Father's Day Freebies To Help Celebrate Dad Deliciously: Drive-Thru Diary

CALIFORNIA — The other day I was on the phone with my mom while I was going through the Taco Bell drive thru. Expectedly, she was not impressed — even expressing some concern. "There's better food you can get for the same price!," she said.

Forgive the stereotype, but if there's one thing dads often know better than moms, it's that sometimes you just need that Crunchwrap Supreme — despite the fact that you could get a nutritious salad for the same price. Indeed, it was my dad who often indulged me and my brothers with a post-soccer game McDonald's trip.

It turns out fast food and other restaurant chains know this, and they're getting ready with a slew of promotions to help celebrate Father's Day on Sunday.

Some are better than others — and here are the five best promotions I found:

Baskin-Robbins

What's better than a golf-themed ice cream cake? How about one shaped like a giant, frosty mug of beer. For Father's Day, Baskin-Robbins has both — and you can get $5 off any ice cream cake purchase of $35 or more with the promo code "DAD" in the Baskin-Robbins app through June 15.

Burger King

Tap on the Burger King app on Sunday to take advantage of a BOGO Whopper deal — buy one of the King's signature sandwiches, and get the second one for free.

BK has also debuted a non-food way to celebrate dad's big day with the "Flame-Grilled Dadcore Shirt," a button-up shirt featuring flames, burgers and bright colors.

Wendy's

Not to be outdone by BK, Wendy's is offering a similar BOGO deal with its Baconator line of sandwiches. The buy-one-get-one free deal is available on the Wendy's app Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Krispy Kreme

With a Father's Day collection that includes bowtie-clad doughnuts, Krispy Kreme is offering free delivery on online orders through Sunday.

Dave & Busters

The restaurant/arcade chain is offering a generous deal to bring dads (and their kids) through the door on Father's Day. As part of its Dad Games promotion, guests can enjoy an all-you-can eat buffet, soft drinks and $20 in game credits for a flat fee, starting at $35 per person. And the offer is sweetened for dads, who get to play as many games as they want, for free, all day.