Students' meal deal society goes viral after supermarket trip

In the age of social media, few lunch-time topics spark as much debate as the humble meal deal.

Should you choose a sandwich, pasta pot or sushi as your main? Is a bag of crisps the best snack, or can a chocolate bar offer better value? And what drink gives you the most for your money?

At the University of Birmingham, those questions have inspired an entire student society dedicated to discussing, buying and enjoying meal deals.

The Meal Deal Society was originally founded before the Covid-19 pandemic but gradually faded away. Now it has been revived for the new academic year and has quickly attracted a following.

The society already has more than 100 members and drew more than 60 students to its first event, when members headed to a supermarket in Selly Oak to choose their preferred meal deal combinations.

The outing proved to be a hit online as well as in person.

A TikTok video showing the group's trip has been viewed more than a million times, bringing an unexpected burst of attention to the society.

"It's so crazy," member Maya told BBC Radio WM.

"We got loads of people coming to us at our stall at the society's fair, and we filmed a few TikToks and yeah, they just blew up.

"We've got so many brands reaching out to us. And yeah, it's just hit a million views. It's gone wild."

For society president Finlay, choosing the perfect meal deal comes down to balancing personal taste with value for money.

"You've got to get what you want first and foremost but I would say there's some fancier items you wouldn't normally get but because it's in a meal deal, you can get that," he said.

He said students should also keep an eye out for products included in the offer that many shoppers overlook.

"Make sure you're looking, sometimes there's areas that will be included in the meal deal that you won't know about.

"So like loads of pastry sections, and in the summer you can actually get ice creams as a snack, which a lot of people don't know about."

When the pair brought their preferred meal deals into the BBC, both opted for a chocolate croissant as their snack of choice.

Membership of the society costs £3.85, with members receiving a free meal deal when they join.

But while the food may be the attraction, organisers say the society is also about bringing students together.

Members meet for group outings, picnics, pub crawls and quizzes, with demand already prompting discussions about holding more events.

Whatever form those gatherings take, one thing is guaranteed to be on the menu: a meal deal.

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