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About Platejoy
Platejoy is a meal plan service that is flexible to your needs. But hold on, they’re not what you think: Platejoy doesn’t actually deliver meals, but instead gives you weekly recipes and grocery lists that are tailored to your needs. No frozen TV-dinner-esque deliveries.
The brand has made a name for themselves, as shown by their features in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The New York Times, Healthline, The Daily Beast, and more. On social media, the brand has a combined following of 35k on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Our Platejoy review will explain in detail all about the brand’s founding, how the subscription works, how much it all costs, answer FAQs, and look at customer reviews, all to figure out if Platejoy is really worth it.
Overview of Platejoy
Once upon a time, in 2012 to be specific, MIT neuroscience student Christina Bognet had a weight loss, health, and nutrition glow-up.
She was so empowered that she ditched her plans of med school to found Platejoy, a meal plan service that helps you plan your weekly meals in a way that is always exciting, healthy, cost-efficient, and sustainable, all while reducing food waste.
Bognet made Platejoy a very flexible, customizable experience. The service is different from others in that the brand’s personalized recipes and meal plans follow evidence-based medical advice for safe weight loss and healthy daily eating.
Some insurance companies have tagged along to reimburse clients for their Platejoy subscriptions because the plans and recipes are so health-focused—not in a fad diet way, not in a social media scammy company way, but a legit, doctor-approved plans way.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Platejoy is “building a world in which everyone can achieve their optimal health and wellbeing through personalized nutrition.”
Now that you know more about the brand and how they got started, let’s move along in our Platejoy review to their overall pros and cons:
Pros
- Free trial for 10 days
- Positive customer reviews about the variety of recipes, accommodations, affordability, and sustainability
- Evidence-based recipes and plans
- Some insurance companies cover the subscription cost
- Customizable subscription
- App available for on the go
- Connects with Instacart and Amazon Fresh for grocery delivery
Cons
- Not all preferences can be combined (e.g. Low FODMAP and Vegan)
- Subscription is billed at one time for the 6-month and 12-month plans
How Does Platejoy Work?
First things first, when you sign up, you’ll fill out a personalization quiz that will be your magical key to a world where you finally don’t have to labor over grocery lists and finding recipes to cook each week.
The quiz is easy to fill out but detailed enough to give you a truly personalized experience. For example, it will ask you to opt-in or out for certain foods, select how much time you have to prepare your meals, and whether you’re cool with having a smoothie for breakfast.
Here are a few of the most popular dietary restriction plans:
- Platejoy Keto Meal Plan
- Platejoy Paleo Meal Plan
- Platejoy Low Carb Meal Plan
- Platejoy Vegan Meal Plan
- Platejoy Diabetic Meal Plan
Important note: these meal plans are not one-size-fits-all. The brand understands that not all vegans have the same food tastes, allergies, and kitchen appliances to craft the meals it will offer their vegan clients.
The quiz will give you a real chance to personalize based on not just basic restrictions but also food preferences since we want to keep our taste buds happy too!
Also, cilantro tastes like soap to some people while others can’t get enough of it, so it’s a good thing that you can tell Platejoy whether or not you’re pro- or anti-cilantro.
You choose whether you want a 6-month subscription for $69 or a 12-month subscription for $99. Either way, you pay all in one go. You’re also entitled to 10 free trial days before you are charged for the next half a year or year of your life.
Included in your subscription are:
- Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack/dessert.
- Grocery lists so you can buy just the right stuff and amount of stuff!
- Access to the PlateJoy app on iOS or Android.
The company also offers an optional upgrade to make things even easier: grocery deliveries courtesy of Instacart or Amazon Fresh.
Platejoy Review
Take a look at our Platejoy review of the food itself in this section.
The recipes below cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, so imagine this as a day in your new life as a Platejoy master.
Spanish-Style Pan Con Tomate with Fried Egg
Wakey-wakey! This tasty brekky is Spanish-Style Pan Con Tomate with Fried Egg made with garlic, olive oil, and whole-grain sourdough bread.
