Plated

I'm surprised by the number of negative comments about Plated because we are very happy and satisfied! My husband and I have had the service for about 8 months and get two meals two times a week. I'm a fairly accomplished cook and my husband a little less to but love the meals and directions we've received from the service. I would say we have absolutely loved about 45%, really liked about 45% and there are just a few we didn't care for. The company is exposing us to a variety of meals and combinations that we wouldn't necessarily have gravitated to on our own. The ingredients are generally well packaged and fresh from our experience. In addition, they immediately responded and gave credit when we had two separate issues (1. Pesto spilled within box; and 2. Fedex delivered one box a day late. I also love the variety of meal choices and the ability to easily skip weeks. Great company!

Plated is ideal for people who love food, and they customize all of your meals to perfection: desserts, seafood, meat and veggie meals.
What I love most about Plated is the variety of food options on offer. This Meal Kits services company offers an incredible 20 dishes every week. These menus are designed for newbies and experienced pros alike. Some of the menu items can take a while to prepare, from 20 minutes up to an hour so bear that in mind.

For more meal kit reviews, visit https://www.themealkitreview.com

I have tried Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon, Sun Basket, Dinnerly, and Green Chef and ALL of them, even Marley Spoon and Dinnerly, who delivered spoiled food two days after the reported delivery date, managed to find my house. Every single service besides Plated. Plated has miss-delivered my boxes twice. Yup, only twice. The problem is... I've only ordered from them twice. So, they are sitting at a 100% failure rate. I have spent countless hours on the phone with customer service who offers up lots of "oh no's" and "oh wow, I'm so sorry's" and "well that's strange, we've never had that happen before's" well, you have had that happen before... I called last week too, remember? I am so beyond frustrated with this company. How is it failing so badly at something so basic that event the crappy companies are getting right? Maybe use a reputable delivery service like the rest of them do instead of GSO which I've decided stands for "Gosh-Sh*t-Oops we messed up another delivery".

Our daughter gave us a gift card and we cannot seem to redeem it. It seems we have to agree to a weekly meal plan to try the gift card. Also, the web app is not fully supported on Firefox. It has been a very frustrating experience to say the least.

The last two meals were not good
One was minestrone and it was off on flavor and texture. Maybe some pasta would have helped. I have made it many times using different recipes and this was the worst. Threw it out. The other was a medetranian dish that was dry and too many uneccessary steps. They had you roast potatoes and mushrooms on foil lined baking sheets and veggies stuck to foil. Overall my complaint is that the recipes are just not tasty.

Do not be fooled by Plated's claim to be "Perfect for families." We were recently gifted several meals after the birth of our 2nd child and although appreciative for the gift of food- we found ourselves deeply burdened. With two young children we do not have 30+mins to cook a dinner that the kids won't even eat. We need to have a babysitter just to use the gift! One recipe required us to "shuck the corn" - are you kidding me!? I don't have time to go to the bathroom alone, little alone "shuck the corn!" If Plated is going to claim to be family-friendly they need to consider the need for speed and convenience for families with "young kids" because that's the type of "family" these meals are being gifted to- not families with competent teens able to help or amuse themselves while you cook. Plated is misleading to gift-givers wishing to help new parents out. Please think twice before gifting Plated to families with young kids.

Mold on Empenada Dough; No dates on meat; avocados are rock hard while the spinach from the same meal is wilting... the quality of food is not worth the price they charge. The only reason I put 2 stars is the ability to choose 3 servings, as apposed to their competitors 2 or 4.

I was a member of Plated for a few months and liked the meals. The ingredients were fresh and the recipes were things I would normally not make. It usually took longer to prepare than they claimed. I cancelled the service because their random delivery service was horrible. They hire some random people who deliver the boxes from the back of old beat up vans. I seldom received my delivery when it was supposed to be delivered. Sometimes it was delivered after 11pm or the next day which meant the meat would be spoiled. I had it delivered to the back door of my house once which was weird that they were walking around my house after dark. Mostly they claimed that it was delivered but I never received it or the tracking number was bogus and could not be tracked. It was not worth the agrevation so I gave up.

The customer service is horrible, and there has been something wrong with 5 of my past 6 recipes.

1. I did not receive a box due to shipping facility issues. I asked for a refund and customer service did not make it easy, claiming I was lying about not receiving the box, and never refunded me the shipping amount.
2-3. I received a moldy jalepeno that was inedible, and bokchoy with brown slimy leaves
4. I received a bag of arugula with a large live bug in it
5. I received a taco recipe with 1 less tortilla then was supposed to be in the box.

