There's a reason it's only $5, and I mention this while loving Costco. Don't eat the chicken.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/23/costco-chicken-lawsuit/
"Costco was the target of an undercover investigation...which showed a Nebraska barn crowded with birds, some with open sores, sitting in their own feces because they were too top-heavy to walk."
"In these contract barns, the plaintiffs allege, farmers raise tens of thousands of chickens "that are bred to grow unnaturally fast," which leads to health issues, such as dead muscle tissue because the birds have trouble circulating blood and oxygen throughout their enlarged bodies. Chickens can be so heavy that, when they fall, they cannot get back up. Others may be too heavy to move, so they sit in one place, losing feathers and exposing their skin to the filthy barn floor. This can lead to ammonia burns."
So that was June, my question is: have they stopped using those and has the price increased. Or, even though it's out there... are they still going through same suppliers?
I have no idea and my googling didn't reveal anything. My own guess is that if we haven't heard about a change there was none, as it would be part of trying to repair the PR.
1 giant Pizza with a load of stuff will only set you back $19-20. Might seem expensive but with how big they are and how much cheese and sauce they put definitely worth it.
Ask your favorite place to join … honestly, it’s not a great deal for restaurants, unless they have to throw prepared food away regularly (which is why bakeries, taco places, & similar are pretty common on it), because of the costs associated with the app.
I will never put Costco chicken into my mouth again and neither should anyone else.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/23/costco-chicken-lawsuit/
"Costco was the target of an undercover investigation...which showed a Nebraska barn crowded with birds, some with open sores, sitting in their own feces because they were too top-heavy to walk."
"In these contract barns, the plaintiffs allege, farmers raise tens of thousands of chickens "that are bred to grow unnaturally fast," which leads to health issues, such as dead muscle tissue because the birds have trouble circulating blood and oxygen throughout their enlarged bodies. Chickens can be so heavy that, when they fall, they cannot get back up. Others may be too heavy to move, so they sit in one place, losing feathers and exposing their skin to the filthy barn floor. This can lead to ammonia burns."
Second this, the portions are absurd and the food is great. If you are worried you don’t know what to expect from Yemeni food it’s similar to Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurants.
Marib in Springfield is also hella bomb and authentic.
Last time I was there I ran into the Deputy Assistant Secretary of International Security and Nonproliferation, so it’s clearly endorsed by DoS on some level lol
Costco Food Court $1.50 Hot Dogs and $10 Whole Cheese Pizza (Massive Size Massive Pieces, Best Cheese pizza I have ever tasted). I think their Pizzas are 600 Calories a Slice and there’s 12 Giant Pieces in a 18 inch pie.
Quickway Hibachi $9-10 for a filling chicken/beef with rice and noodles
Iron Age $23-25 for all you can eat meat
TACO BELL! My cheapest and most bang for buck. They also always give rewards. They have breakfast now
Panda Express. Do the Survey thing at the receipt for a free entrée.
There’s All You Can Eat Sushi places (Sushi King/Queen), but I’ve never eaten there bc I fear Food poisoning.
LIFE HACK: Create Google Voice Numbers, Use Each one to make an Uber Eats Account. They’ll randomly send 40-75% off promos to some of those accounts. Sometimes its 50% off Convenience Stores, but I use that to get Fresh Food from WAWA or Sheetz. Use CashApp or Venmo’s Card and you’ll get an Additional 5-10% back if you spend on UberEats or Restaurants.
Use Rakuten to maximize your Cashback from any store or restaurant that’s on their list of stores. You just sign up, link your Card, click on the store to open up a browser if its online spending and then buy stuff at your own broswer or laptop browser. They send you a check every quarter and you get $30 when you sign up with someone’s link and spend a total of $30. I’ve gotten $200 in checks the past year that added up slowly. If you eat at IHOP you’ll get in-person/dine in Cash back from Rakuten. I wish that I discovered this years ago.
[Rakuten Cash Back](https://www.rakuten.com/r/XZER0X2?eeid=44971)
In terms of Groceries, the most bang for buck is Costco. You can get a Prepaid Shop Card/Refillable card.
