Newly Launched ‘Netflix-Style’ F&B Subscription Aims To Give 40% OFF Restaurant Meals To S’poreans

Last Updated on 2018-07-18 , 10:06 am

Wait-what? A Netflix subscription plans for eating in restaurants in Singapore?

How does that even work? Am I going to get #foodporn?

Nope, but you’re going to get something even better.

Discounts.

And I’m talking about not 10, not 30, not even 35 but 40% discount. On every meal.

Mealpal: Netflix For Restaurants Launched in S’pore

What comes to your mind when it comes to Netflix. Or to be more exact, Netflix’s subscription?

You pay a flat fee every month, and you get to watch all the shows you want, right? For MealPal, that’s the exact same thing.

You pay $95.88 per month, and you’re eligible for 12 restaurant meals every month. Add $2 more and you’ll get two extra hawker meals.

That equates to about$7.99per restaurant meal.

According to MealPal, that’s 40% cheaper than if you were to dine-in at the partner restaurants.

They have partnered up with more than 250 F&B partners including:

• Teppei Syokudo
• Tuk Tuk Cha
• Soup Spoon
• Grain Traders
• Folks Collective
• Some hawkers at Amoy Street Food Centre, Maxwell Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat

The service is only valid for takeaways, and users have to make their orders before 10.30 am for lunch and 4 pm for dinner.

Sounds good so far, right?

But Wait, There’s A Catch

Or to be more exact, there are many catches. One, it’s location-based. The subscription plan is launching at four business hubs in Singapore:

• Buona Vista
• Central Business District
• Novena
• Orchard

This means if you’re not working in these areas, you’re out of luck.

Why? Because it’s weekdays only, which means the app is created to serve workers in these areas to skip the queue and save some money at the same time.

And two, think of the app as a roulette game.

Every restaurant and hawker stall will come up with a food item that is non-customisable for the app.

In other words, if there’s a Salmon Mentaiko + Sashimi bowl on the menu, and what you really want is an ebi don, the only way you’re going to get that ebi is to queue up and pay the full amount with cash.

Will This Work?

I really don’t know.

Hawkers are hyped up about the app, believing that the service might just bring them the extra revenue they need.

Plus, it helps them make full use of the lull period before lunch to prepare the preorders.

But the fact that there are 12 restaurant meals and only 2 hawker meals, they’re going to see a slow increase at the beginning, especially if the service took off slowly.

Plus, the app targets a smaller part of the people working in the CBD area.

I mean, think about it, not many can afford to spend $8 on a single meal every single weekday. There’s a reason why hawker centres in the CBD areas are always packed full of office workers.

Plus, the subscription fee of almost a hundred bucks is pretty intimidating. You’re paying upfront every month for meals you might, or might not fully utilise.

But that’s just my take. What do you think?

Now you know what Singaporeans are talking about today; do check back tomorrow for another piece of news of the day!