• USA Today, Monday, August 17, 2009 10:38 AM

IHOP today is announcing that kids can eat free at its restaurant seven nights a week for the next month, Bruce Horovitz reports, joining chains such as Fazoli's, El Torito and even Ikea, which wants to drive traffic to its stores.

And why not? "Free is magic," says Barry Schwartz, psychology professor at Swarthmore College. "It will seduce people into eating out who shouldn't."

Barry Yow, in fact, has a Web site that's keeping an eye on the trend. Drinks usually aren't included in the deal, and Yow says that some parents are so happy to be getting a free meal that they wind up spending more than they would have normally on desserts or drinks.

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