‘SAVER Y’ DISHES

App deals on eateries' leftovers

Hani Mahmoud loves to go out to eat and try new things — but in an inflation-plagued city where everything seems to cost too much, the Upper West Sider struggles to avoid going broke from his love of food.

And while landing a good meal for, say, $10 in 2024 might seem like a 1950s pipe dream, Mahmoud has found a way to regularly score enviable eats on the cheap by bagging uneaten grub that restaurants plan to throw out.

It’s a hobby that has saved him nearly $1,700 in just two years — and no, he’s not a dumpster diver.

The 32-year-old public health worker uses TooGoodToGo, an app imported from Denmark that strives to curb food waste by helping customers find and “rescue” unwanted food from eateries and groceries.

Bag a bargain

Those signing up for TGTG score bags of excess or soon-tobe-expired inventory from participating establishments in their vicinity for around a third of the regular price — the big catch being that diners don’t know what’s in the bag beforehand.

From Eataly, Mahmoud scored a lavish meal comprised of a 9×11 inch sheet pan of lasagna, along with focaccia, salad and other topnotch items, all for a paltry $12 — around half the price of a far more basic burger meal at a Five Guys outlet in the city.

“It sounded like a great way to try different restaurants around the city at a fraction of the cost,” Mahmoud told The Post of giving the app — which launched here in 2020 — a whirl.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food away from home costs in the New York area surged 5.3% from February 2023 to February 2024.

Consumers across the United States spent 11.3% of their disposable income on food in 2022 — the most since the 1991 Gulf War — as inflation jacked up prices on everything from groceries to fast food.

In New York City, TGTG features 7,000 affiliated businesses, ranging from the JustSalad chain to dumpling purveyor Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown.

Businesses post their offerings with an estimate of the original value, giving the app user an idea of what kind of bargain they’re getting.

Customers then reserve their mystery orders — the most popular spots go within minutes sometimes — pay and pick up within a designated time frame.

To-going fast

“If you’re lucky, you’ll get a fancy elaborate pastry or mini cake that would normally be 12, 15 bucks,” Mahmoud said. “[Sometimes] the restaurant might’ve had way more going to waste that day than they expected, and then you end up getting way more than the value than advertised.”

He prefers pizza places and other specialty restaurants because he’ll know — roughly — what to expect. But what he really craves are the Eataly deals, which are often nearly impossible to get.

“They have a medium bag, which is $8, that gives you $24 worth of groceries or more,” Mahmoud said. “And then there’s a large bag that costs $12 — and gives you $36 or more.”

There’s even one for $14.99 that gives you $45 worth of stock.

In fact, Eataly’s “mixed grocery bags,” with everything from pasta dishes to breads and salads, have become so coveted that influencers are filming unboxing-style TikTok videos showcasing what they received in their packages.

“It gives people access to food experiences that they might not be able to afford or want to pay for otherwise,” said Mahmoud.

“If I weren’t married, I might use TooGoodToGo to eat every day.”