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Tuesday, March 19th
bistroMD offers meal delivery that is focused on helping you lose weight. Whether you choose a 20-meal program (with one dinner each week for you to eat as you prefer), 5-day program (with weekends on your own), or a fully-customizable plan, it's up to you.
Choose a menu and total meals per week
You'll begin by choosing the plan you'd like to follow, which could include a heart-healthy menu, keto-focused meals, gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, or menopause support. Next, specify if you want meals for five or seven days each week (weekdays or every day), and then if you want just lunches and dinners or breakfasts too. Meals at bistroMD start at $8.24/serving, but that price will vary based on the program you select and how many meals you're having delivered.
Male or female?
Be aware that you'll be asked to specify your gender while creating your account, and the only options are "male" or "female" . Presumably this is to determine the total calories in each meal, so choose accordingly regardless of your gender (and our apologies to any nonbinary or gender non-conforming customers).
Do you want snacks?
During signup, you'll be asked if you want to include bistroMD's snack program of two-a-day selections. These are typically processed, packaged items like chips and crisps; maybe it would be better to have some fresh veggies or fruits instead? Finally, once you've entered your payment information, you can see which meals have been selected for you - and swap out any that aren't to your liking. You'll have to contact customer service directly if you're a vegetarian, so that they can remove chicken, pork, and beef meals from your lineup before any meals are shipped; there are only a few strictly vegan meals offered here.
Expensive shipping, and you don't select the delivery date
If you sign up for bistroMD's email list, you can get a discount of 25% on your first order, along with free shipping. Just watch for the pop-up offer as you browse the site. You'll want something like that, because shipping is regularly $19.95: a lot more expensive than many of the meal delivery companies we've evaluated. And, for what it's worth, you can't specify a delivery date here either: your meals will come when they come, and that's it.
Reputation has gone way down
We weren't thrilled to see that bistroMD's rating with the Better Business Bureau had dropped from a praiseworthy "A" to a rock-bottom "F" since our last evaluation. The BBB cited 13 complaints filed, three of which hadn't received a response, over the last three years. Ordinarily that wouldn't be an issue, but we read equally disappointing customer reviews in other places. Almost 30% of bistroMD's clients rated the service as "average" , "poor" , or "bad" , describing the meals as being similar to "cheap hospital food" , "bland, watery and slimy" , and so on.
The customer is not always right here
Beyond that, many people have had problems with this company's customer service team. Their response to problems is frequently unsatisfactory, to the point of being rude, even when the issue is on the company's side (like shipping the wrong items).
Disappointing meal delivery company
It's hard to find a compelling reason to choose bistroMD, unless you're only concerned about losing weight and don't care about actually enjoying your meals along the way. There are other meal delivery services that offer better food that can still help you slim down - and that will provide friendly, appropriate responses if problems arise. We suggest you look at bistroMD's rivals instead.
Isn't it amazing how many ways we have to make our lives easier, from Instacart grocery deliveries to DoorDash dinners from our favorite restaurants? Meal delivery services fall in the middle of that spectrum: you save the time and hassle of planning a menu and buying the ingredients, while not spending tons of money on weekly (or nightly) take-out meals and the corresponding gratuities. These services include heat-and-eat meals that arrive either fresh or frozen, as well as kits that come with all the ingredients necessary to make a gourmet-style meal right at home.
You may have noticed that meal delivery recipe choices are abundant. From classic, hearty favorites like chicken parm and burgers to exotic dishes from around the world, there's something for everyone. Vegan? No problem. Following a special diet for health or medical reasons, like keto or diabetic-friendly? You've got possibilities!
Many of these services are subscription-based: you choose the types of meals you prefer (or pick specific entrees), how many servings in each one, and how many meals you'd like in a week, and your deliveries will come like clockwork unless you pause your membership, skip a shipment, or cancel altogether. If that's not your preference, there are some meal delivery companies that let you place your orders whenever you like, with no ongoing commitment.
With almost every meal delivery service, you'll get big discounts on your first order (and sometimes several ones thereafter) - you could pay less than $2 per meal at the start. Just be aware that the regular pricing is higher, typically ranging from $6 to $20 per serving; you'll pay more for premium options with higher-quality proteins and ingredients (maybe for a special occasion?).
It's easy to get overwhelmed as you try to figure out which service to pick. Want some help? Here are a few factors to guide your decision:
To help you simplify your life with regular meal deliveries, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular services available today. We're confident that this will make it a breeze to choose the one that's right for you. Bon appetit!
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