You probably won’t find a real pot of gold on St. Patrick’s Day, but you can pick up free glazed donuts, $2 Irish cream flavored iced coffee, and half-price green smoothies.
With Americans expected to spend nearly $7 billion to celebrate all things Irish this March 17, many national chains and local stores will be offering discounts to celebrate the holiday.
So here are some Paddy’s Day promotions that might make Irish and non-Irish people smile on Friday.
KRISPY KREME
This DNUT pastry chain,
is no stranger to giving away glazed donuts (see: free treats for people who got their COVID shots in 2021.) So for St. Patrick’s Day, all customers who come in green (either in-store or by drive-thru) can get a free original glazed donut, no purchase necessary. If you want to spend some dough, however, there are also limited-time treats like the “Golden Cookies & Kreme Donut”, “Hat O’Gold Donut”, “Golden Sprinkle Donut”, and “Rainbow Kreme Filled”. Donut.”
ARBY’S
The sandwich shop has the meats, okay — like in its limited-time Reuben layering corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing between two slices of marbled rye bread. Sign up to become a member of Arby’s Rewards and get 25% off your Paddy’s Day Sammy. Or if you’re observing Lent, you can opt for a fish sandwich and small fries for just $5.
DUNKIN’
Dunkin’s “Irish Creme Flavored Coffee” is back. It’s alcohol-free; the concoction simply blends the flavor of vanilla and Irish cream and can be served hot or as an iced coffee. And Dunkin’ Rewards members who pre-order on the Dunkin’ app can get a Medium Irish Cream Iced Coffee for just $2 through March 31 (but there’s a limit of one per member and per day.)
COOKED BY MELISSA
The national candy store is baking St. Patrick’s Day-themed mini cupcakes through March 21, including the ‘Lucky Charm’ – featuring a green vanilla cake stuffed with brownie batter and topped with icing and brittle Golden. There are also “Rainbow Cookie” and “Triple Chocolate Fudge” varieties. And you can get 10% off the Shamrock Shuffle 50-pack and Lucky Us 100-pack (if you want to treat your office, maybe) when you use promo code LUCKY10.
JAMBA JUICE
The green theme makes it the perfect day for a green juice or smoothie. And Jamba Juice customers who buy a green smoothie on St. Patrick’s Day can get a second one for half price. Plus, Jamba Rewards members get exclusive access to March’s limited-time smoothie, “Luck of the Tropics,” which blends mango passion fruit juice, mangoes, oat milk, and kale. It’s also green, of course. And joining the rewards club also gives you a 50% off smoothie.
KONA GRILL
The restaurant chain offers $3 green beer, sake, and seltzer specialties for St. Patrick’s Day, as well as $6 corned beef sliders during happy hour (check local hours). Corned beef sliders will also be included on the dinner menu once happy hour is over.
APPLEBEE’S
But it’s happy hour all day at Applebee’s on St. Patrick’s Day, as the restaurant has cut its “Saintly Sips” back to $6 for the holiday. These include “Tipsy Leprechaun”, described as a “premium tea” blended from Jameson Irish whiskey, melon liqueur, blue curacao, premium sour lemon and lime soda with a rainbow sugar edge. Or there’s the “Pot O’ Gold Colada,” which is Captain Morgan’s version of the piña colada with spiced rum and mango. Plus, there’s a slew of non-alcoholic “Rainbow Lemonades” topped with a rainbow of candy if you’re looking to celebrate a more sober St. Patrick’s Day.
Learn more: Sober St. Patrick’s Day: 6 Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Without Alcohol
And while the following places don’t offer discounts, they do serve some St. Patrick’s Day specials worth mentioning.
MCDONALDS
McDonald’s MCD,
Fans rejoice: The burger chain’s Shamrock Shake is back — and it’s brought a friend: Oreo Shamrock McFlurry.
CARVEL
The ice cream shop is offering pistachio ice cream — available in soft serve ice cream sandwiches, scoops or other treats — until March 27. Sunday Dasher” that tops soft mint ice cream with KitKats, fudge and whipped cream. Or the “Mint Flying Saucer” ice cream sandwich is exactly what it sounds like – mint ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate wafers. There are also plenty of St. Paddy themed cakes.
INSOMNIA COOKIES
For a limited time, the Late Night Cookie Shop is making batches of “Mint Cookies N Cream” cookies, made with brown sugarpaste mixed with chocolate sandwich cookies, spearmint chunks and chunks of vanilla.
DAIRY QUEEN
Not to be outdone, Dairy Queen serves a specialty “Mint Brownie Blizzard” for St. Patrick’s Day that mixes brownie chunks, chocolate chunks and fresh mint with its soft serve ice cream.
But if you can wait until Monday, March 20, it’s “Free Cone Day” at DQ, where everyone gets a free little vanilla cone. Limit one per person.