One of the most prevalent themes among the large amount of food-related content on social media—which includes everything from reviews of fine dining establishments to simple recipes for home cooks—is hacks.
Any piece of advice that will make securing high-quality meals a little less of a hassle is sure to be well-received. And what about the most recent tasty piece of information that TikTok has been dishing out? That the hot case at the Walmart deli is a great place to stock up on healthy snacks.
Review videos of Walmart’s hot cooked foods have been trending on social media for about a year now. They’ll proudly display the see-through plastic containers they buy at the big supermarket, which are brimming with fried chicken and vegetables like corn, mac & cheese and mashed potatoes.
You may choose the chicken cut and flavour, along with your sides, at the deli case, which several influencers display. Everyone seems to agree, based on their reviews, that the meal is delicious and reasonably priced.
Since I was unaware of the existence of a hot bar at Walmart prior to perusing my TikTok feed, I chose to investigate it. The official name for what most people would call a hot food bar—a deli hot case—is 3,500 sites strong, according to a Walmart representative.
Additionally, I enquired as to whether there is a simple way to determine whether stores have a hot deli case, but they did not provide any confirmation on the matter.
The online Walmart store finder does provide details on the facilities offered at a particular location, such as the presence or absence of a “deli”; however, it is not made clear if this refers to a deli hot case or a regular deli with sliced meats and cheeses.
Hot meals from Walmart are appealing in part because of how cheap they are. The “$5 Walmart Meal” is a false moniker, although some multimedia creators use it to describe the meal. Stickers on most of the on-screen takeaway containers put their prices between $5.47 and $7.47, if you look closely enough.
The hot bar items are sold by the count, according to Walmart. The only exception to this is the sides, which are available in 4-ounce and 6-ounce increments.
Additionally, they made it clear that for $5.47, you may get “a 3-piece chicken tender meal or 8-piece boneless wing meal with a small side.” Therefore, an additional (very tiny) fee will apply if you desire additional sides.
This is still a cheap dinner, even if the precise amount isn’t $5. Also, because you can get more chicken or family-sized sides for the same price, it’s a great way to serve a lot of people without breaking the bank.
Take the supermarket’s website as an example; it lists a family size side of mac and cheese, which weighs 16 ounces, as priced at $3.94. This larger choice would feed around four people, as one side serving of mac and cheese is four ounces, according to the store’s website.
It appears that Walmart is one of the greatest locations to shop if you are trying to avoid the high costs of groceries and restaurants caused by inflation, especially considering the company’s recent declaration that it wants to reduce prices on over seven thousand products.