Too Good To Go: too good to be true? - a review
Courtesy: TooGoodToGo
I love good food, full stop.
Living in London and buying prepared food can be very expensive and add up quickly so I try not to eat out too often (although from my blogs, I’m not always successful doing so). Alongside this, food waste is a big problem in the UK - with food too often going straight to the bin even when its still in good shape to eat.
Too Good To Go (TGTG) promises to solve this problem by letting food outlets use their platform to sell their leftover food and produce at the end of business days for a heavily discounted price. The app has been operating since 2015 originally in Denmark but has since expanded across Europe saving almost 6.3m meals during that time. This sounds great in practice but does it actually work?
Once you’ve have downloaded the app and registered you can get going with TGTG straight away. The concept is then simple, select your location and search your way through the dots on the map until you find an establishment that satisfies your food cravings. You can select how far you are willing to travel, anywhere from 3km to 20km, or search specific areas on the map function and it will then pull up all the different places you can purchase from in a simple interface.
Ordering actual food can vary, sometimes you can order from places 24 hours in advance whilst others will having shorter timeframes closer to when they make the food available. It’s worth bearing in mind that the businesses will determine the times when you can collect the food - which can be as short as 15 minutes in some cases or as long as 90. You just need to make sure that you have made note of when collection has to be completed and leave enough time to travel to the shop. Prices vary and you’ll never be guaranteed to get specific items - that’s because you’re buying a “Magic Bag”. These consist of whatever has been leftover and that the business are looking to shift before closing or the next meal time. This concept is part of what makes TGTG exciting - the mystery of what you might be purchasing. You can make payment on the app using Google Pay or Apple Pay, as well as regular card input although American Express does not seem to be accepted.
What’s the verdict on TGTG?
I love the app and think it is one of the best apps invented - not too mention the social good in reducing food waste. I’ve been using it on and off for three years since seeing it on the BBC - I’ve rarely been disappointed in what I’ve bought. Here’s an example, purchased recently from Cafe O’Porto, a Portuguese cafe near Portobello Road & Notting Hill, for GBP 2.99 we got:
2 x Portuguese Rice Muffins
1 x huge Chocolate Doughnut
1 x Tiramisu-esque dessert
1 x Danish pastry
This easily retailed for three to four times the cost we paid - and it was all still very fresh. The time before I visited here, I got even more for the same amount of money! There’s not only sweets on TGTG, but savoury items too - from places including Paul, Greggs, Pret A Manger, Cocotte and many more. Most Magic Bags are between GBP 2 and 5, depending on the establishment but you will normally get outsized value for money.
Too Good To Go is a truly great way to help save food waste and try lots of new places at the same time without having to spend a fortune. There are other apps such as Karma, however TGTG has a solid flow of offers across many cities and even small towns that it blows other apps out the water. May the good times keep rolling for this app - I for one will keep on using it!
This article was not sponsored by TooGoodToGo - this is completely my own views & opinions.
