Kids With ‘Spooky Name’ Get Free Food at Hudson Valley Restaurant

This Halloween, a Hudson Valley restaurant chain is treating kids to free meals and extra sweet treats if they have a "spooky" name.

If your child has a name associated with Halloween, we may have the perfect place for them to fuel up before a long night of trick-or-treating.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Chain Giving Away Free Meals for Kids

This year, October 31 falls on a Thursday. While celebrating Halloween on a weeknight can be a bummer, many local school districts are scheduling a half day so that kids can prepare their costumes for an evening of going door to door.

Applebee's restaurants in Brewster, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Wallkill, and Kingston are making things a little easier for parents on Halloween by giving everyone under the age of 10 a complementary kids meal with their choice of a side and drink. Children with certain names, however, will get to indulge in an extra special treat for free.

'Spooky Name Game' Earns Hudson Valley Kids a Free Treat

In addition to a free meal, kids with a Halloween-themed name will also enjoy a complimentary Kids Oreo Shake. According to Applebees, the Spooky Name Game will reward kids who have a first of last name that includes Jack, Frank or Boo with the free dessert.

Although it's not very clear in the press release, it appears that only those three names are eligible to receive the free dessert. So if your kid's name includes Witch, Wolf, Mummy or Cat you most likely will not qualify.  As someone with the last name of Boris, I'm a bit disappointed. Having a creepy name is not very fun during most of the year, but getting a free dessert would almost make up for it.

Applebees says that kids will have to show proof of their name in order to get the free dessert, but all kids under 10 will receive the complimentary kids meal. The offer only applies to sit-down orders, not take-out or curbside pick-up. And before you decide to take the whole neighborhood out for free food, the offer is limited to two kids meals per one adult entree purchase.