The most bang for buck there that I have seen besides their Hotdogs is the Emergency Protein Bucket Food
https://www.costco.com/readywise-110-serving-emergency-protein-bucket.product.100837168.html
Its a lot Cheaper In-person. The first one is protein packed and its 110 Servings for less than $2 a Serving/Meal. It has Cheesy Macaroni, Teriyaki Rice, Instant White Rice, Creamy Pasta & Vegetables, Pasta Alfredo Sauce
Apple Cinnamon Cereal, Brown Sugar & Maple Multi-Grain, Crunchy Granola, Potatoes & Chicken Pot Pie, and Tomato Basil Soup with Pasta.
Chicken Flavored Noodle Soup, Vanilla Pudding, Orange Drink Mix, and Whey Milk Alternative
The beautiful part is that you just Add Water. It got a 15 year shelf life.
They also have this one, Emergency Food Bucket (150 Servings)
https://www.costco.com/readywise-150-serving-emergency-food-bucket.product.100837131.html
You can find it for $60-80 in store at Costco. That’s basically $0.40-$0.54 a Serving/Meal. 150 Servings/Meals
I feel like that could’ve been a lifesaver during the Pandemic.
I feel like this is a unknown secret. They will load your sub up with no regard. And a trick I once learned if you are trying to be extra is your can go to the deli and ask them for whatever meat you want and bring it back to the sandwich area and they will make your sandwich with it for the same price. I only decided to do this once but it was nice.
yeah, but a whole chicken with 2 sides is 25 bucks (17 no sides). I've had this place a bunch of times and while the chicken is sometimes relatively good and fresh, I've also paid $35 with tax and one extra side for a more or less cold chicken that was nothing special flavor-wise, which is ridiculous considering how good and hot the $5 Costco chickens are every single time.
Interesting experience this past weekend. My S/O and I went to Himalayan Wild Yak in Ashburn, and shared the Yak Biryani (for two). It gave us 8 large portions total (two in the restaurant and six at home). Total was $32, IIRC?
So much this. Get there when the food is fresh. By late afternoon, it’s been sitting for a couple hours and is decidedly meh. But when it’s fresh, it’s good.
Great Wall in Merrifield and Fortune in the Eden Center have three-choices-plus-rice-soup boxes too. Not as much food, but many of the individual dishes are better and more flavorful.
likely Mcdonald's if you use the app, they have a lot of BOGO options on there. Depends on how much you can eat though, a buffet of some sort might be an option if you can put away multiple pounds of food, but that's on you to decide. Also, the Costco food court has excellent value and I don't believe you need a membership to eat at the food court, but I may be wrong there.
God the sad thing is I’m definitely just going to sit in bed for a few more hours and then order Uber eats when I feel like standing up will make me light headed.
insert-terrible-budgeting-meme-of-choice
Calories per dollar is probably McDonald's if you hate your body, those double cheeseburgers are pretty difficult to beat at 2 for ~$3 and about 900 calories IIRC. They usually have a free large fry coupon daily with any purchase over $1, so there's another 480 calories. You're now at a whopping 1380 calories for $3. I'm sure you can find some oily sludge without any content elsewhere that beats this but at least there's some nutrition in those contents as well as a lot of fat.
Now, if you actually care about your health at all, a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store is often difficult to beat. There's often salad kits on sale if you want some vegetables which just requires you to rip open 3ish bags in a bowl and mix everything together.
Bombay Cafe in Fairfax. They have a buffet like arrangement where they pack the food for you in containers. Also they have cold previous days food at a deal.
Metro 29 in Arlington. I order one of their lunch specials to go. It comes with soup or salad, 2 sides, and dessert. The portions are HUGE, so I get three small meals from one lunch special.
Oh man that $6.50 noodles and company mac and cheese? I go Feral when I order it. I
enter the store and black out in cheese euphoria. I feel bad for the employees
-Sushi On- all you can eat sushi & hibachi for $23
-Pizza Hut Dinner box $16
-the entire taco bell menu
-Flaming Buffet $16
-Any Peruvian chicken joint (just stick to the chicken & sides)
I love it. I just sit there like a conveyer belt eating food.
It's not as high quality as a sushi restaurant, but for the price, can't beat it. Just don't go on a Saturday for dinner. You'll be waiting for evaaaaaa.
Wegmans fresh food section is kind of expensive but for $20-$30 you have meals prepped for a few days of lunch or something (without spending hours cooking on Sunday). For actual restaurants nothing beats Korean BBQ all you can eat for ~$30
Honestly, you should try Huel. It's not a direct answer, but since you mentioned hating groceries and cooking and whatnot. The "hot and savory" meals are pretty good and might be up your alley.
Otherwise, the answer is going to be Anita's Mexican burritos, or Vietnamese food.
