Some businesses will offer you a break April 15

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To make April 15th a little less taxing — and to use any excuse for promotion — some businesses are rolling out freebies/oddities for income tax deadline day.

At the Daily Grill restaurant chain, the gimmick du jour Wednesday at its Southern California locations (excluding LAX) will be to pick up the tax on all guest checks throughout the day. The bar will offer tax-themed cocktails, including the Taxpayer’s Revolt (white Sambuca, Chambord and soda water); Itemized Deduction (a spin-off of classic Long Island Iced Tea made with vodka, gin, rum and pomegranate juice); and the Windfall Refund (Stoli vanilla vodka pineapple juice and blue curacao served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass).

For a free lunch, head to the Hollywood eatery Ivan Kane’s Cafe Wa s. (That’s not a typo; the name is a reference to the bistro’s vintage neon sign, which lights only the W A and S from ALWAYS OPEN.) On Monday, the bistro started opening for lunch, and this Wednesday only is serving up a free special menu. The choices include a French dip prime rib sandwich and a warm ratatouille salad. Unlike the federal deficit, this offer has its limits: The free lunch runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and when the specials run out the deal is off.

Among the other freebies out there Wednesday:
-- Free cinnamon roll at Cinnabon (from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations)
-- Free ice cream at Maggie Moos (Chino Hills is the closest to The Times’ building in downtown L.A.)
-- Free taco at Taco Del Mar (down San Diego way)
-- Free electronic greetings at Blue Mountain and other such companies
-- Free massage at HydroMassage (various locations)
-- Free copying of tax returns at Staples (black and white, double-sided up to 20 pages, at various locations)

Perhaps the most useful no-cost service comes from the Internal Revenue Service, which this year expanded eligibility for free preparer-assisted online tax filing and created free electronic forms for do-it-yourselfers who want to fill out electronic versions of the traditional paper federal returns.

—Nancy Rivera Brooks and Jerry Hirsch