Too Good to Go lets you rescue food from the trash

It may not be something you’ve thought a lot about (unless you’re the parent of a toddler), but food waste is a severe problem in the world. Studies have found that there are around 2.5 billion tons of food wasted each year, and that the United States is particularly wasteful, leading the way with nearly 60 million tons per year. This is food that is made and then isn’t consumed like a piece of fruit that’s left on the counter too long and goes rotten or vegetables that wilt in the fridge and are tossed in the garbage. This also includes leftovers that make their way into the trash.

Restaurants deal with food waste every day. If they have leftover food as closing time approaches, most often just throw it out. Many also donate the food to those less fortunate. For example, Panera Bread, Pret a Manger, and Starbucks are known for donating their food at the end of the day to nonprofit organizations. But plenty don’t, and it adds to the glaring issue. One way that you can help out is by using the app Too Good to Go.

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I’ve been using Too Good to Go for a while and have found it incredibly useful, not only to help with the food waste problem, but also to get food at an incredible discount. Too Good to Go allows you to place an order at a participating restaurant that gives you a “surprise bag” of food at the end of the day. You purchase it for an extreme reduction in price and walk away with whatever the restaurant has to offer. Sometimes, this works out in your favor. Here’s more of what I found using Too Good to Go.

What is Too Good to Go?

It’s an app servicing a greater purpose

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Too Good to Go

Too Good to Go is an app designed to help combat food waste. It allows you to purchase items from a restaurant or cafe that previously would have been thrown away at the end of the day. 

Too Good to Go launched in Europe in 2016 and came to the United States in 2020. The app’s goal is to minimize food waste, and it’s the world’s number one anti-food waste app. It works with local restaurants to sell their end-of-the-day offerings for a discounted price, giving restaurants more profit and consumers the ability to save on their meals. According to its website, Too Good to Go has over 155,000 partnering establishments.

The app is available for download through the Google Play and Apple App Stores. It has over 90 million registered users and has saved over 300 million meals from being discarded so far. From muffins to burgers to sushi and sandwiches, you can find all kinds of foods on the app.

Using the Too Good to Go app

The interface is user-friendly

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Using the app was fun, as I just had to sign up for a free account and start searching for participating restaurants near me. It did that for me and compiled the closest ones in my area and what they offered. I live in New Jersey, so as you can imagine, there are a lot of Italian restaurants and bagel places near me. I figured that would be where I started. Many of the bagel places in the area offer options in the app, and searching its interface is simple.

I chose Booskerdoo Coffee & Baking Co. because it would be ready when I ran other errands. Too Good to Go gives you a specific time slot when you will show up to pick up the food, which is usually about half an hour before the restaurant closes. Each restaurant typically only has a few slots available for a specific day, so you have to book them quickly if you want one. I purchased a Booskerdoo surprise bag for $4.99 (valued at $15 in the app). After a few clicks, my slot was reserved and a countdown clock reminded me of when I needed to go to the coffee shop.

Around an hour before my time slot, I got a push notification reminding me it was coming up. When I arrived at the coffee shop, there was a little bar that you need to slide across in the app that signifies you’re there to pick up the food. This reveals a specific code to your order. You show that at the cashier and they hand you the corresponding surprise bag. That’s how simple it is to get your discounted food.

My Too Good to Go food hauls

One was significantly better than the other

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I was handed my bag at Booskerdoo and was immediately excited to see what it was. But I decided to wait until I got home so I could post this nice picture. In my surprise bag were four bagels, two cookies, and a muffin. Seven items for $4.99 is nothing to scoff at. The bagels were still fresh enough, as they weren’t overly hard or anything like that. The muffin smelled excellent, as it was cinnamon-flavored. The lemon cookies were a bit stale, but they still were edible. I was able to freeze the bagels and plan on enjoying them later on. Assuming I eat one bagel per meal, that’s five meals, including the muffin, that I got for $5.

As I mentioned, pizzerias are also common around me so I had to do a dinner run at a pizza place. I chose Toscanella Villa Cafe, mainly because it is close to my home and had an early-ish pick-up time. Many of the pizzerias didn’t have a pick-up slot until near 10pm, which can be difficult to maneuver around. I ordered a surprise pizza bag at Toscanella for $5.32 to be picked up at 9pm. When I showed up, I swiped the bar in the app and the pizzeria worker immediately started snagging slices from the display counter and popping them into the oven. He then loaded up a box and sent me on my way.

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$5.32 netted me five large slices of pizza, which I was shocked at. I imagined I was going to come home with two to three slices at the most. I got a chicken, bacon, ranch slice, a slice of pepperoni, a white slice, a pepperoni and mushroom slice, and a buffalo chicken slice. These weren’t dainty slices either, so one could easily fill you up. Once again, I have five or so meals because I waited to place the order until late in the day.

Should you use the Too Good to Go app?

If it makes sense for you, you’re helping solve a problem

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Too Good to Go is an app with a principle, and it helps the planet while giving your local restaurants more business. You’re able to get many cheap options if you’re willing to wait for them at the end of the day. Not everyone will want bagels and muffins at 5pm, but if you are looking ahead and can freeze them, it can provide you with a good amount of savings.

Coordinating dinners can be tricky, but if you don’t mind getting food late, it’s ideal to save some money. In total, I netted 12 items for a total of $10.31. That won’t always be the case and it won’t even be the case at the same restaurants on certain days. But it is worth the try for anyone looking to save money for a good cause. And if you’re able to get a surprise bag from Whole Foods Market, let me know how you did it. I was even up at 5 a.m. some days and have never been able to snag a bag. It is always sold out.