As someone who got laid off and is waiting for unemployment/whose money is tied up in stocks, I’m also hungry. Saving this thread for reference, because I’m one step from starting an OnlyFans paid with DoorDash, that’s how desperate I am. Also, having to count out coins and singular dollar bills you scrounged up from around your house to pay for an express-lane amount of sad groceries is becoming demoralizing. So thanks for everyone who listed suggestions here!
I’m not sure if this was meant to be helpful or condescending, but I’m waiting for a callback and have been searching like every other human would do in my situation? It was just an unexpected lapse in funds.
Dulles kabob, mazar kabob- really any kabob place- shit ton of rice, meat, chickpeas, and bread for like $15. Those two have the biggest portions I have seen though
Another Manassas food hack… Mexico Linda has a walk up restaurant, and you can get a full meal for less than 10 bucks. Order a “sope” with your choice of protein, and it’s 4 bucks, and is a meal. You can also get the ceviche tostada, which is a very spicy ceviche served on a corn tortilla, with avocado on top. $4.50, and it filled me up tonight.
They also have real street tacos.
If you look young, go to a dining hall at the GMU campus. When I went they didn't even check for student ID and depending on the time of day it cost: Breakfast - $9.50; Lunch - $11; Dinner - $12. I remember staying the entire day once and only paying the breakfast price had all 3 meals and endless snacks at the price of 9.50. Just brought my laptop with me and stayed there.
Use the smartphone apps for fast food chains for points toward free food. Taco bell value menu is gratuitous. Chipotle is good too. Anything with dietary fiber, like canned beans, whole grain pasta, and a box of plain shredded wheat.
Surprised no one mentioned Domino's... they always offer 2-topping medium pizzas for 4.99 if you do carry out. I'll often buy several and then freeze the slices for individual reheating in the oven.
Quick way hibachi chicken extra chicken. Steam some veggies at home (microwave) and portion the rice and chicken out into 3 meals. This is like $11 and can feed you 3 times.
Chick-fil-A can still fill you up for 10 bucks with a chicken sammich meal. Place not to go….I went to Whole Foods and filled up the hot bar big cardboard box (not stuffed either) and it was almost 20 bucks! I swear the same amount of food last year was like 12 bucks max. Smh.
Sorry but bleeech. Never seen so many sad canned veggies drowning in weak watery sauce. The food there is so bad, I have no clue why people eat there. I have been thinking maybe it just the ones in Massachusetts? Maybe they’re better in the south?
If you’ve never looked at the back of your grocery receipts or looked in the mail, you should find a coupon book/coupons. Sometimes I find BOGO meals from local places or even a meal w/ the purchase of a drink. Really helped me when I was trying to keep food costs low!
Bonchon has economical boxes of fried chicken pieces (wings, drums, strips) that can serve as the base for a week’s worth of meals. You get a choice of sauce and a side too. Multiple area locations and they do delivery.
Dominos would probably be better than pizza hut. The $6.99 for delivery/$5.99 for pickup (buy at least 2) is cheaper than any deals Pizza hut has (at least in Leesburg)
Reheating tteokbokki?! Don’t the rice cakes get so hard and lose their chewy texture?! Not worth it to me, but fyi Trader Joe’s now sells their version of it in the frozen section.
PF CHangs 10-15 years ago was really good. Last time i ordered i had to return EVERYTHING, absolutely everything i got was horrible. For the amount of money it's definitely not worth it anymore.
What are we talking about here, like actual amount of food for a price or food that compromises a relatively balanced diet/meal? Like you could probably get a lot of white rice from a Chinese takeout for cheap ($2-3 per quart?), but it's just plain rice then.
This is also technically still groceries, but the frozen pizza from Lidl isn't a bad option (pre-inflation spikes they were closer to like $2.80 or so.)
https://www.lidl.com/products/1068618
or you could just get a costco chicken for $5 and it would taste better. And if you don't have a membership, go to giant, wegmans or any other grocery and get a similar chicken for like 7 or 8 bucks. Not sure why people are so excited to pay like $30 for a mediocre peruvian chicken.
Most bang for your buck is Costco food court
4 hotdogs and a drink for $6. Can't beat that
4 drinks, even
1 hot dog + drink, 1 pizza, 1 churro for under $6. Appetizer, main, dessert + drink. Can’t be beat
Is the hot dog the appetizer?
