Cheap Eats

Cheap Eats is an original food travelogue television series on Cooking Channel where host Ali Khan, author of the blog Bang for Your Burger Buck, has just 12 hours to find the best deals for breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner — on a budget of only $35 The pilot episode took place in Minneapolis and aired in the fall of 2015. Season One premiered in the Spring of 2016 where Ali visits Austin TX, Boulder CO, Chicago IL, Miami FL, Albuquerque NM and Charleston SC. Season 2 began airing in December 2016 where Ali visits Pittsburgh PA, Baltimore MD, Richmond VA, Bozeman MT, Jackson Hole WY, Salt Lake City UT, Grand Rapids MI, Indianapolis IN, Louisville KY, Chattanooga TN, Omaha NE, Des Moines IA and St. Louis MO. The show is produced by Sirens Media.

Host

Ali Khan, the host of Cheap Eats, had spent over a decade trying to develop, pitch and host a food show. A graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Theater, Khan originally trained as an actor before getting involved in the world of food writing. In 2003, he was named Senior Editor of BlackBook Magazine's guide to Dining and Nightlife in Los Angeles. The job marked a major turning point in Khan's career. He soon began to study the work of acclaimed Los Angeles Food Writer Jonathan Gold as well as the works of Calvin Trillin and Hollister Moore. Khan then started writing for food blogs such as LA TACO and You Gotta Eat This and pursued freelance writing assignments for lifestyle sites including Urban Daddy. Fellow USC graduates who attended the reputable film school encourage Khan to merge his talents as a performer with his love of food. It was during this time that he met Jeff Mauro and pitched a male viewer oriented cooking show called Chef Jeff and Ali. While initially attracting the interest of several reality production companies as well as being packaged by United Talent Agency, the show never got off the ground. Undeterred, Khan went on to audition and subsequently get cast in an episode of Food Network's Grill It! with Bobby Flay in 2008. In 2011, Jeff Mauro went on to compete and win Season 7 of Food Network star. In 2012, Shortly after winning the competition, Jeff Mauro began hosting $24 in 24, a show similar in premise to Cheap Eats. Khan was hired to research the cities and restaurants for the series. After $24 in 24 concluded, Khan began his blog series "Bang for your Burger Buck", a search for great burgers under $10. Khan also began development projects for various Food Network hosts and chefs including Alton Brown, Mauro and Simon Majumdar. In 2013 he began vlogging with the Tastemade App. Tastemade, impressed with his ability to find hidden culinary gems, sent him to Portland Oregon to shoot several Tastemade "appisodes". His work as a blogger and vlogger soon caught the attention of reality casting producers who pitched Ali to Cooking Channel in 2014. The network developed Cheap Eats with Ali Khan and ordered a pilot in 2015, some eleven years since he first began pitching a food show.

Budget/breaking the budget

Although the show's premise features the concept that Khan has only $35 to spend, there are times where he does break the budget. The moment always happens during a dinner segment where Ali is simply too tempted to order something more, although he only goes over the budget by a few dollars.

Season 1

episode number	city	synopsis
CCALI-101H	Minneapolis	Ali visits Hell's Kitchen for a taste of their sausage bread, takes on some authentic goat tacos, visits a tater tot food truck and ends his day with at acclaimed burger restaurant Red Cow
CCALI-102H	Austin	Ali starts his day with an Austin staple: breakfast tacos before tracking down some BBQ on wheels, a decadent blondie and chicken sausage gumbo straight from a Cajun Grandmother's cookbook
CCALI-103H	Boulder	Ali Khan hits the ground running in Boulder at a diner with pancakes so manly, only a chef who moonlights as a strong man could make them. Then he seeks out some of the most authentic Chinese noodles found on the West Coast and finishes his day at a Boulder staple with a soulfully-crafted shrimp po' boy, accompanied by one of the best views in the city.
CCALI-104H	Chicago	Ali Khan's Windy City expectations are as high as Chicago's Willis Tower, so his breakfast is a tower of fried chicken, biscuits, egg and bacon. For lunch, Ali dives into the city's unofficial sandwich, the Italian beef. He scores a killer chocolate almond croissant at a bakery with a child baker protege and brings down the house with a unique mac and cheese with a gourmet twist.
CCALI-105H	Miami	Ali Khan travels to Miami and breaks his fast with a classic Cuban staple: empanadas. He then samples some fruits of the sea, with right-off-the-boat mahi mahi sandwiches and a fisherman's stew. He closes out the day with a Latin-Middle-Eastern-American fusion bowl that could only come from Miami.
CCALI-106H	Albuquerque	The Land of Enchantment's newest resident is looking for a taste of the Southwest on the cheap and he is willing to go venture to new ground like vegan waffles, hatch green chile cheeseburgers, spicy bacon donuts before settling down with a New Mexican classic: Carne Adovada.
CCALI-107H	Charleston	Ali is in one of his favorite food cities ever but this time he is on the strict budget. That means deals on breakfast grits with every breakfast meat in the book, out of this world crab cakes, the most decadent hushpuppies ever and then he tempts fate and his budget with a full on plate of Carolina style BBQ