I am not normally a complainer, but after the unhelpful customer service experience, and the inedible food I have paid for without getting a refund I felt the need to make this public.

My well intentioned children purchased a subscription to this SCAM service as a GIFT. Before I could access my GIFT, I had to provide MY credit card info to obtain items already PAID for by my children. The SNARKY attitude of representatives conveys a "We got your Money, So TOUGH" suck it up OR sue us" attitude... Guess what? I'm going to SPEND the money and go after these CREEPS!

I just wanted to comment on the reason why I cancelled my weekly subscription box from Plated. I was a brand new customer, very excited to try their products, so I opened an account and set up a weekly delivery and made meal plans for several future weeks. I was so excited to receive my first order... and then it didn't come. I contacted customer service and they apologized and refunded me. I was told that everything was straightened out and I would definitely receive a box the very next week.

A few days later I received an email from Plated saying "Yay! We're going to ship your order!" So I shopped light at the grocery store, confident that Plated would send me a box... and then it didn't come. Again. (I had nothing planned for dinner for the next 3 days and had to go out and buy more groceries after working a 12-hr shift.) Anyways, I contacted customer service and received a refund to my bank account. But really? Two weeks in a row? Did they not want my business? Why would they not make certain that the order was shipped given the failure of the previous week? There was no explanation either time for the missed shipment. I was told they didn't know why it wasn't sent out. They did not offer a coupon or any type of customer recovery. When I told the customer service rep that I felt that I should cancel my account they said "I understand, sorry to see you go". That was it. So I cancelled my service. It's been a very disappointing experience, and I would not recommend their service to anyone else.

Received an email with a supposed discount to reactivate my account. To get to the price you have to go through the order process, I was curious so I did. Price was $22 something for two meals, no great deal. So I cancelled my membership. That was November 23(that was the date I was told). Then yesterday my bank account was charged by Plated on December 2nd. I sent 3 emails and called first thing on Monday. I was told oh I am sorry, I can't refund your money because the order in in route. I said no it needs to be refunded because I did not order this. The employee from Plated would only say she would credit me for a future meal. I explained to her this was not ordered, we have just moved and I don't even have a working cook stove!
Don't let your curiosity take over from an email because this business is dishonest! I will be filing this as fraudulent charges with my bank and blocking this company from ever accessing my account.
I posted this on their Facebook site and they pulled it. Apparently they don't want true reviews unless they are good.

Well I should know better. We like prepared meals - cooking them together, etc. So we tried Plated. The food was good - instructions clear, etc. BUT we only wanted to try it one week. You guessed it, this shady company buried in its terms and conditions (which of course NO ONE reads) that I was signing up for a weekly subscription. When I saw the email that my SECOND order (which of course I did not order) was to arrive today, I contacted Plated via chat and was informed by the customer service rep that nothing could be done. SO I had her cancel my account - I have not doubt that she has had to do this frequently. I told her she should carry the message to her mgmt that just because all the fool prep companies do this, does not make it right and that this will ultimately hurt their business It is very sad that businesses resort to these kinds of unethical deceiving types of practices. At Export Solutions we do not do this kind of thing - and we have prospered. In fact Tom and I know that God has blessed us because we make a sincere effort to be ethical and honest. Unfortunately the owners of Plated do not feel that way. I have asked for a member of their management team to call me, but I will be shocked if I get a call.

Good interior, comfortable location, but one waiter for the whole room, does not have time for anything. The toilet ran out of toilet liners and no toilet paper. But there is plenty of mold.

I received a gift card for $120 for what was meant as a lovely and generous gesture. It was a nightmare to use.

To begin with, to start the process, you have to enter your credit card - not a good sign. They really grab you, and want you to start a subscription with them.

My first order was for 2 meals for two persons - it was entered as a "promo" for $30, instead of $54 - not bad! It immediately went on my credit card. Note... there was no way to enter a gift card code. I called and said that I wanted it on my gift card! The customer service rep corrected this, and put a refund for $30. On my credit card.

My order arrived, and I prepared the meals. I am a very experienced cook, and the meals took much longer to prepare than advertised. They were of good quality, but small in amounts. I made some side dishes to accompany the entrees. We are not big eaters.

I skipped a few weeks, and then ordered two more meals, at a cost of $54. I then checked my balance, and found that I had $12. Remaining. According to my math, I should have had a balance of $36. When I called the company, they said that I did not qualify for the original $30 promotion, since I had switched from credit card to gift card?!

I felt like I was talking to someone from another planet! I told her that they were. Crooks, and to cancel my subscription.