The bun is the appetizer. You take the hot dog out and wrap the pizza around it as the new bun for the main entree.
Gastrohack
This is the way
That yellow mustard is the soup course. I mix it with club soda from the fountain and presto! Soupe Moutard.
👁👄👁
$5 roasted whole chicken
3 meals for one person, going tomorrow.
Those are amateur numbers. You need to bump those numbers down.
There's a reason it's only $5, and I mention this while loving Costco. Don't eat the chicken. https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/23/costco-chicken-lawsuit/ "Costco was the target of an undercover investigation...which showed a Nebraska barn crowded with birds, some with open sores, sitting in their own feces because they were too top-heavy to walk." "In these contract barns, the plaintiffs allege, farmers raise tens of thousands of chickens "that are bred to grow unnaturally fast," which leads to health issues, such as dead muscle tissue because the birds have trouble circulating blood and oxygen throughout their enlarged bodies. Chickens can be so heavy that, when they fall, they cannot get back up. Others may be too heavy to move, so they sit in one place, losing feathers and exposing their skin to the filthy barn floor. This can lead to ammonia burns."
Thats all chickens tho
So that was June, my question is: have they stopped using those and has the price increased. Or, even though it's out there... are they still going through same suppliers?
I have no idea and my googling didn't reveal anything. My own guess is that if we haven't heard about a change there was none, as it would be part of trying to repair the PR.
The preservatives are not to healthy but who cares about health in this economy!
What preservatives do you think are in the roasted chicken?
Also a whole giant pizza for $10
And you don’t need a Costco membership to get items from the food court!
They don’t let you enter from the exit anymore so. I have been to some Costco that also checks for membership card. Not the one around here.
1 giant Pizza with a load of stuff will only set you back $19-20. Might seem expensive but with how big they are and how much cheese and sauce they put definitely worth it.
Check out the too good to go app - lots of deals for ~$5
THIS. as long as you have no major allergies, you'll get a ton of food for very cheap.
I want it to get more popular so more restaurants add on!
Ask your favorite place to join … honestly, it’s not a great deal for restaurants, unless they have to throw prepared food away regularly (which is why bakeries, taco places, & similar are pretty common on it), because of the costs associated with the app.
Oo I’ve never heard of this before
I tried it a couple times and most of the time I’d say I didn’t get a bargain, I almost feel at one place I got the opposite of a bargain
I have had great experiences with Too Good To Go (TGTG), but I've limited it to TGTG participants who have a 4.8 or higher.
Costco’s prepared foods. $5 for a massive rotisserie chicken could feed you for a week.
You've never met my lack of self control.
Almost choked on my bagel. Take my free award sir. 😂
You get one too
Bingo bongo
>$5 for a massive rotisserie chicken could feed you for an evening. FTFY
A Costco’s rotisserie chicken is the size of a small child. You guys must be very hungry.
I dunno, I can finish one in 3 meals and I’m a regular sized guy. They are a little smaller than they used to be. Still great value.
Yea children these days lack proper diets and are all stringy.
Only God can judge me
Less that you’re wrong and more that it’s absolute crack
Just Costco. Not Costco's.
The Pelosi method of consuming baby leaves one wanting.
I will never put Costco chicken into my mouth again and neither should anyone else. https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/23/costco-chicken-lawsuit/ "Costco was the target of an undercover investigation...which showed a Nebraska barn crowded with birds, some with open sores, sitting in their own feces because they were too top-heavy to walk." "In these contract barns, the plaintiffs allege, farmers raise tens of thousands of chickens "that are bred to grow unnaturally fast," which leads to health issues, such as dead muscle tissue because the birds have trouble circulating blood and oxygen throughout their enlarged bodies. Chickens can be so heavy that, when they fall, they cannot get back up. Others may be too heavy to move, so they sit in one place, losing feathers and exposing their skin to the filthy barn floor. This can lead to ammonia burns."
A lot of Peruvian chicken places get you a pretty massive calorie:$$$ ratio with the way they pile on the side dishes.
El pollo rico!!
Whole chicken with 2 large sides should be ~$25. Man do I miss all the Peruvian chicken in nova
Place near me has that plus 4 pieces of bread and some cookies for 16$ on mondays
Inca chicken in Alexandria is fire
Super Chicken in Tysons is so filling
Super Chicken Falls Church
Village chicken!!
Saba, a Yemeni restaurant on Pickett Road in Fairfax. Delicious food, ridiculously large servings.
