First off, welcome to Flyertalk!

Second, the only decent dining options off airport are in downtown Newark, which is not as close to the airport as one might think. The little time you do have would be best served by taking the monorail to terminal A or B and eat at a Fridays, Chilis, etc. If your friends do go the "buy a fully refundable ticket" route, you might want to try Gallagher's in C-3