Get super discounted restaurant food with this app

Have you ever wondered how restaurants decide how much food to buy? Like, what if one day everyone wants salmon, but the next week they’re all about beef? Will there be a lot of perfectly good, but unused salmon in their fridge? Occasionally!

While we tend to think of food waste on an individual or household basis, it is also an issue in restaurants (and grocery stores, bakeries, farms, etc.). And that’s where a new app called Too good to go happens, selling these perfectly good but perishable food products directly to consumers at greatly reduced prices. Here is what you need to know.

How it works

The idea behind the app is to connect customers (like us) with local restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores that have food, meal and ingredient surpluses, thus reducing both food waste and our bill. grocery store. Too Good to Go started in Copenhagen in 2016 and is now operational in 15 countries. So far in the United States, it is only available in New York City, New Jersey and Boston, although Washington, DC and Philadelphia are likely next.

To register

If you live in New York or Boston and want to try it out, start by downloading the application from your usual app provider (it’s free), enter your email address to sign up, then provide a physical address or give the app access to your location. From there, you’ll get a list of the foods available in your area, sorted by establishment and providing information on what’s available, how much it costs, and how many units are left for the day (they tend to sell out quickly. ).

So, for example, earlier today a Murray’s Cheese store near me was offering a surprise “bag of dairy products” for $ 3.99, which is very reasonable for their products. (It’s since sold out.) There’s also a surprise meal at a local Mexican restaurant for $ 4.99 which usually costs $ 15.

And that’s the other thing: most of the time, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to have in the loot bags or with the surprise meals, so if you have a food allergy, it might not be. the best option for you. (Or just call the restaurant to find out what’s available that day.)

In addition, you must physically go to the facility to collect food yourself and often need to bring your own bag. But it’s a small price to pay for delicious, affordable surprise food.