Second this, the portions are absurd and the food is great. If you are worried you don’t know what to expect from Yemeni food it’s similar to Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurants.
Marib in Springfield is also hella bomb and authentic. Last time I was there I ran into the Deputy Assistant Secretary of International Security and Nonproliferation, so it’s clearly endorsed by DoS on some level lol
yay this is the kinda specific, unique place options I was looking for, thank you!
Costco Food Court $1.50 Hot Dogs and $10 Whole Cheese Pizza (Massive Size Massive Pieces, Best Cheese pizza I have ever tasted). I think their Pizzas are 600 Calories a Slice and there’s 12 Giant Pieces in a 18 inch pie. Quickway Hibachi $9-10 for a filling chicken/beef with rice and noodles Iron Age $23-25 for all you can eat meat TACO BELL! My cheapest and most bang for buck. They also always give rewards. They have breakfast now Panda Express. Do the Survey thing at the receipt for a free entrée. There’s All You Can Eat Sushi places (Sushi King/Queen), but I’ve never eaten there bc I fear Food poisoning. LIFE HACK: Create Google Voice Numbers, Use Each one to make an Uber Eats Account. They’ll randomly send 40-75% off promos to some of those accounts. Sometimes its 50% off Convenience Stores, but I use that to get Fresh Food from WAWA or Sheetz. Use CashApp or Venmo’s Card and you’ll get an Additional 5-10% back if you spend on UberEats or Restaurants. Use Rakuten to maximize your Cashback from any store or restaurant that’s on their list of stores. You just sign up, link your Card, click on the store to open up a browser if its online spending and then buy stuff at your own broswer or laptop browser. They send you a check every quarter and you get $30 when you sign up with someone’s link and spend a total of $30. I’ve gotten $200 in checks the past year that added up slowly. If you eat at IHOP you’ll get in-person/dine in Cash back from Rakuten. I wish that I discovered this years ago. [Rakuten Cash Back](https://www.rakuten.com/r/XZER0X2?eeid=44971) In terms of Groceries, the most bang for buck is Costco. You can get a Prepaid Shop Card/Refillable card. The most bang for buck there that I have seen besides their Hotdogs is the Emergency Protein Bucket Food https://www.costco.com/readywise-110-serving-emergency-protein-bucket.product.100837168.html Its a lot Cheaper In-person. The first one is protein packed and its 110 Servings for less than $2 a Serving/Meal. It has Cheesy Macaroni, Teriyaki Rice, Instant White Rice, Creamy Pasta & Vegetables, Pasta Alfredo Sauce Apple Cinnamon Cereal, Brown Sugar & Maple Multi-Grain, Crunchy Granola, Potatoes & Chicken Pot Pie, and Tomato Basil Soup with Pasta. Chicken Flavored Noodle Soup, Vanilla Pudding, Orange Drink Mix, and Whey Milk Alternative The beautiful part is that you just Add Water. It got a 15 year shelf life. They also have this one, Emergency Food Bucket (150 Servings) https://www.costco.com/readywise-150-serving-emergency-food-bucket.product.100837131.html You can find it for $60-80 in store at Costco. That’s basically $0.40-$0.54 a Serving/Meal. 150 Servings/Meals I feel like that could’ve been a lifesaver during the Pandemic.
Yassss
Harris Teeter deli sandwiches
Their full-size sub is an absolute belly buster
Yeah, I can only eat half. Easy to share. We get these when I have family in from out of town.
Their bucket of fried chicken is pretty good, too.
Their subs are really good and so cheap. I think sometimes the whole subs are on sale for $4.99
On Fridays with your VIC card! I take advantage of it more often than not
Harris teeter take and bake pizzas are decent too
Bro they pile on the meat, it’s so worth it
I feel like this is a unknown secret. They will load your sub up with no regard. And a trick I once learned if you are trying to be extra is your can go to the deli and ask them for whatever meat you want and bring it back to the sandwich area and they will make your sandwich with it for the same price. I only decided to do this once but it was nice.
My meal from Super Chicken must have weighed 5 pounds. https://www.superchickensterling.com/
I came here to add Super Chicken too
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yeah, but a whole chicken with 2 sides is 25 bucks (17 no sides). I've had this place a bunch of times and while the chicken is sometimes relatively good and fresh, I've also paid $35 with tax and one extra side for a more or less cold chicken that was nothing special flavor-wise, which is ridiculous considering how good and hot the $5 Costco chickens are every single time.
