“Too Good To Go” is simply too good to keep a secret. If you haven’t heard of it, “Too Good To Go” is an app that allows you to prevent food waste by buying treats at remarkably reduced prices. The app started in Europe and has recently begun operating in North America with the mission of helping businesses turn surplus food into extra income. It helps the planet (food waste is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions) by making food more accessible. The app only operates in a few major U.S. cities, but luckily for us Bruins, L.A. is one of the places where we can take full advantage of this app!
Here’s a quick guide on how to use Too Good To Go:
- Download the App
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Pretty self-explanatory. “Too Good To Go” is available for download from the App Store and Android Play Store.
- Scavenging
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Once you set up your account, take some time to scroll through the restaurants in your area. Since I don’t have a car, I have limited options. I set my location to “Westwood Village, Los Angeles” and set the distance to three miles.
- Surprise!
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What makes “Too Good To Go” so fun is that the items are packed into a “Surprise Bag” with whatever food is left over, so you never know what you’re going to get. I’ve gotten a “Surprise Bag” from the same bakery twice and it was a completely different assortment of pastries.
- Picking Your Preferences
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“Too Good To Go” isn’t just about getting baked goods at a reduced price. If you click on “Preferences,” you can select categories that include “Meals,” “Baked goods,” “Groceries,” and “Other.” While the surprise element of the app makes it less accessible for those with allergies, there is a “Dietary Preference” section that allows you to select whether you are vegetarian or vegan.
- Getting To Know The Locals
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I love bread and coffee so much I could eat it for every meal for the rest of my life. If you’re like me, here are some local options on the app: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Eataly, Cafe Landwer, Blue Bottle Coffee, Le Pain Quotidien, Comoncy and Alfred Coffee. If you have a car, your options would increase significantly, but I usually make it a form of exercise by walking over. Most of these bags sell for about $4 and the last time I got a bag from Le Pain Quotidien, I got four pastries.
- Timing Is Everything
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Since there are still limited restaurants on the app and we’re living in Westwood filled with hungry broke students, most of the popular bags sell out the night before. What I like to do is scroll on the app during the evening and see if there’s a surprise bag I want to pick up the next day. All the restaurants have different pick-up times but most of them are around the time they open or close. Once you find a bag you want, just click “Reserve,” pay and pick up at the designated time.
I love that this app gives me the opportunity to try foods I never would have thought about trying, encourages the users to be spontaneous and helps the planet while saving money. I save some of the pastries and warm them up in the morning before class and they’re always delicious. If you’re a person who lives by their Google calendar and routine like me, “Too Good To Go” has given me a spontaneous event to look forward to. I hope you’ll join me and millions of others in eating well in a sustainable way!