The breakfast bruschetta will give you a little taste of Barcelona from wherever you are. We love the fact that Platejoy has fun with different cuisines.
After you spend only 10 minutes prepping this meal, you’ll be enjoying 399 calories, 47g of carbs, 15g of fat, and 20g of protein to jumpstart your day with a little more pep in your step.
Green Chili Turkey Taco Salad
Salad is a classic lunch vibe. This Green Chili Turkey Taco Salad is more exciting than the usual salad you can throw together with whatever veggies you have lying around.
With your weekly grocery list, you’ll pick up all the exact salad fillings you need, including green chile, ground turkey, green salsa, cumin, and avocado.
Without wasting food or the mental energy to make your lunch exciting, you can put this turkey taco salad together in 15 minutes.
Energize that midday lull with a nutritional 456 calories, 20g of carbs, 33g of fat, and 27g of protein.
Vietnamese Basil Beef Pho
Dinner time! Gather ‘round. If you’re not adventurous with your cooking, we think you might love Platejoy for recipes like this one. Quite frankly, the Vietnamese Basil Beef Pho looks delicious and very doable at home no matter your level of chefery.
Made with top sirloin steak, Thai fish sauce, red chile, ginger, rice noodles, and beef broth, it takes you 20 minutes to prep.
Nutritionally, it’s a great meal that has only 407 calories. Plenty of carbs are packed into this pho, 41g to be exact.
Do beware that the sodium is a bit high at 1442mg, about 63% of the average adult’s recommended daily intake.
Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Basil
Lastly, who can go without snacks and dessert? This recipe for Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Basil looks divine and fancy, even though it takes only 10 minutes to make.
If you have an identity crisis when someone asks you if you’re a savory or sweet kind of person, this snack/dessert has your back, since it has both wrapped into one
Made with balsamic vinegar, basil, honey, and olive oil, your peach pockets of prosciutto are sure to satisfy your need for both savory and sweet.
Plus, while you’re impressing yourself or guests by serving up this quick but elegant snack, you can rest assured that it has only 252 calories yet 10g of protein to keep you fuller, longer.
The snack will also give you a solid 33g of carbs and 9g of fat, so get cooking and enjoy this tasty treat.
Who creates meals for Platejoy?
Our Platejoy review found that the meals are created by nutritionists with the help of evidence from actual scientists and doctors. For example, the Diabetic Meal Plans go so far as to follow CDC guidelines.
How do I get a new Platejoy menu?
You can create a new menu by selecting the meals offered to you up to once a day, but Platejoy sends you a handy email notification once a week letting you know it’s time to create your menu for the week.
PS: If you don’t like the meals on your menu, you can swap them out for new ones. You can also edit your preferences anytime!
Is Platejoy good for weight loss?
Yes, Platejoy is great for weight loss. Controlled portions, healthy, balanced meals backed by nutritionists, and plans for your weekly meals all make a Platejoy subscription a marvelous idea for losing weight.
Especially if you’re a foodie, a tool that hands you new, exciting, healthy meals to make every week can be a total game-changer for staying on the wagon.
Who is Platejoy for?
Platejoy is for individuals, couples, and families alike. The personalization quiz allows you to select up to 5 adults and up to 5 children for your subscription.
And we already know that Platejoy accommodates dietary restrictions, so whether you’re a keto enthusiast or a diabetic, the brand will find the right meals for you.
Comparison: Platejoy vs. Hello Fresh
Our Platejoy review might be making you wonder how it compares to other healthy meal plan brands. One of the most popular is Hello Fresh, so let’s take a look at the key similarities and differences to help you choose the best fit for you.
