Instead of throwing away leftover pastries, pizza and other food items at the end of the day, local restaurants have turned to the app “Too Good To Go” to sell items at a discounted price. Too Good To Go supports over 175,000 businesses, including many in the local Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County areas. Some of these local businesses include Cinnaholic, Bo’s Bagels, Molly’s Cupcakes, Palgong Tea, Why Not Pie and Arbor Farms Market.
“Every day we had leftover baked goods, and we were having a hard time figuring out what to do with those,” Cinnaholic owner Doug Moeller said. “We were donating them to local food banks, but the one we were donating to moved Ypsilanti, and it was kind of out of the way, so we were just looking for alternatives so that we didn’t have to throw the food away. Somebody from Too Good To Go happened to stop in and tell us about the program, so we gave it a try, and it’s been working out good for us.”
On the app, individuals can purchase “surprise bags” of food with different options from these restaurants and pick up during the time slot set by the restaurant or store. Although there are no guarantees for specific flavors or items you may get, restaurants often have different options for the bags they may have available. Toarmina’s Pizza for example has four options: a Pizza Surprise Bag, Dessert Surprise Bag, Surprise Bag and a Vegan Surprise Bag. Not every option might be available every day, but this allows for some flexibility depending on preference or dietary restrictions.
“The helpful part is that new customers hear about my business and are curious enough to make a purchase,” Janice Leach, the owner of Why Not Pie said. “Our products have been very popular on the app. We always sell out.”
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Every bag is guaranteed by Too Good To Go to be at half the price or less. At Palgong Tea, a typical $15 worth of boba drinks costs $4.99. A prepared foods bag with items such as soups, salads and ready-to-eat meals costs $9.99 but would typically be a $30 value.
“Most people that get it really love it,” Moeller said. “It’s a good way to introduce us to people who have never stopped in before [and] wanted to try it.”
According to Too Good To Go, each meal saved “is equivalent to avoiding 2.7 kg of CO2e emissions, avoiding the unnecessary use of 810 litres of water, and avoiding the unnecessary annual use of 2.8 m2 of land.” The World Wildlife Foundation reports that 40% of food produced globally goes to waste, creating billions of tons of waste every year. Utilizing Too Good To Go helps decrease food being wasted in the local community while also providing food items at a discount.
“People who use the app are typically curious about local food businesses and enthusiastic about ‘getting a deal,’” Leach said. “The common response [is] ‘I didn’t know about your business’ or ‘yes, I’ve seen your name at Argus Farm Stop or RoosRoast!’ We do get return customers, which is fun.”
