Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas and Banana Tree are offering families a way to reduce their October half-term dining bills, although the dates vary across the UK.
Half-term entertainment has a habit of getting expensive, particularly once feeding everyone enters the equation. Families planning a meal out this October, however, have an opportunity to make the bill a little less painful.
Four familiar restaurant chains are taking part in Kids Eat Free October half-term 2026 promotions, with Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas and Banana Tree offering complimentary children’s meals alongside qualifying adult purchases.
The deal is straightforward: purchase an adult main meal and receive one free kids’ meal. For parents hoping to break up the school holidays with a restaurant visit, it could mean one less plate to pay for.
There is a geographical wrinkle, though. Scotland has a different promotional period from the rest of the UK, and not every chain is included in both.
Scotland gets the first half-term dining offers
Families in Scotland can take advantage of the promotion from 10–25 October 2026, at participating branches of three restaurant chains:
- Bella Italia
- Frankie & Benny’s
- Las Iguanas
That gives Scottish families an earlier opportunity to use the offer, although their promotional window also closes sooner.
Banana Tree is not listed among the participating brands for Scotland’s earlier half-term period.
When do kids eat free in England, Wales and Northern Ireland?
For families across the rest of the UK, the October half-term offer runs from 17 October to 1 November 2026.
During this period, the promotion covers participating Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s and Las Iguanas restaurants, with Banana Tree also joining the line-up.
The later finishing date means families can make use of the deal into the beginning of November, provided their chosen restaurant is participating.
The difference between the two promotional periods is worth checking before making plans, especially for families arranging a meal towards the beginning or end of the school holidays.
How the Kids Eat Free offer works
The central condition is simple: one free children’s meal is available with the purchase of an adult main meal.
That distinction matters for larger families. Ordering one qualifying adult dish does not automatically mean every child at the table can eat for free.
The promotion is available all day, every day during the relevant dates, rather than being restricted to a particular lunchtime or early-evening dining slot.
That flexibility may be particularly useful during half-term, when a meal out is often fitted around other activities rather than planned as the main event.
A family lunch after a day out or a convenient early dinner could both qualify, provided the restaurant is participating and the relevant conditions are met.
Check the restaurant before making plans
Although the offer is being promoted across the UK, it is not necessarily available at every branch.
Participating locations, availability and individual restaurant exclusions apply, so families should check the conditions for their chosen venue before visiting.
The specific terms of each restaurant’s promotion also matter. Parents should confirm how the free meal applies to their booking or order, particularly when several children are dining together.
There are no individual menu prices specified in the offer, meaning the precise saving will depend on the meal being purchased.
Still, the attraction is easy to understand. A restaurant meal is rarely the cheapest way to feed a family, but taking a children’s meal off the bill can make an occasional half-term treat easier to justify.
And with the promotion running throughout the day, there is no need to organise the entire outing around a narrowly timed meal deal.