The similarities:
- Healthy meal plans
- Service works on a weekly basis
- Their plans accommodate vegetarians, pescatarians, and busy people who need quick meals
- Saves time, money, and environmental impact
The differences:
- Hello Fresh is a delivery service
- Hello Fresh doesn’t accommodate diabetics, vegans, keto, low-carb, paleo, or low FODMAP
- Hello Fresh only allows up to 4 people on one plan with up to 4 meals
Hello Fresh seems best for people who have even less time for preparing meals and just want the food delivered straight to their door. Platejoy is best for people with more dietary restrictions, picky eaters, and people who are basically looking for their own nutritionist to give them a weekly plan for healthy eating, not a whole big thing that involves deliveries.
For more information on HelloFresh, check out our full review.
How Much is Platejoy?
The Platejoy cost is about $8-12 a month depending on which plan you pick. You are billed one time after the free trial ends, so beware that this subscription isn’t month-to-month.
You have two options to choose from:
- 6-Month Plan: $69
- 12-Month Plan: $99
Platejoy Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
Our Platejoy review looked for customer testimonials that could get us the real honest truth about this subscription service.
We did look at the brand site reviews, but we also focused our research on external reviews on the Apple App Store, TrustPilot, and Reddit.
Firstly, the brand site unsurprisingly presents a perfect picture of the subscription. The reviews on the site are all 5-star reviews that glow and shimmer with delight.
These customers loved how exciting, healthy, sustainable, and affordable the meals are. Allow this Platejoy review to illustrate those points in a personal way:
“PlateJoy does all the thinking for me! Our meals are healthy, enjoyable, and affordable—and I’ve been able to lose weight after my pregnancy without having to eat anything different from the rest of my family.”
Sweet, isn’t it? But let’s get to the juicy stuff. What are people on other sites saying?
On the Apple App Store, Platejoy has 4.7/5 stars from 1,600 ratings. The written reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but there are still negative comments throughout who shared their piece.
First up, the good news: the variety of meals, the accommodation of dietary restrictions and preferences, the convenience of mobile grocery lists, and how easy it is to save time, money, and food with the subscription.
Customers also pointed out the value of a meal plan service that is focused on the plan part of the service and not the actual meals’ delivery:
“…being across from the grocery store doesn’t help with decision fatigue. So Platejoy was the perfect answer–great recipes, planned ahead, but I can buy the ingredients as I need them. Platejoy’s recipes are healthy, simple to make, convenient, and delicious.”
While most other meal plan services require deliveries, Platejoy sets themselves apart by allowing you to keep at the wheel while they give you directions and helpful tips. Like a backseat driver, but not in an annoying way.
Then again, some unhappy customers brought the rating down slightly.
These subscribers complained about meals becoming repetitive, express problems with using the app, complain about not having enough customizations allowed and have had trouble canceling the service.
One Platejoy review explained how the customer was initially in love with the subscription and “even lost weight” with it. But then the recipes started getting repetitive as it seemed to run out of ideas for them, and soon the recipes started becoming too icky for their personal tastes:
“I’ve noticed that now when I try swapping, everything that comes up is something that’s not appetizing to me at all. So I’ve even tried creating a new menu entirely – and those same recipes still keep coming up… ”
On Reddit, some users discussing which meal plans are the best brought up Platejoy and their pros and cons. These reviewers loved how Platejoy taught them “food management,” encouraging them to eat “a lot healthier,” and shop a whole lot “faster and cheaper.”
On the flip side, reviewers didn’t like how the program was “a bit US specific” in the types of meals and ingredients offered. They also disliked how the app prohibits the same meal multiple days in a row, and the portion sizes are either too small or too big.
And since Trustpilot is an everflowing source of information, we investigated the 4.4/5 stars rating from 215 subscribers.
Most of the reviews were positive and raved about saving money, time, and food waste; loving the variety of meals, enjoying the incorporation of dietary restrictions and preferences, and successfully losing weight.
One Platejoy review gives us a look at the experience of a happy customer who found their lifestyle really benefiting from the service in a multitude of ways, not just health-wise:
“I have saved so much money and am not stressed going to the store anymore. I used to spend hours on pinterest trying to come up with meal plans that I later hated, took too long, or never got made. Now every week my groceries are under $30… food isn’t getting wasted.”
