Key takeaways
- After school (about 3 to 6 pm) is when many restaurants are quiet, so it's when deals show up.
- Set a budget filter in FIG once and only see deals you can afford.
- Snacks and drinks of $4 or less have a smaller tax in Ontario: only the 5% GST part, not the full 13%.
- Send a restaurant's link to the group chat so everyone agrees faster, and split the bill fairly.
- FIG is free: no subscription, no ads for now, no card needed to claim a deal.
The short answer
Eat when restaurants are quiet, decide with a budget instead of a craving, and let the deals come to you. In Markham that usually means after school and on weekday evenings, when many places post deals to fill empty tables. FIG puts every live deal near you on one map, filtered to your budget, and it's free.
After school is deal time
Between lunch and dinner, many restaurants and bubble tea shops are at their quietest. That's exactly when owners post deals, and exactly when you get out of class. Late evenings are the other sweet spot for desserts and drinks.
For university students, Markham Centre on Highway 7 now has York University's Markham Campus, which opened in 2024, and Highway 7 is lined with plazas full of places to eat. High school students are rarely more than a short walk or bus ride from a plaza with a few options.
Set a real budget
When you sign up, tell FIG what you crave and your budget. Home and the map then show deals that fit, nearest first, so you're not scrolling past $40 dinners. A few habits that stretch a budget further:
- Pick the deal, then the place. Start from what's live and in budget, not from one restaurant you've already decided on.
- Share dishes. Two people sharing a 2-for-1 often eat more for less than two separate meals.
- Watch the add-ons. Drinks and extras are where a cheap meal stops being cheap.
- Look at takeout. Picking food up yourself means no delivery or service fees.
In Ontario, prepared food and drinks sold for $4 or less in total (before tax) get the 8% provincial part of the HST rebated at the till, so you pay only the 5% GST part. On a $3.80 drink, that's about $0.19 of tax instead of $0.49. It applies to the total of what you buy at one time, so it's for a single snack or drink, not a group order.
Decide with your friends
Group plans fall apart over "where should we go?". Share a restaurant's link from FIG to your group chat: everyone sees the same place and its live deals. If the plan is six people at 5 pm, call the restaurant first to check there's room. How to eat out as a group, with deals.
Know your spots
A few areas worth knowing:
- Pacific Mall at Steeles and Kennedy, with its own food court and market, Heritage Town.
- Highway 7 and Markham Centre, near the York campus.
- Main Street Unionville, for a sit-down treat.
- Your local plaza. Many of the best cheap eats in Markham are in plazas you walk past every day.
More in our guide to restaurant deals in Markham.
How it works at the counter
- Claim the deal in FIG. It waits on your Deals page for as long as the deal runs.
- At the restaurant, tap Show QR. Staff scan it, or you scan the restaurant's counter code.
- The deal comes off your bill. You pay the restaurant like normal.
You don't need a credit card to claim a deal. The code keeps changing, so a screenshot from a friend won't work: everyone claims their own.
Free is the point
FIG is free for every diner. There's nothing to subscribe to, no points to collect and no ads for now. Restaurants pay FIG a flat monthly plan, never per diner. Deals start in Markham on January 1, 2027.
A week of eating out on $40
| Day | Plan | Cost with 13% HST |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | A $3.50 drink after school (taxed at 5% under $4) | $3.68 |
| Tuesday | A $14 bowl with a $3-off deal | $12.43 |
| Thursday | 2-for-1 with a friend: you each pay half of one $15 dish | $8.48 |
| Saturday | A $12 lunch with 15% off | $11.53 |
| Total | $36.12 | |
Four meals out for under $40, by choosing the deal first. Without the deals, the same food would be about $50.
Diets and allergies
Set your diet in FIG (halal, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and more) and the places that don't fit drop out of your results. For allergies, filters are a starting point, not a guarantee: call the restaurant before you go, or tell staff when you order. Kitchens share equipment, and only they know exactly what's in a dish.
Staying safe and private
- Restaurants see your first name and last initial, never your phone number or email.
- Your claimed deal only works on your phone, so nobody can use it for you.
Questions
Is FIG free for students?
Yes. FIG is free for every diner, with no subscription and no ads for now.
Do I need a credit card?
Not to claim a deal. You claim it in the app and pay the restaurant at the counter. Takeout paid in the app needs a card.
When are student food deals most common?
In restaurants' quiet hours: after school, roughly 3 to 6 pm, and late evenings for desserts and drinks.
Can my friends use my code?
No. Each code keeps changing and belongs to the person who claimed it. Everyone claims their own deal.
Is food under $4 really taxed less?
In Ontario, yes: qualifying prepared food and drinks sold for $4 or less in total get the 8% provincial part of the HST rebated at the till, so only the 5% GST applies.
When can I start using FIG deals?
Deals start in Markham on January 1, 2027. You can explore the map and restaurants now.
