Lunch in NYC can easily cost about $10 a day x 5 days = 50 bucks a week x 52 weeks = $2,600 a year. Sure, you can trim down the costs by brown-bagging your lunch, or getting those cheap dollar slices where they throw the pizza dough onto the counter and pound it so hard as if they were giving it a beat down (yes, I’m referring to 2 Bros Pizza).
I work in the Flatiron District and most of the time I bring my own lunch for the sake of budget and portion control (I can easily overeat). And when I do order takeout or delivery, it’ll easily cost $11 or more. So when I learned about MealPass, the new lunch service that launched in NYC at the end of March, I decided to give it a try. The introductory price is $99 for a month, which if you order lunch every weekday comes out to $5 a day. For the second month, the price goes up to $119, which breaks down to about $6 a day. Well, add on the tax too, but you get it.
So MealPass does it work?
Each participating restaurant will feature one item daily that’s available to MealPass members. At 7pm, the restaurants post what’s on the menu for the next day, and you have until 9:30am (the day of) to place your lunch order. You reserve a time slot, and pick up your lunch then.
Ordering MealPass
The restaurants range from the quick takeout joints to fancier restaurants within select areas of NYC. There’s something for everyone – pizza, burgers, vegan meals, and juice spots. A partial list includes 2 Bros, Sarabeth’s, Liquiteria, and Kat & Theo.
Since the weather is getting nicer, and I’m trying pretty darn hard to control my portions (tough when you blog about food), I’ve been ordering from healthier restaurants including Inday, La Pecora Bianco and Mulberry & Vine, both conveniently located within a 2 block radius from my office. The portions from these places are on the lighter side, so don’t expect to get their usual $10 serving size for the discounted prices you’re paying. I’d say Inday gives you about 3/4 of what you’d get from their regularly priced $8 bowls.
Any limits?
Unlike ClassPass which allows you to go to each gym up to 3 times in a month, you can order from any of the participating restaurants as many times as you want. So Inday everyday could work if that’s what’s you’re craving. I did it twice in a row, and got tired of it, so I shifted to Bombay Sandwich Co the next day.
Chana Masala Bowl at Bombay Sandwich Co.
You gotta act fast
So if you wanna get food at Inday, order it the night before as close to 7pm as possible so you can claim that delicious bowl of Chicken & Go Salad or Turkey & In-Grain.
Will I keep using MealPass?
I’m unsure. While the thought of saving money is top of mind, I don’t like having to decide what I want to eat by 9.30am. Funny I say that because I’m always thinking of what to eat next when I’m eating my breakfast. There are days where I just want a hot bowl of ramen or a smoothie or ultra thin crust pizza from Tappo (around the corner from my office). So having to stop what I’m doing to pick up my lunch at the reserved time I set does get annoying, especially when my meetings run longer than they’re supposed to. Sometimes I just want food delivered right to my desk, or the front door (via Caviar or UberEats).
The good thing…
Since they do have a lot of options on the healthier side, I can portion control. So after my barre workout or my Insanity workout (that I’ve booked via ClassPass), I can go get that quinoa bowl, or my kale salad, and be satisfied. But there are days where I’m hungry an hour later, depending on where I order lunch from (like when I ordered from Kat and Theo).
Another good thing – Depending on the restaurant, you can be in and out in under a minute since the food is already packed and waiting to be picked up. No waiting on line.
What’s next?
MealPass currently serves Boston and Miami. In NYC, they cover Gramercy, Chelsea, Union Square and the Flatiron District. Today, they have moved on up to 40th Street.
Not sure when the app will be rolling out, but that would be handy.
Wanna try it?
You can signup to request an invite, or just contact me and I can have you skip the line. No, I won’t get any rewards for a referral. Though I wish I could.
Disclosure: This review is my own opinion. I paid for my subscription. MealPass has not reached out to me for my opinion, or compensated me for this review.
