This App Reduces Food Waste (and Saves You Money) by Letting You Order Restaurants' Leftovers

If

Too Good To Go isn't on your radar, that's about to change. The app helps reduce food waste by allowing you to reserve meals that restaurants would otherwise throw away. Every meal is also a surprise: You never know what you're going to get because it’s hard to predict what will be up for grabs at the end of the day.

Here's everything you should know about the Too Good To Go app.

Too Good To Go is a

Certified B-Corporation that started in Copenhagen, Denmark, back in 2016. They’ve recently made it into publications like the

Wall Street Journal for bringing attention to how much food is wasted. Which is

1/3 of

all

food, to be exact. But they have a mission to change that.

Not only does the company work with businesses to help them limit their waste, but it also gives consumers helpful tips to avoid food waste at home. In addition, Too Good To Go speaks to students directly by

providing a wealth of resources for every age group. That allows students to learn about everything from food waste to the food supply chain from a young age.

But Too Good To Go doesn't stop there. The brand also hopes to influence public affairs in pushing for policies toward making labels more comprehensible

all around the world.

As a student on a budget, I also appreciate the affordability this app provides, listing each meal (depending on the restaurant) at $4 to $6. As of right now, it’s widely used throughout Europe and currently has two locations in the United States: New York and Boston. And, spoiler alert, more are on the way very soon.

So far, more than 32 million individuals around the world are using the app to save leftover food from going into landfills. On top of that, the app currently has more than 73,000 partners. That includes shops and restaurants, as well as well-loved and widespread treasures like

CAVA. They've saved

62 million meals so far, and that number is growing by the day.

Given all of this information, I was excited to try it out myself. I decided to visit three different restaurants in my area: two pizzerias and a CAVA. I ended up with two portions of garlic bread that filled a large pizza box (yes, they were huge), two slices of pizza, and two CAVA bowls (at an astonishing price of $4 each). 

One tip I have: If you want to try out the app out for yourself, do so with a friend. Most of the meals are distributed after the restaurants close (or around closing time), which is typically between 9pm to 11pm. Sticking together is safer and allows you to enjoy all that great food together.