Did you know it’s estimated that one-third of all food around the world goes to waste? Every day, unsold food from your favorite restaurants, grocery stores and cafés is thrown away simply because it wasn’t sold in time — even though it’s still good and tasty. And now there’s an opportunity to be part of the solution right here in Denver and Boulder, thanks to Too Good To Go.
Image: Too Good To Go
Feeling hungry? With the Too Good To Go app, you can eat well at a discounted price, while making a positive impact in the world environmentally, socially and economically.
What is the Too Good To Go App?
With Too Good To Go app, you can save food from going to waste from restaurants, stores and cafés in the Denver/Boulder area.
Instead of throwing away food at the end of the day, these businesses offer the extra food they have in Surprise Bags.
Find a meal near you, purchase it through the app and pick it up during the scheduled window.
No more waste and both sides win! The business isn’t wasting food (while making a little extra money) and the consumer enjoys lots of delicious food at a discounted price.
What’s in the Surprise Bag?
The actual content is a surprise until you pick it up.
When you buy a Surprise Bag, it will be filled with the delicious food that the store or restaurant has left at the end of the day.
In some cases, you will get a general description of what may be in the bag.
How Does It Work?
In the Too Good To Go app, search for local stores and restaurants in your area that have Surprise Bags for sale. The sale price, along with what would have been the regular price, are both listed.
The food is usually sold for half the regular price or less.
In addition, the date and time for pick up is clearly highlighted. Most pick-up times are at the end of the business day (of course) — usually in the late afternoon or evening. Be sure the date and time fit your schedule.
In addition, you may be able to purchase more than one Surprise Bag, depending on availability.
If you find a Surprise Bag you like, reserve it in the app by paying for it upfront. Pay by credit card, Apple Pay, Venmo or PayPal.
When picking up your order, be sure to bring your phone for verification.
Whole Foods Market
One of the more popular recent Too Good To Go additions is Whole Foods Market. Yes, they, too, have extra food at the end of the day from the bakery, deli and prepared foods.
The bags are usually at or around $6.99 for bakery and $9.99 for prepared foods. The bakery bags often include items worth around $20, while the prepared foods bags are usually around $30 in value. Prices and values may vary by location.
The bakery bags have been known to include pies, cookies, loaves of bread, croissants, dinner rolls and more.
The prepared foods bags can include just about anything you find in the grocery store’s, well, prepared foods department — from meals, sandwiches, sides and rotisserie chicken.
All of the food is has either reached (that day) or is just about to reach it’s sell by date. All of it is still good to eat for another few days. The prepared foods bags are perfect for lunch or dinner. And the bakery bags are good for treats or snacks for the whole family.
The selection varies throughout the day as to which Whole Foods Market locations are participating and which bags are being offered.
MHOTC Pro Tip: Check the Too Good To Go app often for updates. Many bags sell out quickly, but new ones are added throughout the day.
AnneS says
Only one participating location within a 20 minute drive near me. My one try using the app was at a Chinese take out. No issues. Pick up was fast and easy. Food was hot and tasty. If there were more vendors participating closer to my home out near DIA I’d give it another try.