smitty's Canada (franchise group) | Kids eat free | With an entrée off the 55+ menu, $14.99+ · 3pm–close · participating locations |
| Sunday | Symposium Cafe Ontario only | Kids eat free | Kids 12 & under · with adult food item $15.99+ · dine-in · call ahead: their page says both “2pm–close” and “until 4pm” |
Every row above was read off the chain's own site on October 2, 2026. Offers vary by franchise and change without notice — a two-minute call to your local restaurant beats any website, including this one.
📆 Works any day of the week
Kids eat free on Monday
We could not verify a single national chain running a dedicated kids-eat-free deal on Mondays as of October 2, 2026. If a list tells you otherwise, check the date on it. Your realistic options on a Monday: Boston Pizza's Kids Card (works any day, $16+ purchase) or your local Denny's, whose kids-eat-free day varies by location.
Kids eat free on Tuesday
- East Side Mario's — free kids' meal. Kids 10 & under · with adult entrée $19.99+ · dine-in only · not valid for groups of 8+ kids. Canada-wide.
- Kelsey's Original Roadhouse — kids' meal for a $2 donation. Kids 12 & under · with adult entrée $18.99+ · $2 donation to BGC · dine-in · not valid for groups of 8+ kids. Canada (Ontario-heavy).
Kids eat free on Wednesday
- Swiss Chalet — free kids' meal. Kids 10 & under · one per adult entrée · dine-in · offer page says valid to Oct 31, 2026. Canada-wide.
Kids eat free on Thursday
We could not verify a single national chain running a dedicated kids-eat-free deal on Thursdays as of October 2, 2026. If a list tells you otherwise, check the date on it. Your realistic options on a Thursday: Boston Pizza's Kids Card (works any day, $16+ purchase) or your local Denny's, whose kids-eat-free day varies by location.
Kids eat free on Friday
- Smitty's — kids eat free. With entrée $16.99+ · 4pm–10pm · no age limit stated · participating locations. Canada (franchise group).
Kids eat free on Saturday
- Smitty's — kids eat free. With an entrée off the 55+ menu, $14.99+ · 3pm–close · participating locations. Canada (franchise group).
Kids eat free on Sunday
- Symposium Cafe — kids eat free. Kids 12 & under · with adult food item $15.99+ · dine-in · call ahead: their page says both “2pm–close” and “until 4pm”. Ontario only.
⚠️ Deals other lists still show that have ended
This is where almost every other “kids eat free” page is wrong. Each of these is still widely listed as current. None of them is.
| Chain | What you'll still see claimed | What we actually found |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Pizza | “Kids eat free all September” | That's an annual September-only promo and it's over. Boston Pizza's own promo page was still serving 2024 copy when we checked. The live offer is the Kids Card above — a $5 donation, not free. |
| Montana's BBQ & Bar | “Kids eat free Tuesdays” | Re-checked October 2, 2026: montanas.ca publishes daily specials (Monday half-price wings, Tuesday $5 tacos, Wednesday all-you-can-eat ribs, Thursday platters) and not one of them is a kids deal. Nothing weekly for kids anywhere on the site. Treat the Tuesday deal as discontinued. |
| Red Robin | “Kids eat free Wednesdays” | It's 50% off kids' meals, not free. Anyone listing Red Robin under kids-eat-free is simply wrong. |
| IHOP | “Kids eat free 4–10pm daily” | This claim appears nowhere on IHOP's national site. Their current offers page has no kids-eat-free deal at all. At best it's a franchise-level thing — ask your local IHOP, don't trust the listicles. |
| IKEA Canada | “Kids eat free Wednesdays (IKEA Family)” | Expired August 31, 2025. |
| Golden Corral | “$2.50 kids buffet Fri/Sat/Sun” | That ran July 31 – August 30, 2026 and has ended. |
| Applebee's | Listed under various weekdays | No recurring weekly kids-eat-free — only occasional holiday one-offs run at franchise level. Also largely gone from Canada. |
| Texas Roadhouse | “Kids eat free Mondays” / “Tuesdays” | Sources contradict each other on the day, there's no official page confirming it, and there are no Canadian locations. |
🔍 What we could not confirm
We looked for a current, official kids-eat-free offer at IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, Perkins, Jack Astor's, St-Hubert, The Keg, Moxies, Original Joe's, Shoeless Joe's, Pizza Hut Canada, Fazoli's, TGI Fridays and Ricky's All Day Grill and could not find one on any of their own websites. That does not prove a local franchise isn't running something — several of these are franchise-by-franchise — but we won't print a deal we can't stand behind. If you know of one, tell us and we'll verify and add it.
