BistroMD: plans, prices and cutoff

How much BistroMD costs

For three dinners for two: $169.85 a delivery, $16.99 a meal ($149.90 food + $19.95 shipping, before tax).

BistroMD’s first-order offer takes 50% off the first week with free shipping, then 10% off the next four orders; from the sixth order you pay the regular prices above. AARP members keep 10% off later orders, and its discount page offers 15% off for a second member of the same household and for military and first responders. Work out your own cart.

How BistroMD works

Single-serving frozen meals to heat, 10 to 20 a delivery on a subscription that ships every week, every other week or monthly, on weight-loss programs such as Signature, Diabetic, Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Keto Flex, Menopause and Vegan, or a Flexible plan that mixes them.

What each kind of preparation asks of your kitchen.

Menu and labels

BistroMD labels vegetarian, plant-based / vegan choices on its menu. Programs are nutrition targets for weight loss, not medical advice or allergen guarantees; ingredients can be removed only by asking its customer service, which removes the whole meal.

See this week’s BistroMD menu

Choice each week

150+ meals to choose from each week across its programs, with high-protein snacks; not every meal is on the menu every week. On BistroMD’s site: How it works and Are all of your meals available every week?

Changing a dish

Its dietitians build your week’s menu; swap meals in your account before your cutoff, or ask its customer service to leave out an ingredient, which takes out every meal that has it. On BistroMD’s site: Managing My Subscription questions and Food allergies and cross-contamination

Labels and allergens on BistroMD’s menu

Gluten-free

A Gluten Free program of 120+ meals with no wheat, rye or barley, which it says suits celiac disease. On BistroMD’s site: Managing My Subscription questions and Gluten Free program

Keto

Keto Flex, its lowest-carb program, low to moderate in carbs rather than strict keto, it says. On BistroMD’s site: Keto Flex program

Allergens

Its meals are made in kitchens that handle all its ingredients, so cross-contamination can happen; every ingredient is printed on each meal’s sleeve and online. On BistroMD’s site: Food allergies and cross-contamination

Other labels

BistroMD’s own pages also name low-carb, high-protein, low-calorie, pescatarian, Mediterranean, dairy-free, low-sodium and diabetes-friendly dishes or plans.

Each label at every service: Gluten-free · Keto · High-protein · Low-calorie · Low-carb · Mediterranean · Pescatarian · Organic · Dairy-free · Low-sodium · Diabetes-friendly

What a menu label can and cannot tell you.

BistroMD delivery, storage and recycling

Where it delivers

The continental US, by FedEx, not Alaska or Hawaii; $19.95 shipping, and you can’t choose the delivery day. On BistroMD’s site: Where do you deliver? and How much do your meal plans cost? and Why can’t I get my meals delivered on a certain day of the week?

How it arrives

Frozen, on dry ice in an insulated box, by FedEx: up to 6 business days on the road, and the box is left at your door. On BistroMD’s site: How it works and Where do you deliver? and Do I need to be home to receive my meals?

How long it keeps

Up to a year kept frozen. Once a meal is thawed, its storage answer says to eat it within 4 days, its heating steps within 48 hours. On BistroMD’s site: How long will my meals last? and How to heat your meals

In the freezer

Straight into the freezer on arrival; move the next day’s meals to the fridge the night before, or heat them from frozen. On BistroMD’s site: Managing My Subscription questions and How to heat your meals

Recycling the box

The box and meal sleeves go in paper recycling, and the trays and bags with clean plastics once the dry ice is gone; the liner is paper (curbside), recycled denim (textile recycling) or bubble wrap (store drop-off). On BistroMD’s site: Is your packaging recyclable?

Something missing or damaged

Ask its customer service for a refund of wrong or damaged meals; a problem caused by shipping is FedEx’s to refund, it says, and it takes no food back and gives no refund for taste. On BistroMD’s site: Terms & Conditions and Shipping & Deliveries questions

How every service arrives and how long it keeps · How to recycle every service’s box

Skip, pause or cancel BistroMD

1. Edit, skip or pauseAny time before the cutoff
2. CutoffChanges, skips and cancellations until 11:59 PM Eastern on your own cutoff day, typically a few days before delivery
3. LockedYour cutoff is also when the next week’s box is charged; a cancellation after it still receives that final shipment.
4. DeliveredThe locked box arrives

Change, skip or pause by 11:59 PM Eastern on your own cutoff day, shown under Next Order in your account. BistroMD’s cutoff is set for your order: your dashboard shows it under Next Order, with a countdown, and the next week’s box is charged then. Why some times are approximate.

To skip or change a box:

1. Log in to your mybistroMD account and click Delivery Schedule in the top navigation.
2. Scroll to the week you don’t want and click Skip.
3. Do it by the deadline under Next Order on your dashboard, 11:59 PM Eastern that day. Its member portal lets you skip up to 6 weeks.

To cancel:

1. Log in to your mybistroMD account, click Manage Plan in the top navigation, then Update Plan.
2. Scroll down to the cancel subscription link on the left side.
3. Give your feedback, then click Cancel Program to finish.
4. To check, open My Menu and Weekly Menu: a cancelled subscription shows a message there.

BistroMD’s own help page

• Skip a delivery: yes, before the cutoff.
• Longer break: skip up to 6 weeks, or put deliveries on hold.
• Cancel: online, for future deliveries.

Miss the cutoff once and the box ships and is charged: $169.85 for three dinners for two, shipping included.

How to skip, pause or cancel BistroMD, step by step
Find your BistroMD cutoff and set a reminder

Compare BistroMD

• BistroMD vs Factor
• BistroMD vs Mom’s Meals

Compare BistroMD with any other service for your household.

Questions about BistroMD

Every service’s answer side by side: EBT and SNAP · gift cards.