Applebee's Happy Hour. Las Vegas

Half-price appetizers twice a day is the pitch, and it has been Applebee's signature move for years: the discount kicks in from 3 to 6 pm, then comes back around 9 pm for the late crowd. The lineup leans on the greatest hits, boneless wings, mozzarella sticks, spinach and artichoke dip, chicken wonton tacos, onion rings. Nothing on that list is trying to impress anyone, which is exactly why it works when you want a cheap table of fried things and a cold beer during the game.

Vegas has a half dozen of these scattered across the valley, all in the neighborhoods rather than the tourist corridor: Nellis, Maryland Parkway near the Boulevard Mall, two spots on Rainbow, Warm Springs, and Fort Apache out by the 215. That makes it a locals play. The crowd is families early, then a bar-and-TV crew after dark, and you will rarely wait the way you would at a Strip sports bar on a Sunday.

One caveat worth knowing: these are franchise stores, so the exact appetizer list and the late-night window can shift from one location to the next. The 3 to 6 pm block is the most consistent bet. If you are driving across town specifically for the deal, a thirty-second phone call saves you the guesswork.