I have since tried to e-mail the company to obtain more satisfaction, and my e-mail will not go through, since "My account is cancelled"!

BUYER BEWARE!

By the way, the company would NOT refund the balance of $12. That is remaining on my account when I cancelled!

Great deals, and prompt customer service if you have a problem. I will buy from them again. Especially wonderful customer service. I wish I could buy from them in Colorado.

I have had no trouble with deliveries at all. In fact the first week I was supposed to get my shipment but UPS couldn't deliver on time (severe storms) they had UPS dispose of the box for me and put off my free box (everyone gets their first one free) until the following week. I had no trouble contacting them or getting it resolved. While this is expected in my opinion, it's important to note. The food has been great, and there are a lot of options to choose from every week. This service also offers 3-serving meals, which is often not the case with other ones. The price ends up being lower for us than choosing another service and paying for an extra serving at each meal. My 3 criticisms: 1. Pretty much no low-calorie options, just low carb. 2. This is the biggest one. A couple of times an ingredient smelled/tasted off to me. The first time I went ahead and used it (corn), cus I'm dumb. It kinda ruined that side dish for me. The second time I left the ingredient (fava beans that smelled vinegary) out, which didn't seem to affect the meal at all, but inexcusable nonetheless. 3. Poor cuts of steak.

The food was spoiled by the time it reached my apartment. I would highly recommend not ordering here!

The food was spoiled by the time it reached my apartment. I would highly recommend not ordering here!

Judging by other reviews, I think the freshness of food probably depends on where you live and how close you are to their distribution centers. For me, everything has been good to great in terms of freshness. I've tried almost all of the same type of service (Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Sun Basket, Marley Spoon, Home Chef) and Plated is still the one that I think has the best recipes. When I say best recipes, it's in terms of a) how good the final result tastes, b) whether the ingredients/process is easily reproducible and c) how well the recipe is actually written in terms of time management/clarity. One giant caveat: Plated doesn't publish their recipes/you can't retrieve archived meals or the other meals in your delivery you didn't purchase.
I'd say 90% of the time, the meals turn out great. There was one or two that I questioned their choice (large pieces of eggplant in lo mein, not what I'd choose but hey) but overall, just fantastic. The instructions are also always very easy to follow, and any highlights are printed separately for you to keep note of. I've also cooked a dish or two I've loved again and they were also great. It's slightly pricier than some of the other choices, but I think it's worth it.

Note: this is a subscription service like any other type (handbags, shoes, etc). You will be charged recurring weeks unless you deactivate your account or skip a meal. It's sometimes difficult to remember, but I always skip all the meals for the upcoming month or so to be safe and then go back to unskip once I'm not as busy. I'm pretty sure this is outlined in the sign-up somewhere, so it's not a surprise.

I bought my first Plated meal at my local Safeway a few days ago. The meal kit was on sale for $9.99 to entice people to try it (Regular price $18.99). I liked that it was a meal for just 2, prep time was only 10 minutes (30 minutes cooking time) and $5 per person seemed like a good deal. I purchased the Chicken Marsala with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.
I am NOT a cook by any stretch of the imagination but the ingredients were well labeled, and the instructions easy to follow. Everything seemed fresh and only the parsley was slightly wilted - no big deal.
I naively thought that 10 minutes prep time was all that I would spend in the kitchen and for the remaining 30 minutes the meal would cook in the oven or on the stove. It took me a full hour to prepare and cook the meal while standing in the kitchen the whole time.
I struggled with the following items: Rosemary was to be minced and parsley was to be finely chopped. I didn't know the difference between minced and finely chopped so both ingredients were cut into small pieces. Unfortunately, I mixed the two items when I should have kept them separated. The tip on drying your chicken before dredging it in flour was good but once cooked, my chicken looked pale and did not have an 'evenly browned crust' or any crust at all. I also failed at making the Marsala sauce. I couldn't judge when the liquid was reduced by half and my sauce turned out thin & watery. I also didn't have a meat mallet to flatten the chicken but a heavy pan can be used instead. The potatoes turned out well but the sizes were quite varied some - very small and others 4 times as big but it didn't seem to make a difference when they were cooked.
Additionally, the meal was 710 calories per serving but didn't feel worth that number of calories.
Would I do it again? Hmmm, maybe. If it was still on sale, I'd try a different meal and go in knowing that prep time and cooking time will take longer than indicated and all that time will be spent in the kitchen.

LOVE plated. Great food, great recipes, easy to follow - GREAT customer service. I totally recommend it.