A TikToker has revealed how he flew to Portugal from London and bought a plate of peri-peri chicken for less than the cost of a chicken meal at Nando’s.
Callum Ryan typically splashes out £15 at Nando’s – a South African chicken-restaurant chain – on a medium butterfly chicken meal with peri-salted chips and garlic bread, but set himself the challenge of flying abroad and buying peri-peri chicken for even less than £15. Including the cost of the flight.
The 23-year-old content creator from Milton Keynes booked a bargain Wizz Air flight from London Gatwick to Faro in the Algarve for just £8.99 and headed straight to restaurant Roberto’s once he touched down.
Callum shared the spontaneous trip to the Albufeira eatery to his TikTok account, (@thatonecal) in a video that has been viewed over 63,000 times.
In the video, he says: ‘I asked the locals for the best place that served peri-peri chicken [his favourite dish] and headed straight there. I ordered a plate of their signature half-chicken with some sides.’
Callum Ryan is a fan of Nando’s who typically splashes out £15 on his favourite dish at the restaurant – peri-peri chicken (above). But he set himself the challenge of flying abroad and eating the same meal for even less, including the cost of the flight. Callum shared the spontaneous trip to his TikTok account, (@thatonecal), in a video that has been viewed over 63,000 times
LEFT: The exterior of the UK Nando’s that appears in Callum’s video. RIGHT: The peri-peri chicken emporium in Albufeira that Callum visits, having spent just £8.99 on a flight from Gatwick to nearby Faro
He added: ‘When the peri-peri chicken arrived it looked unreal! The sun was shining, the chicken was banging and I couldn’t have been happier.’
When it was time to pay the bill, Callum found the half chicken had cost just €3.95, which converts to £3.45.
The flight and chicken tallied to just £12.44 – £2.56 less than he pays at Nando’s.
However, the two meals aren’t quite like for like, as the Nando’s meal includes sides, which nudges the price up and makes beating it marginally easier if ordering only chicken while abroad.
The peri-peri Nando’s chicken on its own costs £9.50, making the Portugal trip £2.94 more expensive in the context of a direct comparison.
But, Callum is up-front about how he carried out the experiment, and reveals a few more small payments he made in Portugal.
In the video, Callum reveals he spent €5.50 (£4.63) on optional sides and a drink. This meant the meal cost €9.45 (£8.08) – just over half the price of his typical Nando’s order with sides.
He also confirmed he spent €5 (£4.26) on a bus ticket from the airport to the restaurant – a distance of around 30km (18 miles). Which is walkable, for hardy types. So in theory this could be deducted.
Callum is pictured above in Roberto’s with the peri-peri chicken that cost him just €3.95 (£3.45)
Callum, pictured at the Portuguese restaurant, says: ‘When the peri-peri chicken arrived it looked unreal! I couldn’t have been happier.’ The flight and chicken tallied to just £12.44 – £2.56 less than he pays at Nando’s (though the Nando’s meal cost is inflated by sides)
Including the sides, drinks, service and transport, the journey totalled £21.33.
Still a bargain, by anyone’s estimation.
Was the chicken worth the trip?
Callum told MailOnline Travel: ‘The overall experience was great fun. I spent some time in the sun and made a short holiday out of it. So yes, it was most definitely worth it!’
‘I am personally a huge fan of Nando’s and, in my opinion, it cannot be beaten. However, the chicken was very, very tasty.’
As for the service, he says: ‘The meal in Portugal had a much more personal feel and came with cutlery already laid out on the table.
‘The waitress was such a great help with everything. I was impressed.’
Callum says: ‘The meal in Portugal had a much more personal feel and came with cutlery already laid out on the table’ (as seen above)
Callum enjoyed the trip so much he decided to spend a bit extra by staying in the Algarve (above) for a few more days
Callum enjoyed the trip so much he decided to spend a bit extra by staying in the Algarve for a few more days.
He stayed at the Balaia Golf Resort within walking distance of the restaurant. Prices start at around £169 for two people for two nights on Booking.com.
This isn’t the only extreme journey Callum has tackled.
In February last year, he set himself the challenge of flying to Italy and buying a pizza for less than the average price of a medium pizza at the chain.
The content creator managed to score a last-minute plane ticket to Milan for £8 and bought a pizza for €11.50 (£9.72), taking the price to £17.72 compared to a £19.99 pizza sold at the chain.
Does he have any advice on finding last-minute flight deals?
Callum says: ‘Be quick! These flights often go up in price very quickly. Also, make sure you do not add any hidden extras [such as luggage and seat reservations] before you check out.’
To see more from Callum visit him on TikTok under the username @thatonecal, or Instagram at www.instagram.com/thatonecal. You can watch his original TikTok video here.
