A Singapore Company Charges You $7.50 to Eat Leftovers From High-End Hotel Buffets. I Put It To the Test.

• Buffet restaurants typically have a "no takeout" policy.
• In Singapore, people can pay $7.50 for a plate of leftovers from hotel buffets via an app called Treatsure.
• I tried it out, and though the food was lukewarm, it was excellent value for money.

Marielle Descalsota/Insider

Clove is at a hotel Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

Clove at Swissotel Stamford, which is known for its mix of international and Western cuisines, charges Singapore Dollars68 for a weekday lunch.

Treatsure is a Singapore company that charges people discounted fees for gourmet buffet leftovers.

Treatsure is a "buffet-in-a-box" that allows people to download the app, make a trip to any of its dozen partner hotels, and take out buffet leftovers for 10 cents.

The idea for the app came about when Wong saw his family clean out their fridge.

Wong told Insider that the app was designed to target food and beverage waste. The problem of food waste in the food industry is similar to the problem in households.

The app has 40,000 users.

Treatsure experienced a financial and operational slowdown when restaurants and hotels were closed due to the swine flu. Wong said that the company's leftover groceries service helped cushion the company during the swine flu.

Intrigued by the idea of a buffet in a box, I made my way to Clove at Swissotel Stamford on a weekday afternoon.

TreatSure is a Singapore app. Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

In Singapore, Swissotel is in the middle of a busy shopping district. The entrance to Clove was through the connecting mall, which made me feel awkward roaming around the hotel looking for leftovers.

I arrived at the restaurant at 2:30 p.m. without having to book. Treatsure users can visit the restaurant at a certain time of day, usually 30 minutes.

The restaurant was almost completely empty when I entered, with the exception of a few people filling up Treatsure boxes with leftovers.

You can fill the scurvy box with as much food as you want if you choose. There is an additional fee for adding food from the carvings or fresh food stations.

Wong said that the company's pricing scheme was reasonable and that it was slightly higher than food court options in the city.

After scanning the app's code and paying at the cashier, I was all set to start packing food into my takeout box. There were more than a dozen options to choose from.

The author filled her Treatsure box. Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

People brought home a lot of food.

A man told me that he liked using Treatsure because it was cheap.

The price is reasonable, and it makes sense not to waste food, according to the man. It's worth the low price if the staff rushes you to choose the food.

Clove offered mostly Asian fare. I had been expecting to pick through leftovers, and instead was surprised to find many buffet trays were still filled to the brim with food.

Asian food at a buffet Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

The total amount of food waste generated in Singapore was 817,000 ton in 2011. Half of the food at a buffet ends up in the garbage bin.

The goal of the hotels Wong works with is to reduce the amount of food wasted from buffets.

Wong mentioned hotels like Grand Hyatt, Accor Group, and Furama Group as some of their partners. Treatsure is only in Singapore

The food was good. I packed a lot of dishes, from seafood curry to claypot rice. The biryani rice was popular among other diners.

One downside to the experience was that I missed out on the tastiest dishes — those who paid full price for the hotel buffet got first pick, after all.

There are empty trays. Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

There are other apps that help restaurants put their leftover food to use. Makan Rescue is an app that helps users find restaurants that give away leftovers for free. Olio is an app that connects people with free meals and ingredients. The app is ranked 24th in the food category on the local app store.

While adding on SG$5 for a slice of freshly cut meat sounded appetizing, I found it wasn't worth the additional cost, as there were already so many options from the buffet spread itself.

You have to add on $3.50 to live stations. Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

Some people wanted to pack noodles and soup, while others wanted to eat roasted chicken.

People who use Treatsure to access the buffet aren't allowed to dine in the restaurant, so I settled down at a nearby food court to eat.

There was a final amount of food. Marielle Descalsota is an Insider.

The dessert was one of the best parts of the experience as cakes can be expensive and can be found at a mid-range bakery.

The only downside to the food was that it was not warm when I ate it, since the buffet spread had been sitting out for a while.

As food prices continue to rise, I can see myself using the app again, even though it's not as good as it could be.