Free Shake Shack on Tuesday, August 16

In honor of its 100th shack opening at the Boston Seaport, Shake Shack is giving out free single Shackburgers to the first 100 customers on Tuesday, August 16 starting at 10:30am. Offer not valid at stadiums and ballparks.


It's never too early for a burger right?!

Click here for the official announcement from Shake Shack.

Krispy Kreme - Free Donut 4/1

Huh? Doughnut Harvest? Who knew doughnuts grew on bushels. Oh I guess we all learn something new everyday... Click here to learn more about this carb-heavy harvest and more details on the promotion.

Head on over to Krispy Kreme in Penn Station for your free original glazed doughnut tomorrow. No purchase required.. but good luck finding your way out of Penn Station after getting your doughnut... (somehow I could never figure that place out)

Macaron Day - Sunday March 20

Got plans for Sunday? Well, you better cancel them cause it's Macaron Day 2016. I called a bunch of participating patisseries and they confirmed they are giving out one free macaron per customer, although promotion may vary by store.

Click here for the official website listing the participants and their locations.

If you're planning out your attack route, here's a brief snapshot of participants in Manhattan. The full interactive map can be accessed here.

Free Cupcake with Sprinkles Perks Signup

Did someone say free cupcake?

Sprinkles used to just offer a free cupcake on your birthday, but now you also get a free one after you sign up for their Perks rewards program!

Click here to sign up and you'll receive an email shortly after saying you're eligible for a free cupcake.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Brookfield Place (2nd floor by Hudson Eats) or 780 Lexington Ave (between 60th and 61st)

Free Chipotle Burrito

Has everyone been avoiding Chipotle the past couple weeks cause of E. Coli? Well, a free burrito is worth the risk (if not, feel free to give me yours).

Seems like it's first come first serve while supplies last, but this deal is valid until February 8, 6pm EST. Click here for the giveaway official rules.

How to get the deal:

1. Text "Raincheck" to 888-222.

2. Receive a text back from Chipotle with a link for free burrito.

3. Click on the link and fill out your information.

4. Patiently wait for a coupon to be texted to you in the next few days.

Note: MealsforSteals is not held liable for any medical bills

Free bowl at Local Thyme via Belly app

Back in November, I introduced the iPhone/Android loyalty rewards app called Belly. Every once in awhile, a new business enters their program and offers a free "bite". Learn more about how to use Belly here.

Just recently, Local Thyme started offering a free signature bowl with no purchase required! Simply add yourself to the Local Thyme rewards program and this free bowl will appear when you check-in on the Belly iPad at the register.

Click here for the menu and scroll down for the "Local Bowls" to glance at your options. Looks like they change their menu based on what's in season cause the burrito bowl I got isn't on their website menu.

Other tips:
- I'm not sure if meat costs extra (it said so on the menu), so I opted for full vegetarian just in case
- Pictured at the top is the burrito bowl with arugula, which tasted pretty fresh and there was a hefty amount of avocado (always a plus)
- With the bowls, you get to choose between brown rice, rice noodles, greens, or quinoa (extra $.50).
- The earth bowl seemed pretty popular

Local Thyme

286 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, on the corner of 40th

Open 7am - 8pm

(212) 839-8015

Did you redeem the deal? Tell us how it went!

Postmates - Free 2 slices of pizza + soda

I already had dinner before this.. but whatever. Postmates is giving out FREE slices (limit 2) and soda (limit 1). Get it now before they run out!

How to get this deal:
1) Head over to my first deal with Postmates to get started.

2) After downloading the App from the App Store, you should see the following screen. Click on the pizza!

3) Add 2 slices of pizza and 1 soda to your cart and check out.

4) On the Check Out page, be sure to enter my promo code for $10 off your first delivery: ddtff
This code is only valid for first time users.

5) Click Get It Now and you'll be matched with a Postmates delivery person.

6) Patiently wait while the magical pizza fairy delivers your pizza!

Enjoy!!!!

$10 off $15 Groupon To Go

There are SO many food delivery services out there.. competing against each other.. giving us all the good deals :D

Groupon To Go is another one to add to the list! From now until 1/15, you'll get $10 off $15 on your first order.

How to get the deal:
1) Click here to go to the website.

2) Enter your address and choose if you'd like delivery or take out. Meals for Steals recommends take out in order to maximize the $10 off.

3) Now, you'll be brought to a page with businesses participating in the Groupon To Go. Select one that'll make your belly content. I chose Essen because they're reasonably priced to begin with (more to come on that).
Also note that there's 10% or 5% off. These can't be combined with the $10 off $15, but in future orders, you'll get an automatic cash back of that amount when ordering through Groupon.

