Too Good To Go app launches in Chicago; helps people buy food that’s too good to waste. The app already has 1 million U.S. users. Its goal is to reduce food waste by selling “surprise bags” from restaurants, bakeries, and other stores that have food left over at the end of each day.
Through the app, consumers can buy a surprise bag from restaurants near them and pick it up at the end of the day. It costs $4 to $6, but always be less than the value of the food in the bag.
“The food you get on Too Good To Go is food that would have been sold full price just 10 minutes earlier,”
polster wrote:I really like the idea of this app when reading many articles about how much of the food in the U.S. is thrown out. The Too Good To Go app allows restaurants to sell food that is not sold in a given day to be offered at a discount through the app at the end of the day.Too Good To Go app launches in Chicago; helps people buy food that’s too good to waste. The app already has 1 million U.S. users. Its goal is to reduce food waste by selling “surprise bags” from restaurants, bakeries, and other stores that have food left over at the end of each day.
Through the app, consumers can buy a surprise bag from restaurants near them and pick it up at the end of the day. It costs $4 to $6, but always be less than the value of the food in the bag.
“The food you get on Too Good To Go is food that would have been sold full price just 10 minutes earlier,”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/7/14/ ... -go-launch
https://toogoodtogo.org/en
David Hammond wrote:I suspect this is the motive behind Imperfect Food, which I originally liked, until I realized the fruit, which was pretty much perfect, was costing me more than pretty-much-perfect grocery store or farmer's market produce. My cynical perspective is that labeling the fruit "Imperfect" is just a plausible marketing strategy for developing just another channel for selling regular fruit (and other products) at a slightly higher price. And labeling it "imperfect" and thus "unsellable" appeals to those of us who want to reduce food waste.
David Hammond wrote:I checked out the Too Good to Go site, and for my area, it was almost all pizza and fried chicken. The latter, I get completely: Popeye's, etc., cook up a bunch of bird that they hold until customers order it. When an unsold piece of chicken goes past its holding time, they want to unload it: there's likely no health hazard, but the taste/texture of the bird may be degraded and so it's not quite up to standards.
With pizza, it might be just a way to sell more pizza. I suspect this is the motive behind Imperfect Food, which I originally liked, until I realized the fruit, which was pretty much perfect, was costing me more than pretty-much-perfect grocery store or farmer's market produce. My cynical perspective is that labeling the fruit "Imperfect" is just a plausible marketing strategy for developing just another channel for selling regular fruit (and other products) at a slightly higher price. And labeling it "imperfect" and thus "unsellable" appeals to those of us who want to reduce food waste.
polster wrote:1- The app is new to the Chicagoland area so the amount of restaurants participating is obviously low in certain areas (Downtown and Chicago Metro probably offers largest current selection of participating restaurants) but I assume will grow as adoption of such an app grows in a geographic area.
2 - I am not as cynical in the view of what this app offers. Its seems to meet a demand in a market that didn't exist before. The demand from the restaurant point of view is to gain 1 additional customer that would have not stepped foot in the restaurant at the given original price point and sell product that normally would be thrown away at the end of the day. The customer would be willing to try the new restaurant at the 'discounted' price point for $4-$6 which is a win win for both customer and restaurant.
NFriday wrote:How do you find out what restaurants are participating in this in the Chicago area? Do you have to download the app?
polster wrote:NFriday wrote:How do you find out what restaurants are participating in this in the Chicago area? Do you have to download the app?
I think finding participating restaurants maybe only done through the phone app via Android or iPhone. I don't see an option to search on their website.
mkess wrote:My current tried and true TGTG bags along with contents of last bag:
-Smoque 1/2lb pulled pork, brisket chili, cornbread. 11am - 1pm pick up window
-Bang Bang Pie Coconut cream pie and biscuit w sausage gravy(amazing!). 2:00-2:30 weekend pickup up window.
-Daisies - My favorite but completely unreliable. They have cancelled 7 out of the last 8 bags a half hour before pickup. The app doesn't notify you when the restaurant cancels but does send an email. Usually 2+ pastries. 3:15p-4:30p pick up window.
Roesers - a dozen donuts/danishes. 8am-2pm pick up window.
Andros Taverna - gyros sandwich or the like. 10p-10:20p pick up window.
Chicago Taco Authority - Cholula wings and a chicken tinga Taco. 8pm-8:30pm iirc.
Palermo Bakery - surprise cake. $9.99. randomly availability and pick up window. Fun roll of the dice. Other bags at Palermo are usually very good, too.
Bagel places usually provide a half dozen but Chicago a few will give a dozen.
mkess wrote:My current tried and true TGTG bags along with contents of last bag:
-Smoque 1/2lb pulled pork, brisket chili, cornbread. 11am - 1pm pick up window
-Bang Bang Pie Coconut cream pie and biscuit w sausage gravy(amazing!). 2:00-2:30 weekend pickup up window.
-Daisies - My favorite but completely unreliable. They have cancelled 7 out of the last 8 bags a half hour before pickup. The app doesn't notify you when the restaurant cancels but does send an email. Usually 2+ pastries. 3:15p-4:30p pick up window.
Roesers - a dozen donuts/danishes. 8am-2pm pick up window.
Andros Taverna - gyros sandwich or the like. 10p-10:20p pick up window.
Chicago Taco Authority - Cholula wings and a chicken tinga Taco. 8pm-8:30pm iirc.
Palermo Bakery - surprise cake. $9.99. randomly availability and pick up window. Fun roll of the dice. Other bags at Palermo are usually very good, too.
Bagel places usually provide a half dozen but Chicago a few will give a dozen.
B2B wrote:More than 10 Chicago area Whole Foods have recently signed on with TGTG. They’re offering 2 different options, a bakery bag at $6.99 and a prepared foods surprise bag for $9.99. Curious what they will include in prepared foods because so many offerings are baked goods.
B2B wrote:I temporarily changed my location to River Forest on the Too Good To Go app and saw that Whole Foods in River Forest is now signed up.
You need to go here https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us and download their app and follow the instructions to create your account, including giving them a credit card to charge your purchases to.