❓ Common questions
Where do kids eat free on Monday?
We could not verify any national chain running a dedicated kids-eat-free deal on Mondays as of October 2, 2026. Boston Pizza's Kids Card works any day of the week with a $16+ purchase, and Denny's runs kids-eat-free on days that vary by location, so your local one may qualify. Several listicles claim Monday deals at chains that no longer run them - see the section on deals that have ended.
Where do kids eat free on Tuesday?
On Tuesdays, two chains run a kids-eat-free offer we were able to verify. East Side Mario's (Canada-wide): free kids' meal - Kids 10 & under · with adult entree $19.99+ · dine-in only. Kelsey's Original Roadhouse (Canada (Ontario-heavy)): kids' meal for a $2 donation - Kids 12 & under · with adult entree $18.99+ · $2 donation to BGC · dine-in. Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's (day varies by location) can also apply any day. Verified October 2, 2026; these offers change often, so confirm with your local restaurant.
Where do kids eat free on Wednesday?
On Wednesdays, one chain runs a kids-eat-free offer we were able to verify. Swiss Chalet (Canada-wide): free kids' meal - Kids 10 & under · one per adult entree · dine-in · offer page says valid to Oct 31, 2026. Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's (day varies by location) can also apply any day. Verified October 2, 2026; these offers change often, so confirm with your local restaurant.
Where do kids eat free on Thursday?
We could not verify any national chain running a dedicated kids-eat-free deal on Thursdays as of October 2, 2026. Boston Pizza's Kids Card works any day of the week with a $16+ purchase, and Denny's runs kids-eat-free on days that vary by location, so your local one may qualify. Several listicles claim Thursday deals at chains that no longer run them - see the section on deals that have ended.
Where do kids eat free on Friday?
On Fridays, one chain runs a kids-eat-free offer we were able to verify. Smitty's (Canada (franchise group)): kids eat free - With entree $16.99+ · 4pm-10pm · no age limit stated · participating locations. Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's (day varies by location) can also apply any day. Verified October 2, 2026; these offers change often, so confirm with your local restaurant.
Where do kids eat free on Saturday?
On Saturdays, one chain runs a kids-eat-free offer we were able to verify. Smitty's (Canada (franchise group)): kids eat free - With an entree off the 55+ menu, $14.99+ · 3pm-close · participating locations. Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's (day varies by location) can also apply any day. Verified October 2, 2026; these offers change often, so confirm with your local restaurant.
Where do kids eat free on Sunday?
On Sundays, one chain runs a kids-eat-free offer we were able to verify. Symposium Cafe (Ontario only): kids eat free - Kids 12 & under · with adult food item $15.99+ · dine-in · call ahead: their page says both "2pm-close" and "until 4pm". Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's (day varies by location) can also apply any day. Verified October 2, 2026; these offers change often, so confirm with your local restaurant.
Where do kids eat free today?
It depends on the day. Tuesday is the strongest day in Canada (East Side Mario's free kids' meal with a $19.99+ adult entree, plus Kelsey's for a $2 donation); Wednesday is Swiss Chalet; Sunday is Symposium Cafe in Ontario; Smitty's runs Friday and Saturday at participating locations. Boston Pizza's Kids Card and Denny's work any day. Monday and Thursday have no verified national offer. Verified October 2, 2026.
Do kids really eat free, or is there a catch?
Almost every offer requires an adult entree purchase, usually with a dollar minimum ($19.99 at East Side Mario's, $18.99 at Kelsey's, $16.99 at Smitty's on Fridays), and most are dine-in only with an age cap of 10 or 12. Kelsey's requires a $2 charity donation, so it is a discount rather than free, and Boston Pizza's Kids Card costs $5 up front. Taxes and tip are extra everywhere.
📍 Looking for Guelph specifically?
We also keep a local guide with the independents and the exact Guelph addresses — Angel's Diner downtown, the Clair Road East Side Mario's, both Swiss Chalet locations and Mandarin's buffet pricing: Kids Eat Free in Guelph →
Last verified October 2, 2026. We re-check these monthly, because they change constantly — Swiss Chalet's own page currently says its daily deals run only to October 31, 2026.