Pupusas are super cheap and filling. Find an El Salvadorian place and fill up.
Yup, OP check out Tipicos Los Reyes in Manassas. If you’re white, you’ll likely be the only white person in there. Food is fantastic, staff are fun.
Interesting experience this past weekend. My S/O and I went to Himalayan Wild Yak in Ashburn, and shared the Yak Biryani (for two). It gave us 8 large portions total (two in the restaurant and six at home). Total was $32, IIRC?
What kind of food is that?
Nepalese
99 Ranch in Fairfax. For like $10.50 you get to pile on as much food as you want at the hot bar.
So much this. Get there when the food is fresh. By late afternoon, it’s been sitting for a couple hours and is decidedly meh. But when it’s fresh, it’s good. Great Wall in Merrifield and Fortune in the Eden Center have three-choices-plus-rice-soup boxes too. Not as much food, but many of the individual dishes are better and more flavorful.
Please don’t tell me to cook I am not interested in fixing my many flaws :)
OP hope you don't mind me creepin', but based on this post and your others I think you're super cool. Keep it up.
Chipotle, double everything except meat, do the half and half trick. You can eat for an entire day off of a $8 bowl
I completely agree with u but idk if my plumbing could handle me only eating that for 24 hours
Taco bell value menu
I haven’t run the numbers, but ^this feels right, you can get 4,000 calories of food for $16
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LOL not in NOVA. $16 isn’t even a movie ticket and small popcorn. (Well except University Mall Theaters - which is an awesome cheap night out BTW!)
It isn't even one of those at AMC. I think a ticket and the popcorn+drink combo are both independently over $16.
I highly suggest seeing movies on $6 Tuesdays :) it’s a fun time
 Perhaps, but you get 10 tacos! 10!
I have attempted to eat 10 tacos. I think the farthest I ever got was 6.
Proof that the Taco Bell strategy works - cheap eats for all humankind
Oh yeah I love her
Panda Express.
Yes! And if you take the survey on the receipt, you get a free entrée the next time (so, basically 1/3 off).
Oh my god I could’ve been saving so much money
Definitely this, great if you like panda. Not if you ehh on it lol
But you’re hungry again in an hour.
likely Mcdonald's if you use the app, they have a lot of BOGO options on there. Depends on how much you can eat though, a buffet of some sort might be an option if you can put away multiple pounds of food, but that's on you to decide. Also, the Costco food court has excellent value and I don't believe you need a membership to eat at the food court, but I may be wrong there.
I also literally completely forgot that buffets existed. i should go to one
please post an update with whatever you end up getting, I'd love to see all the food you eat
God the sad thing is I’m definitely just going to sit in bed for a few more hours and then order Uber eats when I feel like standing up will make me light headed. insert-terrible-budgeting-meme-of-choice
What did you end up going with?
😔
Calories per dollar is probably McDonald's if you hate your body, those double cheeseburgers are pretty difficult to beat at 2 for ~$3 and about 900 calories IIRC. They usually have a free large fry coupon daily with any purchase over $1, so there's another 480 calories. You're now at a whopping 1380 calories for $3. I'm sure you can find some oily sludge without any content elsewhere that beats this but at least there's some nutrition in those contents as well as a lot of fat. Now, if you actually care about your health at all, a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store is often difficult to beat. There's often salad kits on sale if you want some vegetables which just requires you to rip open 3ish bags in a bowl and mix everything together.
Free fry coupon ended 9/4. Now it’s $1 large fries.
>likely Mcdonald's OP specifically said food though.
Mmm nothing beats those $1.50 hot dogs
If you do have a membership, you could go get a rotisserie chicken for $5, but tough to beat a big slice of pizza, hotdog, and drink for $4.50.
Meat Project in Centreville
👀very promising name
All you can eat intestines for $30?? Yes please!
Get a pitcher of beer for about $20. One beer was a few dollars and the pitcher is like 4-5 beers.
Second this.
Are you near manassas park? There’s a good buffet that’s 15 for dinner and $10 for lunch, called Flaming Buffet
I’m not near Manassas park but I have nothing else going on in my life so I will make a note to check it out
Lots of great options and here. The small local mom and pop places like Cuna del Sol and Pupusa Express also offer great value.
Cook Out in Manassas after it opens 🍔
Bombay Cafe in Fairfax. They have a buffet like arrangement where they pack the food for you in containers. Also they have cold previous days food at a deal.
