Leah McCann Smith | Writer & Editor

So for the past month, I tried this thing called MealPal. And while there were some bumps in the road it was, overall, a good experience.

Biggest pros:

• Saved a few bucks
• Less wait overall
• Discovered new places

Biggest cons:

• Not great for those who don’t like planning
• Not an easy cancellation process
• If you reserved a MealPal that morning, spontaneous lunch plans with friends or coworkers was usually a no-go

Favorite 3 MealPal orders:

• Guac Star: Chicken Burrito

Overall/Value:                         

• Toloache Taqueria: Toloache Caesar Salad with Chicken

Overall/Value:                         

• Semsom: Taouk Chicken Bowl

Overall/Value:                         

Least favorite MealPal order:

• ‘Essen Cobb Salad

Is this the end?

So will I be continuing MealPal, you ask? Why, yes. But I have reduced my plan to 6 meals a month (an offer not available on the MealPal site, only through communication with a MealPal rep) for around $7.50/meal including tax. Though it seems like I’m only saving a dollar or so each meal, my top choices on MealPal (Guac Star, Toloache, and Semsom) are actually on the pricer side, so I’ll be saving more than a dollar or so each meal. I’m also thinking of MealPal as my 6 “lunch treats” every month. And from there, on the 14 other days for which I need to plan lunch, I vow to bring my lunch to work more often. Maybe.