4) Pick your poison. 

5) I got myself some curly fries (brings back good high school cafeteria memories) and probably too much to eat for lunch... but I'll save the rest of it for tomorrow :) Keep in mind your subtotal must be $15 or more to be eligible for the deal. Click Pick Up or Delivery.

6) You'll be prompted with a sign in page. Either log in using your existing Groupon account (who doesn't have one these days?), or sign in with Facebook.

7) On the checkout page, enter in promo code: YUMMY10 to get $10 off $15. Fill out your information and press Confirm Order.

8) Wait for an email in your inbox with your order information.

I actually ended up ordering 2 beef sandwiches.. They were both excellent. The panini came with chips and pickle on the side.

The only complaint I have about Groupon To Go is that they don't give an estimated pickup/delivery time. Other than that, the portions were awesome and this could last me 3 meals, but I'm a fatty so it'll last me 2.

On a side note, my favorite item to get at Essen is... a Create Your Own Salad!! For $8.95, you get a "small" salad with UNLIMITED toppings (including proteins, cheeses, avocado, veggies) such as the below. It's a really good deal if you get all 3 types of chicken and shrimp.. but what you end up getting is actually a meat salad with veggies as toppings ha!

Free Sprinkles Cupcake with Android Pay on 12/15

National Cupcake Day is Tuesday, December 15, and Sprinkles is giving out free cupcakes!

How to get the deal:
1) Go to your nearest Sprinkles store (see below)
2) Show them Android pay on your phone
3) Receive free cupcake (a $3.50 value). I recommend the black & white cupcake!
Limit 1 per person (obviously)

Click here for more details on the Sprinkles website.

Sprinkles locations and hours in NYC:

Sprinkles in Upper East Side
780 Lexington Ave (between 60th and 61st)
9am - 9pm
(212) 207-8375

Sprinkles in Battery Park City
225 Liberty St (inside Brookfield Place on the 2nd floor outside Hudson Eats)
8am - 9pm
(212) 603-9321

Free Mcdonald's Sandwich until 12/31

McDonald's brings back good old childhood memories for me. It was always a treat whenever my grandma let me indulge in 10-piece chicken nuggets that I gladly smothered in ketchup. I would devour my fries and ask to finish hers. I never crave McDonald's anymore but this deal for the free sandwich is just too tempting to pass.

With this deal, you can get a free sandwich item of your choice (Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, McGriddle, etc). It expires 12/31/2015.

Here's how to get the deal:
1) Download the McDonald's app from the App Store

2) Open the app and follow the steps on the screen.

3) Time to register for special offers! Click on Register.

4) Agree to the Terms & Conditions.

5) Give up your name and email for free food.

6) On this page, make sure to press Yes, count me in!

7) You're going to receive a verification email from McDonald's. Be sure to follow the steps and verify your email. Afterwards, go back to the application and sign in with the email and password you just created.

8) Now go back to the app and you'll see that several special offers have populated. If the "Free Breakfast or Regular Menu Sandwich" option isn't there, it should appear in about 10-15 minutes. Once it does, show it to the McDonald's cashier. She should know what to do :)

Cosi Free Sandwich - Friday, Nov 20th

As an initiative to donate money to the NYC Food Bank, Cosi is giving out free sandwiches on the first 3 Friday's of November. Today, November 20th, is the last Friday!

Simply sign up to get the coupon here and bring the coupon to your nearest Cosi.

Walk in and bring the coupon to the register. Then, choose from one of the 3 following sandwiches (along with your choice of chips or carrots):

1. TBM (tomato, basil, mozzarella)
2. Cosi Club
3. Tuscan Pesto Chicken

Unfortunately, I don't think they make these promotional sandwiches to order. After taking my coupon, the cashier went to the back and got me a pre-made flatbread sandwich, which I assume is not as fresh as one a paying customer would receive. But since I literally paid 0 cents for this sandwich, I'll keep my complaints to myself :)

Here's the Tuscan Pesto Chicken that I got at the 56th and Madison/Park Ave location:

(definitely heavy on the lettuce, light on the chicken and sun-dried tomato spread)

Don't miss out - the deal ends when Cosi closes tonight!

Food in my Belly for FREE

Falafel sandwich with unlimited toppings at Pitopia for FREE

Savory crepe with 1 meat, 1 cheese, 3 toppings at By Suzette for FREE

There's this new-ish app called Belly that's basically a loyalty rewards program for customers and businesses. Anybody can become a Belly customer by signing up with a Facebook or email. Whenever you're at a participating business, open your app and scan the QR code. Everytime you scan, you will be awarded points towards a reward. For some businesses, you are awarded FREE FOOD the first time you scan. This means food in exchange for absolutely NO money out of your pocket.

