If "Too Good to Go’" sounds too good to be true, download the app before your next trip.
Travel and food go hand in hand, but the latter correlates with waste as much as it does place. With 40% of all food discarded globally, waste contributes significantly to carbon dioxide emissions, explains Chris MacAulay, the United States Managing Director for the food-saving app Too Good to Go.
To address such waste, Too Good to Go functions like any other digital takeout service, only instead of ordering an entire meal—at full price—you get a grab bag filled with your chosen location’s leftovers. Once you open the app, set your geographic range and choose a “surprise bag” from any number of proximal eateries. You pay on your phone, so when your pickup time nears, you simply retrieve your bag and dig in.
The app launched in Denmark in 2016 and currently operates in 17 countries across Europe and North America. Given this international reach, Too Good to Go has plenty of potential for travelers, particularly those on a budget who want a local, sustainable, and easy-to-find meal.
Low-Cost, High-Quality Options
“Dining expenses can contribute to a big portion of a traveler’s daily budget, especially if it entails dining at restaurants and cafes,” said Mette Lykke, CEO of Too Good to Go.
Scroll through the app in any city, however, and you won’t have to spend more than a few dollars for a few meals. Danish chain bakery Lagkagehuset, for example, sells bags for around $7 but fills them with the likes of tomato-topped flatbreads, loaves of seeded rye, crusty rolls, and cinnamon-studded pastries. Further south, Treviso, Italy’s Al Kiri packs enough croissants for a week’s worth of breakfasts—at just under 3 euros.
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“Even if you buy a $5 bag, you’re getting $15 worth of food,” adds MacAulay.
Budget travelers can surely get behind those deals, as can anyone traveling solo who may want to skip sit-down restaurants (though dining out alone is nothing to fear!). With Too Good to Go, you can still try a range of places without the formalities of eating out.
INSIDER TIPPlan ahead before you order a bag. Consider the length of your trip, the size of your group, and the nature of your accommodation so as to not waste any of the leftovers. An Airbnb, for instance, may be better suited than a hotel to a grab bag of loaves, where you’ll have better access to countertop space, a bread knife, and a cutting board.
The Bag Encapsulates the Place
In Copenhagen—an expensive but environmentally-conscious city—lines snake around bakeries and restaurants come Too Good to Go pickup times. The city boasts a wide variety of partners on the platform, said MacAuley, and while he lacks data that details user demographics, the breadth of options shows just how many Danes are taking advantage of the app. As such, travelers to cities like Copenhagen can embrace regional bites through Too Good to Go.
“Every business is reflecting to some degree the local fabric of their community,” said MacAulay. “One of the things that’s most alluring about travel is to see what other people’s experiences are on a day-to-day basis.”
Given the hyper-local nature of Too Good to Go, many surprise bags serve as a microcosm of a destination, whether on a national scale or even on a neighborhood or street basis. Travelers who use the app can try Bavaria’s pretzels, Northern Italy’s tramezzini, and New York City’s slew of everything, from pizza to bagels to international cuisine.
Yet the app doesn’t just sell regional specialties; it also includes national and international chains, supermarkets, and fast-casual restaurants that broaden the scope of a place’s signature foods. Washington, D.C., for example, isn’t exactly known for its French pastries, but MacAulay’s favorite surprise bag comes from Fresh Baguette, a D.C.-area bakery. Too Good to Go’s options, therefore, present a well-rounded glimpse—and taste—of a city.
Limit Stress—and Hanger—on Hectic Travel Days
Beyond Copenhagen, the app bears a particularly strong presence in Paris, London, France, and Germany, among other parts of Denmark and the United Kingdom. Many of these countries are all about carbs, so it’s no surprise that bakeries comprise one of Too Good to Go’s top segments.
This abundance of bakeries may appeal to travelers with packed itineraries, inclined to purchase bags that don’t require refrigeration. Think about all the food discarded after flights, cruises, and dinners when you’re unable to cart around a box of perishable leftovers. A bag of breads and pastries, however, is portable and safe in any temperature.
You’ll be grateful for those pistachio cornettos when you’re on an overnight train or an early morning FlixBus. Of course, you may want to transport your pastries separately from your suitcase so they keep their shape.
INSIDER TIP“You can add stores to your ‘favorites’ list for the best way to quickly filter through the supply available at any given time,” said Lykke. “Checking back as soon as the save window closes for the day is the best way to capture some of those faster-saved surprise bags.”
Goodbye Choice Paralysis
Global cities like New York, Paris, and London are known for their food scenes, but finding the right meal can often feel daunting; when you’re confronted with a plethora of options, you may not know what to choose, how to get there, or how much a meal may cost. Or, especially on long trips, you may simply be tired of making yet another decision.
With Too Good to Go, you have one less responsibility. “[Using the app] gives you an opportunity to tap into a network of potentially really interesting food businesses,” said MacAulay. The app can then act as a guide, depending on whatever you’re in the mood for.
The Element of Surprise
Even the best-planned trips rarely escape surprises, so why not lean into the fun? “Our surprise bags can be filled with whichever items are left—the user reserves the bag, not individual items, and is happy for a surprise on collection,” said Lykke.
Granted, each bag isn’t entirely a free-for-all, as the app organizes your options. It specifically singles out vegetarian and vegan bags, so you can, to some extent, filter your food based on dietary preferences. With a balance between surprise and intention, the app is too good for travelers not to go on a trip.