Season 2

episode number	city	synopsis
CCALI-201H	Pittsburgh	Pit Stop. Ali rolls up his blue collar sleeves and works on his Pittsburghese. He visits a charming neighborhood cafe for lemon riccota pancakes before hitting up a celebrated sub shop. He twists up a vintage snack before hitting up one of the hottest restaurants in town for a south of the border supper that's legit to his lips.
CCALI-202H	Baltimore	Bayside Bites. In Baltimore, Ali Khan comes face-to-face with bacon-infused pancakes fit for "the king," then channels his inner Neanderthal for his first taste of Maryland pit beef. It's a fancy snack of Basque-style fried cheese balls before he slurps down on some out-of-this-world Korean-style street noodles.
CCALI-203H	Richmond	Fillin' up the South. Ali Khan hits the ground running in Richmond, Va., at a bakery that puts a spicy twist on a traditional Southern biscuit. Then he heads to a diner for a curry-inspired, country omelet before brewing up a chocolate cake with coffee. But a visit to Richmond isn't complete without a soul food dinner of fried catfish.
CCALI-204H	Bozeman	Big Sky, Big Game, Big Flavor! Ali Khan's expedition for the best deals in Bozeman, Mont., begins with farm-to-table fresh Benedict and summer sausage before hunting down a made-from-scratch elk burger. Then he discovers a celebrity-approved huckleberry bar. But his journey isn't complete until he sinks his teeth into a bison pepperoni pizza.
CCALI-205H	Jackson Hole	Mountain Feast. Ali Khan hits the Jackson Hole, Wyo., trail running for a delicious croque madame with mornay sauce in the morning and crosses the Snake River for a crunchy fried chicken banh mi sandwich. Then, he discovers a berry cheesecake doughnut before stirring up a hearty bowl of spicy pork rice.
CCALI-206H	Salt Lake City	Crossroads Foodie. Ali Khan paves the way in Salt Lake City with a zesty pound cake-inspired French toast, then gets wasted on a burger topped with fried guacamole. A biker bar sends him to heaven with a Utah staple, fried Mormon funeral potatoes, and he ends his day with a smoky chicken club of perfection.
CCALI-207H	Grand Rapids	Great Lakes Craves. Ali Khan digs into the best deals in Grand Rapids with a twilight French toast glistening with creamy anglaise sauce. For lunch, it's a Mexican fiesta with layers of juicy pork torta de jamon. He snacks on spicy Moroccan chicken wings and finishes the day right with a craveable double-patty blue cheese-stuffed burger.
CCALI-208H	Indianapolis	Full Throttle Yum. Ali Khan is off to the races in Indianapolis with a decadent sourdough sugar pearl waffle breakfast, then gets his authentic deli lunch on with a house-cured sausage sandwich that's to die for. A vegan key-lime cheesecake has his name all over it for a snack, and he ends his day with one of the best breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches in town.
CCALI-209H	Louisville	Cream of the Crop. Ali Khan starts his day in Louisville, Ky., by cutting into a towering stack of thick hot chocolate pancakes. Lunchtime in Louisville means a saucy Mata Hari hot brown. He snacks his way to apple brandied pie heaven and finishes strong with a glorious Southern fried chicken and sweet potato waffles.
CCALI-210H	Chattanooga	All aboard in Chat-town. Ali Khan is looking for the best deals in Chattanooga, starting with a glorious colossal cinnamon roll before he digs into an out-of-this-world sweet and sassy lamb burger for lunch. He snacks on an indulgent Tennessee whiskey pot de creme and then an Irish spin on tacos for dinner.
CCALI-211H	Omaha	Culinary Cornhuskers. Ali Khan starts his Omaha food adventure with breakfast from a fast made-from-scratch joint offering a crazy good egg boat with hash browns. For lunch, Ali tips his hat to an iconic Omaha lunch with a housemade Reuben. A butter brickle ice cream cone holds him over before his dinner of pork ragu meatballs.
CCALI-212H	Des Moines	Far from the Farm. Ali Khan starts his day in Des Moines the way Iowans do, with crisp and cheesy breakfast nachos. Then it's onto a roasted chicken lunch with comforting mashed potatoes and onion rings, before snacking on a truly divine Napoleon. For dinner, Ali has an unexpected and luxurious seafood stew.
CCALI-213H	St. Louis	Homerun Barbecue. Ali Khan is in St. Louis looking for the best deals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. First up to bat is a slider piled high with pulled pork and chorizo chili. For lunch under the arch, it's a jail cell pork belly BLT. Ali escapes for a delicious part brownie, part cookie treat, and ends the day with a pitmaster's grand slam: crunchy cranberry cayenne torched chicken.