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I have a friend — let’s call him Birthday Bob — who likes to eat and loves freebies.

Each year, during the two weeks centred around his birthday, he loosens his belt and plots an itinerary that takes him from one restaurant to another for a series of free (or at least discounted) meals and treats. He asked me this year if I wanted to tag along. I (mostly) declined because I really didn’t think my stomach would be up to it. But I did decide to keep tabs on Birthday Bob’s exertions, which for the most part stressed quantity and lack of money changing hands. He’s just fine with “mediocre to poor food, and lots of it,” he says.

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Here’s a list of the spots where Birthday Bob planned to cash in this month:

Mandarin Restaurant

Cora

Starbucks

Panera Bread

Denny’s

Vera Burger

Blue Cactus

Tucker’s Marketplace

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

Now seems like a good time to add the disclaimer: Don’t try this at home.

With some of the businesses, Birthday Bob had printed off a coupon that had been emailed to him because he subscribes to the business’s email list. In other cases, he simply showed some ID with his birthday on it to a server, although at Mandarin, for example, he had to be accompanied by three other eaters, each paying $30.99 for the buffet meal, for his birthday present to kick in.