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Dozens of restaurants nationwide have quietly begun using surge pricing and have reaped tens of thousands of dollars in profits from the controversial practice, The Post has learned.

Barbecue chain Tony Romas and nearly 100 other small restaurants have already turned to fluctuating menu prices during peak times — similar to the rollout planned by fast-food giant Wendy’s next year — according to one company that sells the software specializing in dynamic pricing.

Los Angeles-based Sauce Pricing — a startup backed by founding members of Sweetgreen, Uber, Airbnb and several private equity firms — said restaurants have the opportunity to increase item prices by 10% to 20% during the lunch rush so customers might pay an extra $1 to $2 for a $10 item, according to a blog post on its website.

In some cases, weve actually seen some restaurants go from having a 10% profit margin to a 20% profit margin, the blog post said.

One of its customers, Las Vegas-based casual eatery Rachels Kitchen, earned $64,000 in additional annual profit across three stores, according to Sauce Pricing’s website.

The Rachel’s Kitchen CEO Debbie Roxarzade confirmed the company uses Sauce Pricing’s software.

The prices “don’t increase or decrease [by] more than 15%, that’s our cap for all menu items,” she told The Post on Tuesday. She also said the price fluctuations only apply to the restaurant’s delivery orders from Doordash, UberEats and Grubhub.

Orlando, Fla.-based Tony Roma’s, popular for its ribs, did not return calls for comment.

Ice cream favorite Carvel was also listed as a Sauce Pricing customer on its website, but the Fudgie the Whale maker denied any ties to the startup when contacted by The Post.

Sauce Pricing founder Colin Webb did not immediately return calls and emails for comment.

Uber-style surge pricing allows a business to hike up the cost of an item when a restaurant is slammed. Theoretically, restaurants can also lower prices during slower times, though it’s not clear whether Wendy’s will let favorites like Dave’s Single fall below its base price.

The announcement by Wendys chief executive Krik Tanner this month that the burger chain will invest in a “dynamic pricing” pilot sparked anger and anxiety from inflation-battered customers fed-up with ever increasing food prices.

Price gouging. The corporate food company go to, posted one angry user on X.

Most of the price adjustments, however, are on online orders and are meant to help restaurants cope with rising labor costs and delivery fees from Doordash, Grubhub and UberEats, Sauce Pricing’s website notes.

Delivery accounts for a growing portion of restaurant revenues and costs, particularly since the pandemic, experts told The Post.

One industry veteran pointed out that restaurants have long lowered and raised their prices to lure customers during slow and busy times.

Happy Hour is dynamic pricing and so is a burger that costs more at dinner than at lunch or an offer of free delivery during a thunderstorm, said Chris Webb, chief executive and founder of ChowNow, an online food ordering company.

But people like reliability and having prices change because the demand is higher is not hospitality. 

Other experts said its just a matter of time before the restaurant industry catches up with industries like airlines and hotels that have mastered surge pricing.

Sometimes you check a flight and the price change within a week is dramatic, but it doesnt stop people from flying, said restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski. 

Ultimately, consumers will accept it if a large number of restaurant chains do it, too.

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Ohtani clubs 2 HRs, now tied for MLB lead at 10

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Ohtani clubs 2 HRs, now tied for MLB lead at 10

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-4 with two home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Sunday afternoon to sweep the three-game series.

Ohtani launched a hanging curveball from Braves started Max Fried 412 feet over the center-field fence for a two-run homer in the first inning. He added a pair of singles in the third and the sixth before leading off the eighth inning with a 464-foot blast off reliever A.J. Minter deep into the left center field bleachers.

It was Ohtani’s first multihomer game with the Dodgers and the 17th of his career. He is now tied with Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna, the AngelsMike Trout and the OriolesGunnar Henderson for the major league lead with 10 home runs this season.

“I just feel like we’re overall playing really well,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “So that’s really helping me have quality at-bats. Just feeling good overall.”

Ohtani’s 25 extra-base hits are tied for the second most through the Dodgers’ first 40 games of a season since 1900, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. (Adrián González had 26 in 2015.)

Ohtani’s four hits also tied a career high. He’s batting .364, tied for the MLB lead with the PhilliesAlec Bohm.

“He just keeps doing things that we just hadn’t seen haven’t seen before,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s deep. People don’t hit the ball out there, whether you’re left-handed or right-handed.”

