In this economy, any hacks to save money are more than welcome. Little wonder that apps that sell blind boxes of fruits and leftover or unsold food from F&B businesses and restaurants are gaining popularity on TikTok. Plus, they help to reduce food wastage too. 

One person who's been snagging deals as such is local TikToker Runner Kao, who recently posted two clips where he and his wife purchased surplus food sets from local businesses.

In the first video, the couple got leftover food from the buffet at Orchard Hotel. They were handed takeaway boxes and according to Runner Kao were allowed to pick anything from the leftovers “except super expensive stuff”.

They left with a bento box (or “high-class economy rice” as he called it) brimming with lamb chop, chicken wings, satay, and even prawns for only S$14. The only catch was that they were not allowed to dine in at the restaurant. Not bad for a dapao dinner, though, we have to say.

The other video saw the TikToker and his wife bagging “surprise blind box durian”.

Though the type of durian they got as part of the set was not specified, Runner Kao’s wife revealed she spent S$45 on the entire box of fruits, which is generally how much it would cost to get the same amount of mao shan wang durian alone. 

Besides one box of durian, their blind box contained mangoes, bananas, grapes, cherries, passionfruit, and dragonfruit.

“She said [this fruit blind box offer] very rarely comes out on the app. Once it’s out she immediately grabbed it [as though] she was trying to get Taylor Swift tickets,” said Runner Kao.

He also revealed that his wife had found the fruit grab bag on the Yindii app, a local food surplus platform which partners with over 900 brands to raise awareness on food waste, while helping people save money.

Those interested in getting some affordable buffet leftovers can also snag the buffet-in-a-box deals via Treatsure.

Netizens were intrigued by the idea of getting meals and snacks at a fraction of the original price. Many thought that it's worth it, and they wouldn’t mind having leftovers if it meant reducing food waste while being able to save money.

8days.sg spoke to a Singaporean who found out about Yindii through TikTok and some friends. She recently managed to snag a grab bag of pastries from PAUL bakery, and gushed over how it was "super worth it". 

"I calculated the retail price for the items I received in the bag, it came up to S$40, but only cost me S$15," she said. 

She added: "I love that it is a sustainable initiative which helps businesses recoup some cost for unsold goods. It also lets people who are on a tighter budget try out something they usually wouldn't spend their money on. I used to see people using such apps in other countries, so I was very happy to find something similar in Singapore!"

She also revealed that she's come across chicken rice and deals from other neighbourhood bakeries available on the app, though leftovers from popular or "more expensive" brands are always snatched up pretty quick.

So, for those curious — fastest fingers first?

Photos: runnerkao/ TikTok, 8days.sg