How to get this deal:

1) Download the Belly app.

2) Open the app and follow instructions to sign up.

3) Click on the "Bites" option in the left side navigation bar.

4) Scroll through the page to survey all the free food options and spot the locations convenient for you to get to. Once spotted, click "Add Bite" and the offer will be added to "My Bites". You will typically have 3-4 days to redeem the offer so only click "Add Bite" when you're sure you can make it.

5) You can find a list of all your Bites in the "My Bites" tab.

6) Once at the location and ready to redeem your free food, simply open the app and scan your QR code at the iPad designated to Belly. Your offer will automatically pop up on the iPad and you should be good to order!

Here's what I've redeemed at Pitopia and By Suzette:

By Suzette: $7 Smoked salmon crepe with mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, baby spinach, and caramelized onions

Pitopia: $6.50 Falafel sandwich with unlimited toppings (corn, cucumber salad, caramelized onions, cole slaw) and sauces (tahini, BBQ, general tso (?? yes, confused me as well), spicy buffalo sauce)

I still need to try out Mirage Kitchen.. if anyone goes, let me know how it is!

Take advantage of this good find as these offers are limited time only, which means they can be taken down at any time. Don't miss out and bring shame to me..

Note: Be sure to read the fine print, as some deals require another purchase. However, the locations mentioned in this blog post do not require purchases.

Starbucks BOGO + Groupon

Christmas lights on trees = Time to indulge in the 700 calorie holiday lattes from Starbucks

From November 12-15 (today till Sunday), 2-5pm, Starbucks is offering buy one get one free on their holiday beverages. Drink selection include egg nog latte, gingerbread latte, caramel brulee latte, chestnut praline latte, peppermint mocha latte, and skinny peppermint mocha latte.

Expect long lines.. so go early!

To make the deal sweeter (pun intended), click here to buy a Groupon for $5 for $10 at Starbucks. It's a targeted deal though, which means you might not be able to buy the Groupon.. but doesn't hurt to try it out anyway.

Happy caffeinated sugar high!

$13 off at Delivery.com

If you think this deal seems generic and it's almost like I'm desperate to keep my blog alive with a lackluster post, then I guess you don't want to get 2 lunches for $5... Go pick up your "healthy" Chop't salad for $11 and wait to be hungry in only a few hours. In the meantime, this is what I'll be eating...

Delivery.com is similar to all the delivery/ordering websites out there like Seamless and Grubhub. However, delivery.com offers delivery and pick-up options for restaurants as well as liquor stores, groceries, and laundry. If applied correctly, the $13 off can get you a 6 pack of beer for $4, wine for $3, or even 2 lunches for $5!

The only way to make this deal super sweet is to:
1) choose the pick-up option (don't roll your eyes at me)
2) take advantage of first time order special offers at 20% or 10% off

How to get the deal:
You must be a first time user in order to take advantage of the $13 off $15.

1) Click here to go to delivery.com. This links my referral code so only by clicking on this link will you be able to get $13 off $15 on your first order, excluding taxes, tips, and fees.

2) Enter your address and switch the toggle button to Pickup. Press Search.

3) A bunch of options will populate. Click on Special Offers in the column on the left to only show businesses that are offering first time order discounts.

4) I browsed through my options and decided to take a stab at Anka Grill Turkish Cuisine.. mMMmm some beef gyro! Make sure you see that there's a discount under the restaurant name. Here, I expect to see 20% off my order at checkout.

Add caption

5) Select whatever will make your muffin top look super hot in that mini skirt, then press Checkout. 

6) Checkout should look like the screenshot below. Notice the amounts in green. Make sure the first time order discount (20%) is applied, as well as your promotional $13 off $15. If the $13 off $15 is not applied for some reason, scroll to the bottom of the checkout page and enter this in the promotion code box: SLI129

Note that the $13 off only works if your Subtotal minus Discount is $15 or above. My total was $15.40 cause I'm an expert at this menu items tetris game. Fill in your your information and click on Place your order.

6) Tada! Now get off your bum and pick up your food.

Here's part of my lunch from Anka Grill (54th and Lex). The sandwich was jam packed with freshly cut beef gyro from the spit (I have never seen a place give this much gyro meat). Not visible in the picture below include tomatoes, hummus, cucumbers, and lots of red cabbage.