If anything was made clear by my recent credit card bills, it was that I needed to cut down on ordering takeout. Despite my efforts to be frugal and cook at home, I found myself ordering out at least twice a week. Sometimes I don’t set aside enough time to cook or even have enough groceries in the fridge. Oftentimes, I just want a break from the same few meals I make every day. This habit adds up quickly as the national average cost of a typical fast food meal is over $11, with specialty eateries trending closer to $15 or more.
Recently, my search for a way to save money while still treating myself to quality takeout led me to discovering one of my new favorite apps: Too Good To Go. Too Good To Go is a service that balances economic and environmental interests by helping restaurants sell food that would otherwise go to waste. This presents a win-win-win scenario: restaurants earn revenue on food they would otherwise gain nothing from, consumers get quality food at heavily discounted prices and the food saved from the trash cuts back on carbon gas emissions.
Too Good To Go was founded in 2015 in Denmark and has since expanded across Europe and North America. Scrolling through the app, a variety of partnering restaurants are available. Mirroring the food landscape of Long Island, there were seemingly endless options for pizza and bagels. However, I also saw delis, Latin American restaurants, Caribbean restaurants and even grocery stores available to reserve from.
Although I had used Too Good To Go briefly in the past, I decided to embark on a new quest to evaluate whether the app is worth it for students like myself. I ordered “surprise bags” from three different restaurants over three days and took note of what I got for what I paid.
The first restaurant was Napolini Pizzeria & Restaurant, a local favorite for many in the Hofstra University community. I ordered a surprise bag for $5.99, available to pick up just before the restaurant closed. In my surprise box were three different slices of pizza and a buffalo chicken roll. The food was great, and the portions were more than enough for dinner. Too Good To Go claimed the value of the meal was $18, which I felt was generally accurate. Walking out with such a generous portion for just $5.99, I labeled the trip a success.
My next pickup was from Tulip Bagels in Williston Park. Once again, I paid $5.99 for a surprise bag. On my way to the pickup, I predicted my surprise bag would be a half-dozen bagels. As I walked in and showed my order confirmation to the man behind the counter, I was shocked to be handed a baker’s dozen of bagels, worth over $20, according to Tulip Bagels’ website. I was so taken aback by the value of my purchase that I celebrated by buying a small tub of cream cheese. I returned home triumphantly, offering bagels and cream cheese to each of my roommates while preserving my food budget.
On the third and final day of my research, I splurged for a slightly more expensive surprise bag from Royal Roti Shop in Baldwin. This time I paid $8.99. When I told the woman behind the counter that I was picking up a Too Good To Go order, she offered me several options of surplus food the restaurant had on hand. I walked out with a heaping portion of rice and beans, noodles, jerk chicken and a small bag of savory pastries. Too Good To Go’s estimated value for this meal was $27, which I found to be relatively accurate. I returned home with enough Caribbean food to last me two days.
Over the course of my three days eating almost exclusively from Too Good To Go, I paid a total of $22.79, including taxes and fees, for 13 bagels, three slices of pizza, a buffalo chicken roll, a heaping plate of Caribbean jerk chicken and rice and a bag of pastries. I got more than my money’s worth.
Surprise bags from Too Good To Go should not make up your entire diet. They are no replacement for groceries and home-cooked meals. But for those unavoidable nights when you don’t want to cook or spend a small fortune on dinner, it’s an easy way to get restaurant food for a fraction of the cost.
So, who is Too Good To Go for? It’s perfect for those who are interested in trying new foods and keeping their spending under control. It’s great for broke college students who need a break from dining halls and instant ramen.
It is, however, important to mention Too Good To Go’s limitations. Due to the nature of surplus food, you can’t choose what you get; it’s just what the restaurant has left near the end of the day. At Napolini’s, I was given several slices of pizza I might not have necessarily chosen for myself. But to me, good pizza is good pizza, and I’m not a picky eater. Picky eaters, and especially those with food allergies, might have a much harder time finding surprise bags that would satisfy them.
Ultimately, Too Good To Go is a great resource for broke college students looking for cheap takeout. Long Island’s abundance of pizzerias and bagel shops makes for predictable surprise bags. While ordering from Too Good To Go is certainly a gamble, I’ve found a worthy payout majority of the time.