Like many other New Yorkers, Hani Mahmoud loves eating out and trying new things, but in a city plagued by inflation and where everything seems overpriced, the Upper West… The cider is struggling not to go bankrupt from his love of food.
And while it may seem like a 1950s pipe dream to be able to get a good meal for, say, $10 in 2024, Mr. I’ve found a way to get enviable meals regularly and cheaply by packing them in bags.
This hobby saved him nearly $1,700 in just two years. And no, he’s not a garbage diver.
The 32-year-old public health worker uses: too good to goThe app, imported from Denmark, aims to curb food waste by helping customers find and “rescue” unwanted food from restaurants and grocery stores. It’s like a truffle hound, except the prize is a discounted meal at an expensive place like Eataly.
From there, Mahmoud scored a sumptuous meal on a 9-by-11-inch sheet pan with focaccia, salad, and other top-notch items, all for just $12. This is about half the price of a more basic burger meal at a restaurant. Five Guys outlet in New York.
“It seemed like a great way to try out different restaurants in the city for a fraction of the cost,” New Yorker Mahmood said of trying the app, which launched here in 2020. ” he told the Post.
“This is one way to fight.” [food waste] At the same time, we will also provide support to restaurants and small businesses for things they cannot sell,” he said.
The inflation-era savior we needed
Mahmoud is one of the many cash-strapped diners and grocery shoppers who have turned to a variety of companies, including TooGoodToGo and Toronto-based Flashfood, which has expanded significantly into New York through a partnership with Stop & Shop. I use a fabric savings tracker.
These apps are a welcome addition to the Big Apple, where food prices are soaring amid inflation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food on the go is: New York region up 5.3% from February 2023 Until February 2024.
U.S. consumers will spend 11.3% of their disposable income on food in 2022, the highest amount since the 1991 Gulf War, as inflation has driven up the price of everything from groceries to fast food. (That is, his $18 Big Mac meal at McDonald’s.)
When you sign up for TGTG, you can purchase bags of surplus or expiring inventory from participating locations near you at approximately one-third of the regular price. The big problem is that customers don’t know what’s in the bag in advance.
It’s easy to sign up and scroll through the deals. Companies post their offers along with original value estimates, so users of the app know what kind of deal they’re getting. Next, book your mystery order. The most popular spots may close within minutes. Make your payment and receive it within the specified time between now and later in the day.
And while it might be a lot of fun to buy a tea sandwich or macaron from Parisian Macaron Maché Laduree for $1, Mahmoud recently paid $3.99 for a $12 bag from the French bakery, but this… There is a serious mission behind the app.
Campaign to eliminate food waste
Founded in Copenhagen in 2016, TGTG was conceived as a way to combat the global food surplus problem. 80 million tons of food thrown away The United States alone does so every year by “preventing bags of surplus food from going to waste at high prices.”
The food finder caught on quickly and is now available in 27 states, boasting 92 million registered users and 217,000 active partners across Europe and North America.
In New York City alone, TGTG has 7,000 affiliates, from the JustSalad chain to Chinatown dumpling shop Joe’s Shanghai.
This allowed Mahmoud to get enough nutrition.
“If you’re lucky, you might get fancy, elaborate pastries or mini cakes that would normally cost $12 to $15,” he says. “[Sometimes] The restaurant may have had a lot more waste that day than expected, but it ends up getting a lot more than its advertised value. ”
He prefers pizzerias and other specialty restaurants.
But like many New Yorkers who use the app, which lets him rate every store he buys from on a five-star system, he doesn’t know what he really craves. is on sale at Eataly and is often almost impossible to get.
“They have an $8 medium bag, which gives you more than $24 worth of groceries,” the Nickel and Dimer man told the Post. “And we also have large bags for $12 worth over $36.” Some get $45 worth of inventory for $14.99.
In fact, Eataly’s “mixed grocery bags,” which contain everything from pasta dishes to breads to salads, are so coveted that food influencers are filming unboxing-style TikTok videos showcasing what’s inside the packages. Masu.
“As long as you don’t get food poisoning, that’s easy,” one user named Audrey declared, as she showed off a lavish array of dishes including mushroom ragu and potato gnocchi. Boutique sweets featured in clip viewed 2 million times.
Separate your grocery bill
Queens resident Devin Tabor is also an avid fan of the food surplus app, but since his family of six can eat from multiple mouths, he’s unlikely to look for TGTG for his next cookie giveaway. The 50-year-old is checking out Flashfood. Latest deals.
He told the Post that the penny-pinching tool saved him $400 in just a few months. It’s a godsend after food prices have soared 25% in the past four years.
“It makes a difference to our entire family’s budget,” said a retired technology worker who lost 25 years of work last year due to disability. “And when you’re shopping for a family of six, every dollar counts.”
Unlike TGTG, customers can literally see, through photos, exactly how much surplus they will have upfront and the “best buy” date.
Some of Mr. Taber’s notable catches include selling a $70 skirt steak for just $30 and offering several packs of oxtail for $40, which typically cost less than $40. At $100, it would have cost more than twice as much otherwise.
Many of his scores aren’t even “leftovers” in the traditional sense.
“I bought something from Flash Food that doesn’t expire until next year,” he told the Post. He also steals non-perishable food such as washer/dryer sheets that “don’t even have an expiration date.”
“Perhaps the store is overstocked and wants to get rid of the product,” he surmised.
And proponents of leftover apps believe that leftover juice is almost always worth squeezing, whether it’s for immediate consumption or for permanent storage in the freezer.
“This is important in that it gives people access to food experiences that they might not otherwise be able to buy or would not want to pay for,” Mahmoud said.
“If I wasn’t married, I might be eating TooGoodToGo every day.”