Teoscar Hernandez added a two-run homer and James Paxton took a shutout into the seventh inning for the Dodgers. Paxton (4-0) finished with 6⅔ innings pitched, 5 hits and 1 run allowed, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to remain unbeaten on the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Reports: AL batting leader Kwan headed to IL

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Reports: AL batting leader Kwan headed to IL

CLEVELAND — Guardians leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is headed to the injured list with a hamstring strain, and Cleveland will call up prospect Kyle Manzardo, according to multiple reports.

Kwan, who entered the weekend leading the AL in batting, underwent an MRI after leaving Saturday’s game with tightness.

The team has the results and intends to place Kwan on the 10-day injured list on Monday, The Associated Press reported.

Kwan’s injury is giving the Guardians a chance to add the hard-hitting Manzardo, who was acquired last year from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline for pitcher Aaron Civale.

Manzardo is a middle-of-the-lineup slugger who might be able to bolster Cleveland’s light-hitting offensive attack. He entered the season ranked No. 83 among the top 100 prospects in MLB, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

The Guardians didn’t want to rush Manzardo, so they had him open the season at Triple-A Columbus. But the 23-year-old has been on a tear with the Clippers, hitting eight homers and driving in 14 runs in the last 14 games.

The Guardians believe he’s ready to take on major league pitchers.

“He’s been good against left-handed pitching, his approach against lefties has improved,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said before the Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-1 in their series finale on Sunday.

“He’s worked really hard at his defense, both his footwork around the bag and his throwing and he continues to put up and manage really good at-bats.”

Manzardo will likely be used primarily as the team’s designated hitter, but can spell Josh Naylor at first base.

Kwan’s injury is a blow to the Guardians and the two-time Gold Glove winner, who has been among baseball’s best hitters this season.

Before getting hurt while running down a fly ball, the 26-year-old Kwan was batting .353 with a league-leading 47 hits and 28 runs. He has gone 74 straight plate appearances before his last strikeout.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Red Sox end Twins’ winning streak at 12 games

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Red Sox end Twins' winning streak at 12 games

MINNEAPOLIS — Ceddanne Rafaela hit the first Red Sox home run in seven games, Rafael Devers added another and Boston ended Minnesota’s 12-game winning streak by beating the Twins 9-2 on Sunday.

Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith had two-run doubles, and Boston ended a three-game slide in which it scored just four runs.

“Losing two out of three here [stinks], but winning this one is very gratifying,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It took a total team effort.”

Ryan Jeffers homered and Trevor Larnach had an RBI single for Minnesota.

The Twins’ 12-game winning streak was tied for the second longest in team history behind a 15-win run in June 1991, the last season Minnesota won the World Series.

“It did feel like every time an opportunity arose in the past 12 games, it felt like we were always coming through,” Carlos Correa said. “Today was just one of the days that we’re not able to do that. But at the same time, looking at the big picture, it’s been a couple of good weeks. We’ve just got to keep going. It’s a fun team.”

With one out in the fifth, Rafaela hit a full count offering from Joe Ryan into the first row of the left-center-field seats for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead. Rafaela hit the team’s previous round-tripper in Boston’s 17-0 win over the Cubs on April 27.

“I was just focusing to hit the ball and then good things happen,” said Rafaela, who played some old-school pepper before the game with hitting coach Pete Fatse to better get the barrel on the ball.

Grissom had a two-run double to give the Sox a 5-1 eighth-inning lead. Smith, the next batter, added a two-run double with the ball going off the glove of Manuel Margot, who was battling the sun on a cloudless 69-degree afternoon.

Devers hit a two-run shot in the ninth.

Boston starter Cooper Criswell, who threw five shutout innings in each of his prior two starts, allowed one earned run and struck out five in 4⅓ innings, but needed 80 pitches to do so.

Brennan Bernardino (1-1), the first of five Red Sox relievers, earned the win.

Tossing his team-high fifth quality start of the season, Ryan (1-2) allowed four hits and three earned runs while striking out five.

With the season’s second-largest home crowd of 29,638 in attendance, Jeffers hit a solo home run in the third inning for a 1-0 lead, a frame after Minnesota had a golden opportunity for some early damage.

Max Kepler, Correa and Larnach each singled to start the Minnesota second, but Criswell struck out Willi Castro and Carlos Santana before Jose Miranda hit a harmless bouncer back to Criswell.

“There are moments where if you’re able to do something, they really are tipping points, turning points,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’ve been doing it, today we just didn’t do it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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