Food waste apps are becoming an important way to kill two birds with one stone. You can save money by picking up super cheap food products, which in turn helps to reduce food waste in your local stores.
Although it may not seem like much, over time, these kind of small changes can make a big impact.
We all like to order takeaway food every now and then, but balancing it out with other things like a food waste app can be a great idea.
And this is where Too Good To Go app steps in, and it helps connect users with local supermarkets and shops that have food going to waste.
Too Good To Go app review – Overall thoughts on the app
Too Good To Go is an app which aims to eliminate as much wasted food as possible whilst also saving money for the average person.
Users are able to sign up to the app and buy food that would otherwise be going to waste cheaply from local restaurants and supermarkets.
No food is wasted, users can buy cheap food and restaurants/supermarkets make extra money from goods that would typically be thrown away. Everyone’s a winner.
We decided to check the app out to see whether you can really get delicious food for a low cost, all whilst helping the environment.
Quick overview – A great app
First and foremost, I think the idea behind the app is absolutely superb. Considering how big a factor food waste is in the fight against global warming, this app could genuinely go a long way to helping us, as a planet, win that fight.
The motives and aims of the app are only one part of it, though, how well does it function and what features does it possess that make it a must-need app for you smart phone?
I found the app really easy and straightforward to use. When you first log in to the app you are greeted with a screen which clearly maps out how the app works.
Once you’ve read that and got the gist of it you enter the full version of the app, where you select your location and discover which restaurants and supermarkets nearby currently have food going spare.
You are able to pick any location in the country and set a radius based on how far you’d be willing to travel to pick up the food.
You are able to change your location as much as you want, so if you’re away from home and want to use the app you are still able to do so.
One down side to the app, in my opinion, is the fact that you have no idea what you are paying for.
Sure, you can get a good idea of what types of food to expect, but you won’t know exactly what you’re getting until you arrive.
Considering the prices and the good you’re doing for the planet, though, it’s hardly a major stumbling block.
Pros
- By using the app you are helping to prevent food waste which in turn helps the environment.
- The ability to buy food from local restaurants at a much cheaper price than usual.
- The app is well categorised both by location and food-type to help you to find the most suitable solution.
- Save certain restaurants or supermarkets to your favourites list to be able to quickly see when they have food available to purchase.
- Pre-order is available on many of the stores on the app.
Cons
- You have no idea what particular food you are buying, so you could end up paying for something you don’t like and end up binning it anyway.
- There is no delivery service with the app so you have to be willing and able to go and collect any food you order from your selected store.
Let’s take a look at some of the best features of the app and how they help the user to get the most out of the service:
Categories
One thing that the app does really well is categorising its ‘products’.
It’s intentionally a very simple app and doesn’t send users down an endless hole of super-niche categories and sub-categories like other apps sometimes do.
Too Good To Go do it in a very straightforward way and categorise their restaurants on the discover page in the following ways:
- Supermarkets
- Baked goods
- Collect for dinner
- Nearby
- Groceries
- Meals
- Vegetarian meals
- Collect for lunch
If you’d rather search via specific filters then the app will allow you to do that, too. Select the ‘browse’ tab and then select the icon on the top left of the screen next to the search bar to search for specific filters.
Their filters include what type of food you want, your diet preferences and what time you’ll be able to collect. The app will then find you all suitable stores that tick all of your boxes.
Even if you aren’t available to collect right there and then, you can pre-order a magic bag from the majority of stores on the app.
Favourites
Another cool feature of the app is the favourites tab. This tab is used by users who have found a particular store that they like who have given them magic bags that were particularly good.
Once you’ve added a restaurant or supermarket to your favourites, you’ll then be able to scroll through your favourites list every time you log on to the app to see if any of them have any food available for you to order right away.
This will help users to avoid searching through the main discover page for food and give them peace of mind knowing that what they are going to collect is actually nice.
If none of your favourites are available there and then, then the chances are that some of them will be accepting pre-orders for another time, so you’ll never have to wait long for your next fix of one of your favourites.
Notifications and alerts
Another feature of the app that I’d like to bring your attention to is the notification system. When you first load up the app you will be given the the option to accept push notifications from the app or not.
We would urge you to accept them because it basically means that you will be kept up to date on everything to do with Too Good To Go.
The notifications will tell you if anything has changed with your order, if any new stores have been added nearby and if there is anything in particular they’d recommend.
The business perspective – Why it’s worth it
Although we’ve focussed on the customer side of Too Good To go for the majority of this review, it’s worth talking a little about the business side of the app in case you own a restaurant that often wastes food.
Too Good To Go make it super easy to sign up, without any faff and it will allow you to make extra money on food that would otherwise go to waste.
On top of that, you are helping to save the planet – it quite literally is a win-win situation.
Surplus food is a massive issues when it comes to the environment, and this is an area where food waste apps can help.
Global warming is one of the most important topics in the world right now that we need to discuss.
There are many different ways in which we can all help to reverse global warming from walking and cycling instead of driving where possible to reducing our energy bills by making our homes as efficient as possible.
One major player in the fight against global warming is food waste. Approximately 33% of all food is never eaten, which contributes contributes 4.4 gigatons of CO2-equivalent into the atmosphere each year—around 8% of all anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions.
Not only is this statistic frightening from an environmental point of view, but it’s also damning when you consider the amount of people in the world who are currently starving.
Common questions about the Too Good To Go app
How much does food cost on the app?
This entirely depends on where you’re buying from but typically you are going to get roughly a 75% discount on any food that you purchase. For example, you could end up with a Pizza that would normally be worth £12 for £3. Please check the app for precise costs for each of your nearby stores.
Is there a monthly fee involved?
There is no subscription price involved with Too Good To Go. Signing up is free and the only money you’ll ever spend on the app is if you purchase a magic bag from one of your nearby stores.
Can you do your weekly shop via the app?
Unless you got incredibly lucky, this is highly unlikely. Although supermarkets and grocery stores are on the app, they will typically be giving away items that are close to their sell by date. You also have no say whatsoever in what they give you so please don’t bank on this as a viable alternative to your regular shop.
Can someone else pick my order up for me?
When you collect your order, you need to have your app ready on your phone to show the store that it is you who placed the order. Therefore, unless you are able to pass your phone on to someone else then you will have to be the one who collects the order.
Conclusion
After a thorough run through of Too Good To Go, I don’t see any reason why you or anyone else shouldn’t be heading to the app store right now to download it. It’s a way to get heavily discounted, local food that would otherwise be going to waste and you’re helping to save the environment in the process. From a business perspective, my message is the same – absolutely no harm can come from you registering your company on the app. You’ll look environmentally responsible, gain more customers and make more money.
If you have enjoyed this review, then you’ll enjoy the rest of our app-related articles. We’re covering everything from troubleshooting issues to in-depth reviews – take a look!