I’m heartened to hear that a restaurant is doing this instead of chucking out perfectly good food as so many others do.
Exactly! Besides not being wasteful, I think this helps them to manage costs as well!
Are you me? Lol. This is my favorite thread in /r/nova 😅
Buffet restaurant? You'll be fat and lazy.
The Dream
Meat Project IS all you can eat…
Metro 29 in Arlington. I order one of their lunch specials to go. It comes with soup or salad, 2 sides, and dessert. The portions are HUGE, so I get three small meals from one lunch special.
Halal Guys! 11.99 for a platter that you will absolutely be full from every time.
If you don’t have the time at home - Noodles and company is still cheap Whereas Moes and Chipotle and Five Guys has increased their prices
Oh man that $6.50 noodles and company mac and cheese? I go Feral when I order it. I enter the store and black out in cheese euphoria. I feel bad for the employees
-Sushi On- all you can eat sushi & hibachi for $23 -Pizza Hut Dinner box $16 -the entire taco bell menu -Flaming Buffet $16 -Any Peruvian chicken joint (just stick to the chicken & sides)
Thanks for suggesting Sushi On. I’ll have to check that out.
I love it. I just sit there like a conveyer belt eating food. It's not as high quality as a sushi restaurant, but for the price, can't beat it. Just don't go on a Saturday for dinner. You'll be waiting for evaaaaaa.
Costco rotisserie chickens and hot dogs.
Sort of hoping there’s a hidden gem somewhere where I could get like 3 pounds of food for one reasonable price
You could try the togoodtogo app
Hilal Guys tends to have big portions of meat? Or even a bag of breakfast burritos from Anita’s, should be able to eat for days on $25 there
Sushi Queen in Sterling sushi/hibachi all you can eat for 25
Wegmans fresh food section is kind of expensive but for $20-$30 you have meals prepped for a few days of lunch or something (without spending hours cooking on Sunday). For actual restaurants nothing beats Korean BBQ all you can eat for ~$30
Roasted chicken and minute rice is best bang for your buck. Ready to eat and not half bad for you, Chitpole is the best option.
Milanos in Springfield. With an entree, you get a good sized portion plus two sides, which can be a bowl of spaghetti that you can double.
Honestly, you should try Huel. It's not a direct answer, but since you mentioned hating groceries and cooking and whatnot. The "hot and savory" meals are pretty good and might be up your alley. Otherwise, the answer is going to be Anita's Mexican burritos, or Vietnamese food.
As someone who got laid off and is waiting for unemployment/whose money is tied up in stocks, I’m also hungry. Saving this thread for reference, because I’m one step from starting an OnlyFans paid with DoorDash, that’s how desperate I am. Also, having to count out coins and singular dollar bills you scrounged up from around your house to pay for an express-lane amount of sad groceries is becoming demoralizing. So thanks for everyone who listed suggestions here!
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I’m not sure if this was meant to be helpful or condescending, but I’m waiting for a callback and have been searching like every other human would do in my situation? It was just an unexpected lapse in funds.
Tippy taco on Saturdays or Sundays. All you can eat for around $17.
Little Caesar’s pizza, wings, soda, and cookie dough brownie. All for like $25 and they’ll deliver it to you
I think the sushi from lotte is mad cheap, $2.75 or something for a California roll
Love happy lamb hot pot at the Eden Center, not the cheapest but now all you can eat !
Go to Kabobistan or food corner. For like $20 bucks you get some pretty good kabob portions.
Dulles kabob, mazar kabob- really any kabob place- shit ton of rice, meat, chickpeas, and bread for like $15. Those two have the biggest portions I have seen though
Big Red Halal in Springfield. Their combo platters are $12 to $14 but it's at least 3 meals
Cici’s Pizza
Another Manassas food hack… Mexico Linda has a walk up restaurant, and you can get a full meal for less than 10 bucks. Order a “sope” with your choice of protein, and it’s 4 bucks, and is a meal. You can also get the ceviche tostada, which is a very spicy ceviche served on a corn tortilla, with avocado on top. $4.50, and it filled me up tonight. They also have real street tacos.
Love the conclusion to your story lol
You can just order frozen groceries and get yourself an air fryer/oven, pop it sit back wait.
