Since being founded in Denmark in 2016, the Too Good to Go app has become the world’s largest marketplace for selling surplus food, helping reduce food waste in many countries across the globe.
On June 5, the app will officially launch in Detroit.
Not only will this allow community members to save money by buying “Surprise Bags” of excess food from local eateries, but it will also give food businesses of all kinds the opportunity to gain revenue they would have lost by throwing extra food away.
Over 70 Michigan eateries, from convenience stores to high-end restaurants, are participating already, with new food businesses being added to the app weekly. Among others, current Detroit partners include La Ventana, Yum Village, Dessert Oasis, Detroit Institute of Bagels, Baobab Fare, and Cafe Noir.
The owners of Cafe Noir, a recently-opened French-themed coffee shop in Detroit’s North End, found out about Too Good To Go when a representative of the app stopped by the cafe and asked if they wanted to be involved. Immediately, they felt like it was a perfect fit.
“We were really excited to be part of one of the first offerings that they have in this city, especially as a newer cafe,” co-owner Evan Fay says. “That was one of the things that we talked about, combating food waste, so it came at the perfect time and it was kind of a match made in heaven.”
Along with French-style coffee options, Cafe Noir offers an assortment of pastries, cakes, and croissants, with plans to introduce sandwiches soon.
“We want to make sure that if we have food that’s gonna go to waste, it can find a home, even if it’s our own personal home,” Fay says. “As we’re trying to streamline our business practices, we wanted to find a way to not throw away food or profits… Too Good To Go does offer a way to alleviate some of that pressure and allow us to provide meals to people who are excited about the product and can see Cafe Noir and learn about who we are and come check out the space, but also get some really good food that is maybe not even a day old.”
Cafe Noir’s other co-owner Asher Van Sickle emphasizes the fact that Too Good To Go is unique in the way that it assists small spots like coffee shops with eliminating food waste, as similar services normally only work with larger businesses who can donate more.
“This provides an option for the one off, two, three, four plates of food or pastries or coffees that you would otherwise be throwing away,” Van Sickle says. “It was just perfect timing [with] us opening up just as they're wanting to roll out in Detroit.”
While the official launch is June 5, local food is already available on Too Good To Go as part of the app’s Detroit pre-launch period. New businesses can sign-up to join the app at any time.
More information can be found at toogoodtogo.com.
