Finding specials and deals near you in Galway

The best food deals in Galway are usually time-limited: a daily special, a lower price during a place's quiet hours, a set menu sold in advance for midweek, or an early bird perk on an early table. On Mosey, specials show to people nearby while they are on and disappear when they end, quiet-hours prices apply automatically with no code, and offers are bought now and used within a window.

The trick is less about where to look and more about when. Here is how each kind of deal works and how to catch it before it is gone.

What kinds of food deals are there?

They fall into a few distinct types, and each suits a different kind of diner:

• Daily specials. A dish on for today, or until a set time. Good for spontaneous plans.
• Quiet-hours prices. Particular items cost less during a window when the place is quiet, such as mid-afternoon. Good if your timetable is flexible.
• Offers bought in advance. A set menu or deal you pay for now and use on certain days within a window. Good for planning a midweek meal.
• Early bird perks. Something extra when you book an early table. Good for an evening that starts early.
• Bonus credit on vouchers. Some places give more credit than you pay. Good for places you already go to.
• Free tickets. Tastings, openings and demonstrations that cost nothing but need a ticket because space is limited.

How do specials work on Mosey?

When a place adds a special, it shows to people nearby while it is live, and stops showing automatically when it ends. You will not turn up for Wednesday wings on a Thursday because a post somewhere was never taken down.

That makes specials most useful at the moment you are deciding where to eat. Open the app when you are hungry and nearby, rather than planning a week ahead around one. The Galway hub is the place to start browsing what is around you.

Cheaper at quieter times: how Deal Hours work

Some places lower their prices for a set window, on days and hours when they are quiet. Inside the window the price is lower; outside it, nothing has changed. There is no code and nothing to claim: the menu costs less at that time.

A place chooses which items are included, and the deal can be:

• a percentage off
• a fixed amount off
• buy one, get one free
• a set price on an item

It can apply in the venue, on collection orders, on delivery, or any mix, so a place may have a cheaper collection price at four o'clock without touching its dining room. If your schedule is flexible, it is the easiest saving there is: same food, different hour.

Offers you buy ahead

An offer is something you pay for now and use within a set period, such as a three-course menu valid Tuesday to Thursday before seven. Unlike an event, you are not tied to one night; you choose when, within the window.

Places use offers to fill the quieter parts of the week, which is why the value is often better than anything you will see on a Friday. Check the days and times carefully, and buy one only if those days genuinely suit you. The events and offers page explains how offers and tickets work.

How do you hear about deals before they end?

Deals are short-lived, so the people who catch them are the ones who hear first.

• Follow the places you like. Places can send their followers news about offers, including a reminder before one ends.
• Check when you are deciding, not the night before. Specials are posted on the day, and the ones on screen are the ones still running.
• Look at quiet times. Mid-afternoon, early evening and early in the week are where places put their deals, because that is when they have room.
• Join the rewards at your regular places. It is free, and the visits you were making anyway start counting towards something.

If you like eating early, the guide to catching early bird deals in Galway covers how early bird offers appear when you book. Food trucks move around, so the guide to following your favourite food trucks in Galway is worth a look too.

How to tell a good deal from a bad one

A discount is only a deal if you wanted the thing anyway. Before you buy or travel for one, ask:

• Is this somewhere I would go at full price? A cheap meal you do not enjoy is not a saving.
• What exactly is included? Two courses or three, drinks or not, every item or a few.
• When does it apply? Check the days, the hours and the end date, not only the headline.
• What do people say about the place? Ratings from people who actually ate there, with photographs, tell you more than the size of the discount.
• Can I really use it in time? An offer you forget to use is money spent for nothing.

When are you most likely to find a deal?

Deals follow quiet times, and quiet times are predictable: the afternoon lull between lunch and dinner, early evenings, and the start of the week. Galway is a university city and a busy stop for visitors, so its trade rises and falls through the year as well as through the week. The quieter stretches are when places have the most reason to tempt people in.

Next time you are hungry and near the centre, open Mosey and look at what is on nearby, right now.