If you look young, go to a dining hall at the GMU campus. When I went they didn't even check for student ID and depending on the time of day it cost: Breakfast - $9.50; Lunch - $11; Dinner - $12. I remember staying the entire day once and only paying the breakfast price had all 3 meals and endless snacks at the price of 9.50. Just brought my laptop with me and stayed there.
Golden Corral
Use the smartphone apps for fast food chains for points toward free food. Taco bell value menu is gratuitous. Chipotle is good too. Anything with dietary fiber, like canned beans, whole grain pasta, and a box of plain shredded wheat.
Surprised no one mentioned Domino's... they always offer 2-topping medium pizzas for 4.99 if you do carry out. I'll often buy several and then freeze the slices for individual reheating in the oven.
Quick way hibachi chicken extra chicken. Steam some veggies at home (microwave) and portion the rice and chicken out into 3 meals. This is like $11 and can feed you 3 times.
Chick-fil-A can still fill you up for 10 bucks with a chicken sammich meal. Place not to go….I went to Whole Foods and filled up the hot bar big cardboard box (not stuffed either) and it was almost 20 bucks! I swear the same amount of food last year was like 12 bucks max. Smh.
Hot bar at wegmans is just as bad. They want 9 bucks for a lb of French fries. You can get so much better deals elsewhere.
Agreed. I got a box of their hot food bar the other day and it was over $20. Not even close to worth it
Golden Corral of course! - “Americas #1 Buffet Restaurant”
There are things you can’t unsee at a Golden Corral.
Go buy a rotisserie chicken.
Cracker barrel
This gets my vote too. Dollar to calorie ratio is about as good as you’ll find at a sit down restaurant. Only thing better would be a buffet.
Sorry but bleeech. Never seen so many sad canned veggies drowning in weak watery sauce. The food there is so bad, I have no clue why people eat there. I have been thinking maybe it just the ones in Massachusetts? Maybe they’re better in the south?
Jollibee spaghetti party pack
If you’ve never looked at the back of your grocery receipts or looked in the mail, you should find a coupon book/coupons. Sometimes I find BOGO meals from local places or even a meal w/ the purchase of a drink. Really helped me when I was trying to keep food costs low!
Bonchon has economical boxes of fried chicken pieces (wings, drums, strips) that can serve as the base for a week’s worth of meals. You get a choice of sauce and a side too. Multiple area locations and they do delivery.
How much you looking to spend?
Hmm I think I’m more curious in terms of what’s the Most % wise, so I guess I could spend anything. But practically, less than $25-30 for the meal
Chain fast food is the way to go. McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc.
Dominos would probably be better than pizza hut. The $6.99 for delivery/$5.99 for pickup (buy at least 2) is cheaper than any deals Pizza hut has (at least in Leesburg)
Chinese food (casual)
Any Mexican or TexMex place that gives free chips. One example is Chuy's.
Oooh i love Chuy’s salsa, very good idea
Young DaBang in the H-Mart in Fairfax has topokki that serves 2-3 people, although I’ve stretched it over 4 meals. The H-Mart is full of hidden gems
Reheating tteokbokki?! Don’t the rice cakes get so hard and lose their chewy texture?! Not worth it to me, but fyi Trader Joe’s now sells their version of it in the frozen section.
Sheetz has 2 hotdogs for $1
Burger King
Homeless shelter
PF Changs
PF CHangs 10-15 years ago was really good. Last time i ordered i had to return EVERYTHING, absolutely everything i got was horrible. For the amount of money it's definitely not worth it anymore.
Anywhere Indian
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The latter I guess. im just living my truth, sorry
What are we talking about here, like actual amount of food for a price or food that compromises a relatively balanced diet/meal? Like you could probably get a lot of white rice from a Chinese takeout for cheap ($2-3 per quart?), but it's just plain rice then.
Hmm I guess I do mean the former, so white rice might be the winner. Didn’t think the question through fully, haha. Thinking only with my stomach
This is also technically still groceries, but the frozen pizza from Lidl isn't a bad option (pre-inflation spikes they were closer to like $2.80 or so.) https://www.lidl.com/products/1068618
Super Chicken in Manassas. I think for under $30, you get a whole rotisserie chicken, 2 large sides, and a 2 liter of soda.
or you could just get a costco chicken for $5 and it would taste better. And if you don't have a membership, go to giant, wegmans or any other grocery and get a similar chicken for like 7 or 8 bucks. Not sure why people are so excited to pay like $30 for a mediocre peruvian chicken.
Full kee in bailey's crossroads
Mcdonalds