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There is not much that I enjoy more than eating, saving money, and helping the environment, not necessarily in that order. Although mindlessly scrolling on my phone is a close second.
I found something that allows me to do all four at once! First some backstory, then the fun reveal.
I have been moderating a Facebook page known as Mercer, Bucks, Central Jersey Eateries. It was founded by Kim Janel who lives in Titusville. She started it during Covid as a way to help struggling restaurants. Her rules were pretty simple: support local restaurants and keep it positive.
Well, flash ahead to today and MBCJ Eateries has almost 35,000 members. Restaurants report that they’ve gotten great exposure and referrals from her page. Members report being introduced to great new places to eat and meeting new friends at local eatery events.
I’ve been working with Kim to start a nonprofit to bridge the gap between food providers and underserved communities, ensuring access to healthy fresh food through collaboration, education, and sustainable practices.
We have a board and plans for cool events but our 501(c)3 designation is stalled by the government shutdown. So, during the down time, I’ve been researching businesses, nonprofits, and apps that complement our mission.
In a lucky moment of good fortune, a page member displayed a beautiful dinner plate of Latin food that he got for $6 through an app called Too Good To Go. The app, founded in Copenhagen in 2015, fights food waste and has recently been taking off in the U.S. as more folks learn about it and embrace its cool concept.
Here is how it works. Toward the close of business, food establishments throw out their excess prepared food. TGTG offers that food for takeout at greatly reduced prices. It’s a win-win-win. Restaurants reduce food waste and get new clients. App users get to try new foods for super low prices. The environment benefits by keeping food out of the landfill.
While it sounded great in theory, I wanted to test it out in practice. I do not recommend TGTG for people on special diets, picky eaters, or with food allergies. So, here is my experience.
After signing in, the app prompts for location. I picked Hopewell Township and said I’m willing to travel up to 10 miles for a deal. My closest option was Deli On A Bagel in Pennington. I signed up for a dozen bagels for $6 to be picked up between 2 and 3 p.m.
When I got there, my order was ready. It contained a wide selection of very fresh bagels. I sliced and froze the ones we didn’t eat that day. For a week, we toasted and enjoyed fresh bagels each morning! Since their bagels sell for $1.20 each, I saved more than $8.
Bagels and bakeries are a great fit for TGTG, so you’ll find lots of options. I was tempted to try the “bakery bag” from Whole Foods in Princeton, but in the interest of experiencing more variety for this research, I opted for their $10 “surprise bag” of prepared food.
All items were well packaged, but I needed my own bag to carry out the generous haul of food. It included a chicken uncured bacon ranch flatbread, three slices of turkey meatloaf, a tray of mac and cheese, a tray of mashed potatoes, and a chicken tikka masala dinner. Much of the food was marked 50% off because the sell-by date was the day after my pickup date. After subtracting half the retail price on the whole load, I still saved at least $15.
My final purchase for this column was an $8 “surprise bag” from Antimo’s Italian Kitchen in Hopewell. When I arrived at my 8 p.m. pick up time, they had a very large pizza box waiting.
The box contained eight huge slices, kinda stacked on top of each other. It wasn’t a problem because the slices were cold. (They usually heat slices in the pizza oven before serving.) We heated ours in the toaster oven and they were perfect.
Our slices included five plain, one white, one pepperoni, and one sausage. I brought some pizza leftovers to my editor a day later and he reported that they were still very tasty. According to the website, plain slices are $3.45 each and Pepperoni is $3.95. We paid a buck a slice — net savings over $20.
All in all, Toogoodtogo lives up to the hype and does what it claims. Although there are some downsides. Food variety is a double-edged sword. While providing an opportunity to try cuisine you might not regularly order, it may give you stuff you don’t want. Also, the assigned pickup times are not always convenient. Finally, the really popular items can sell out quickly.
I recommend TGTG for adventurous eaters, people looking to save money, college students, and folks who work late. My son’s roommate works until 8 p.m. and when I searched his work location, I found restaurants of all cuisines with pickup times around 9 p.m. He’s already enjoyed BBQ, Mexican, and Italian dinners for $6 each.
Pros: Good food variety and quantity. Most fare stores well. Reduces food waste. Saves money.
Cons: Limited opportunity for choice makes it unsuitable for people with food allergies, sensitivities, or dislikes. Late pickups may not work for folks who don’t like getting food after hours.
Now that I’ve indulged my loves for food, thrift, sustainability and scrolling, I invite you to try new eateries or old favorites on toogoodtogo. Bon appetit.
Dining and Cooking