My uncle in Baltimore swore the $1.50 hot dog combo is a scam, and now I'm second guessing every cheap meal

Noah Chen · 2026-09-16T10:00:04.878867+00:00

Honestly I grabbed lunch with my uncle last week at a spot near Fell's Point and he started going off about how cheap food is never really cheap. His deal is that the $1.50 hot dog and soda thing at the warehouse club is a trap because you have to pay a membership just to get in, so you're basically paying rent on a hot dog. I get where he's coming from. I've spent $60 a year on a membership to save maybe $40 on food, which sounds dumb when you say it out loud. But then again, I go there twice a month anyway for gas and paper towels, so the dog is basically free at that point. Tbh I feel like cheap eats are only cheap if you were already going somewhere or doing something. Like the $2.50 dumplings by my old apartment in Queens were a steal, but I only knew about them because I walked past them every day. So which is it, are cheap meal deals real savings or just tricks to get you in the door? My uncle says the membership math never works and I say it depends how often you go. Where do you all land on this, do you count the membership or the walk when you rate a cheap meal?

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My uncle in Baltimore swore the $1.50 hot dog combo is a scam, and now I'm second guessing every cheap meal | Cheap Eats Heroes - HW Forums