A TikToker has revealed how he flew to Portugal from London and bought a plate of peri-peri chicken from Nando’s for less than the cost of a chicken meal.
Callum Ryan normally spends £15 on a medium butterfly chicken meal with peri-salted chips and garlic bread at Nando’s, a South African chicken restaurant chain. But he set himself the challenge of flying abroad and buying peri-peri chicken for less than £15. Including the cost of the flight.
The 23-year-old content creator from Milton Keynes booked a great value Wizz Air flight from London Gatwick to Faro in the Algarve for just £8.99 and headed straight to Roberto’s restaurant as soon as he landed.
Callum shared the spontaneous trip to the Albufeira eatery on his TikTok account, (@thatonecal) in a video that has been viewed more than 63,000 times.
In the videohe says: ‘I asked locals for the best place to serve peri-peri chicken [his favourite dish] and went there straight away. I ordered a plate of their signature half chicken with some sides.”
Callum Ryan is a fan of Nando’s, who usually spends £15 on his favorite 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 on his TikTok account (@thatonecal), in a video that has been viewed more than 63,000 times
LEFT: The exterior of the British Nando’s that appears in Callum’s video. RIGHT: The peri-peri chicken emporium in Albufeira that Callum visits, after spending 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 popping and I couldn’t have been happier.’
When it came time to pay the bill, Callum discovered that the half chicken had only cost €3.95, which works out at £3.45.
The flight and chicken cost him just £12.44 – £2.56 less than he pays at Nando’s.
The two meals aren’t quite the same, however, as the Nando’s meal includes side dishes, which pushes the price up and makes things a little easier if you’re just ordering chicken abroad.
The peri-peri Nando’s chicken alone costs £9.50, making the trip to Portugal £2.94 more expensive in the context of a direct comparison.
But Callum is honest about how he conducted 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, meaning the meal cost €9.45 (£8.08) – just over half the price of his typical Nando’s order with sides.
He also confirmed that he had spent €5 (£4.26) on a bus ticket from the airport to the restaurant – a distance of around 30km (18 miles). That’s walkable, for tough types. So in theory this could be deducted.
Callum is pictured above in Roberto’s with the peri-peri chicken which cost him just €3.95 (£3.45)
Callum, pictured at the Portuguese restaurant, said: ‘When the peri-peri chicken arrived it looked unreal! I couldn’t have been happier.’ The flight and chicken came to just £12.44 – £2.56 less than he pays at Nando’s (although the Nando’s meal cost is inflated by the sides)
Including the side dishes, drinks, service and transport the trip came to £21.33.
Still a bargain, by anyone’s estimation.
Was the chicken worth the trip?
Callum told MailOnline Travel: ‘The overall experience was really nice. I got some time in the sun and made a short break out of it. So yeah, it was definitely worth it!’
‘Personally I’m a big fan of Nando’s and in my opinion it can’t be beat. But the chicken was very tasty.’
About the service he says: ‘The meal in Portugal had a much more personal character and the cutlery was already on the table.
“The waitress was such a great help with everything. I was impressed.”
Callum says: ‘The meal in Portugal felt much more personal and the cutlery was already on the table’ (as seen above)
Callum enjoyed the trip so much that he decided to splurge a little extra and stay a few more days in the Algarve (above)
Callum enjoyed the trip so much that he decided to spend a little extra by staying a few more days in the Algarve.
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 undertaken.
Last February, 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). This brought the price to £17.72, compared to a £19.99 pizza sold by the chain.
Does he have any advice on finding last-minute plane tickets?
Callum says: ‘Be quick! These flights often increase in price very quickly. Also make sure you don’t add any hidden extras [such as luggage and seat reservations] before you check out.’
To see more of Callum, visit him at TikTok under the username @thatonecalor Instagram on www.instagram.com/thatonecal. You can watch his original TikTok video here.