Still, there were definitely quite a few 1-star reviews that told a different tale about the brand, mostly about canceling subscriptions.
Many customers are unhappy that you can’t cancel at any time and have to stick with your 6 or 12 months of meal plans if you don’t cancel after 10 days.
To be fair, the brand does state explicitly that you cannot get your money back after 10 days and the months are pre-paid with a one-time payment, but still, it would help these unhappy customers to have exceptions for cancellations after 10 days.
Other than those cancellation issues, there are a few customers who claim that the company charged them despite opting out of the free trial before the renewal.
These customers call it “a scam” with customer service agents that “take no ownership” of their mistakes and spread “misleading information” about cancellations and how payment works. Yikes.
TL;DR: the pros that customers vouched for were a variety of healthy but tasty meals, good accommodation of restrictions and preferences, affordable pricing, and less food waste.
The cons that some customers reported were problems with canceling the subscription and/or getting a refund, repetitive and unappetizing meals, and problems using the app.
Is Platejoy Subscription Worth It?
Our conclusion: Platejoy is worth it. Not only can you snag yourself a pretty awesome deal of 10 free days, but also, Platejoy is a flexible plan that you can adapt to what you like, whenever you like.
If you’re looking for a nutritionist without actually hiring a nutritionist, check this brand out. Make your personalizations and enjoy the evidence-based nutritional suggestions complete with full recipes and grocery lists.
Many customer reviews report successful weight loss with Platejoy, so if that’s your endgame, know that many others have crossed the finish line and vouch for the subscription service.
Lastly, if you struggle with making up new meals all the time and accommodating your restrictions, allergies, and picky-eater peeves, we think Platejoy is worth a shot—a free shot at that.
Just make sure to cancel before the renewal if you decide you don’t like it after all. And opt for the 6-month plan if you don’t want to commit to a whole year.
Platejoy Promotions & Discounts
Sadly, we couldn’t find an active Platejoy coupon code for you. But do take advantage of the free 10-day trial! You’ve got nothing to lose there.
Sign up for Platejoy Subscription
The process for sign-up is pretty easy-peasy. Just follow these four steps:
- Fill out the personalization quiz—make it all about you!
- Select the 6-Month Plan or 12-Month Plan.
- Enter your payment method for renewal after the 10-day free trial.
- Make your sign-in account.
After that, you can enjoy your weekly recipes and grocery lists on the go on mobile (or stick to desktop use).
FAQ
Does my insurance cover Platejoy?
Possible. If you’re at risk of Type 2 diabetes, your Platejoy subscription may be fully covered by your health insurance because the program nutrition is backed by medical evidence.
How do I cancel my Platejoy subscription?
The cancellation process is different depending on where you signed up, but for most people signing up on platejoy.com, here is how you can cancel:
- Log in to the website and visit the My Account page.
- Scroll down to Subscription.
- Click “Manage Subscription”, then select “Cancel Subscription”.
If you signed up on the mobile app, just cancel by going to your Settings for your Apple App Store or Google Play Store and find your subscription cancellation options there.
What is Platejoy’s Shipping Policy?
Everything is done online, so there’s nothing to ship and no shipping fees!
What is Platejoy’s Return Policy?
Since there are no actual returns, here’s the deal with Platejoy’s refund policy: you can request a full refund within 10 days of renewal or sign-up if you’re not satisfied with your meal plans.
If you signed up via the desktop website, you can contact the brand directly to request your refund.
If you signed up on the mobile app, that’s a different story, because you made your purchase through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, meaning your refund has to go through them instead.
How to Contact Platejoy
To contact Platejoy customer service, you have two options:
- Email: [email protected]
Phone number: 628-400-2665
If you are looking for more ways to get meals delivered to your home, here are a few other options to consider:
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