As a college student, there are only a few things better than snagging free food on the days you can’t afford a decent meal. But what if we told you you could drastically cut your feeding budget by enjoying free food from your favorite restaurants every day?
Source: Jarritos Mexican Soda/Unsplash
That sounds too good to be true right? We thought so too until we “met” Noah Willie who pointed us and our salivating taste buds in the right direction.
- Noah Willie
Noah Willie was a college student in 2020 when he shared a hack on how to get free food from restaurants via a TikTok video. In the video, he explained to his TikTok followers how all they needed for this trick was a spreadsheet and fake email accounts.
Source: Noah Graham/TikTok
The spreadsheet ensured that he was able to record the various restaurants he created accounts with. Of course, the accounts were created with fake email IDs.
- From The Horse’s Mouth
“Once upon a time, I made this fake email account that I still use. I get free food or dessert from a restaurant every single day,” Willie said.
Source: Noah Graham/TikTok
“I made this fake email and I found a list of a bunch of restaurants that offered birthday freebies. So I put them all in here, and I put my birthday on each website for a different day of the year. So I have 365 days of free food,” he continued.
- Terrible, But Life Hack Regardless
Do you think this hack sounds somewhat appealing? Willie thinks so too. He described the truck as a life hack that’s “also kind of terrible.” But he really doesn’t care so long as it works.
Source: Anastasiia Lopushynska/Pexels
“Tomorrow I have a free meal from Benihana’s,” he mentioned excitedly. “I really hope I’m not the only person who is crazy enough to do this.”
- Worth It or No?
Willie admitted that he understood how unethical his hack was and would never have believed he could come up with someone as cunning as this. He never imagined that he would be that person who could be so desperate for free food.
Source: Bonus Studio/Pexels
However, his circumstances didn’t leave him with many options and he had to do what he had to do. Willie said that he thought the effort he put into this hack was “well worth it.”
- Desperate Times Equals Desperate Measures
Willie’s desperation was no thanks to the cost-of-living crisis that he and many other college students were enduring at the time. With limited means to keep his head above water, he had to explore effective ways to reduce his expenses.
Source: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels
Ultimately, Willie’s story is yet another proof that desperate times call for desperate measures. We never can tell what we’re capable of when necessity comes knocking.
- Willie’s Story
“A few years ago when I was in high school, I had started my own nonprofit organization to help the homeless community in central Iowa,” Willie said as he explained how he was forced to come up with the trick.
Source: Clay LeConey/Unsplash
“We would fundraise tons of money and put together care packages to help them out for a few weeks,” he added.
- Willie’s Story Continued
“About two months ago, I moved out to LA without the support of my parents and ended up finding myself in a similar spot to many of the people I usually helped out with — lacking food security,” Willie continued.
Source: themarketgrocery/Instagram
“So one day, I woke up and the birthday scheme popped into my head. In total, I would say the spreadsheet took me about three weeks to make and sign up for everything,” he added.
- The Hack That Blew Up TikTok
Willie’s TikTok video went viral only a short period after he posted it. As of today, it has gathered over 249,000 likes, 2,000 comments, and 20,000 shares. He also has at least 127,000 followers on his TikTok account.
Source: Noah Graham/TikTok
With about a million people who have viewed his post, we can’t help but imagine how many of them have already implemented this trick.
- For Southern California and Beyond
According to Willie, his goal was to help as many people as he could with their finances. “asked people to Venmo me what the spreadsheet is worth to them … even though it’s usually small it’s something that helps me help them,” he said.
Source: Noah Graham/TikTok
He made his spreadsheet for restaurants in Southern California. However, he hoped that people could personalize his template to their advantage in their localities.
- Other Reactions to Willie’s Hack
Many viewers were blown away by Willie’s truck and called it a brilliant idea. “That’s on broke college student life,” a commenter wrote while another typed, “Crazy? No. The future leader of the world? 100 percent.”
Source: RDNE Stock project/Pexels
A third commenter said, “It’s actually not that bad because every restaurant is anticipating giving you one free meal per year. You’re not getting more than promised.”
- The Food Insecurity Crisis
The number of people affected by food insecurity across the globe skyrocketed in 2020, the same year Willie made his video. According to a report by the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), 39% of California adults were food insecure in 2021.
Source: AFP/X
This figure is deeply concerning, especially because the state produces enough food to feed the nation.
