Mad Pie, Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery, Onda Pasta, Purvé Donut Stop – these are some of the local businesses offering discount mystery food boxes on Save a Bite, a new local app that launched on June 4.
It’s basically a win-win:
- Save Big: Small boxes are $6.99 and contain $21 worth of food, medium boxes are $9.99 for $30, large boxes are $12.99 for $45.
- Support a local business
- The business reduces waste and makes money
- Save a Bite donates a portion of its profits to local non-profit organizations
“Our mission is to keep good food on the table, help keep businesses in business, and keep Hawai’i local,” Oak and Elton Gjonaj, the husband-and-wife team that created the app, message us. “We want to expand across O’ahu and all the Hawaiian Islands.”
The concept may not be new, but Save a Bite has the distinction of being locally owned and operated. That’s why John Higa de Kitchen Oide says he decided to partner with the app. The Downtown bento shop is where I picked up my first mystery box last week.
Photo: Andrea Lee
For $6.99, my little mystery box included a garlic shrimp bento and a side of fried gyoza, not small at all. My coworkers and I frequent Oide, which is two blocks from our office, so I know a lot of bentos are around $13-$17. I saved the combo for dinner and after a long day at the office, they hit the spot. The shrimp were plump, the gyoza retained some crunch even after a zap in the microwave, and there was tons of garlic to spice it all up. I even had enough for another meal. Talk about value!
Photo: Andrea Lee
I love deals and hate wasting food so I will definitely be using this app more. The mystery aspect is fun if you enjoy trying new foods. And in this economy where eating out can seem like a luxury, this is another way to support local restaurants.
How saving a bite works for a food business
I asked Higa how it works from the company. Companies decide how many boxes to make available each day and can change that number if orders are slow and they anticipate more leftovers. The value of the food that goes in a box must meet the assigned value. Because what’s not sold varies daily, you can get something different on each visit.
Registration is free. Save a Bite keeps $1.99 off every order, regardless of size.
Who has signed up so far? On Thursday, we counted 19 businesses: Local Joe West, Georgi’s Goodies, Matsumoto’s Okazuya, Mad Pie, Pizza Mamo, Kusina Asian Market, Oide Kitchen, Oceanside Bakery, Purvé Donut Stop, Honolulu Rose Cake Shop, Pu’uwai Aloha Bakery, Café VNTG, Petite Sweets, Mr, Island Brew Coffee House, Islands Badas’ Coffee Cake Cheong Yuan Bakery, Sugar Mama Sweetery and Onda Pasta.
Photo: Andrea Lee
How to use Save a Mosse
Download the app a saveabite.us and create an account. You will see participating companies within your search radius. Along with restaurants, there are cafes, bakeries, dessert shops and grocery stores, with more coming online as the app grows.
Check the app first thing in the morning for the best selection. Add a box to your cart, check out and pay via the app. Pay attention to the collection period, which differs from one company to another. Oide’s pickup slot, for example, is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., right after the store closes.
Show your order in the app to the staff. If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, you can ask about substitutions at pick-up, but as the options at the end of the day will vary, it may not be possible to accommodate them.
“Food prices increased by 8.5% in 2024 and wages only increased by 4.3%, so if we can help bridge this gap and help everyone, it’s a win-win-win,” Gjonajes’ message. “Companies make money from lost revenue, consumers get to try tons of great local places at a great rate, and it helps save the planet.”
Andrea Lee is the digital publisher of HONOLULU Magazine.
