Food Waste Is a Problem. Here's How Restaurants Like Eataly Dallas Are Fighting It With the 'Too Good To Go' App

Food Waste Is a Problem. Here’s How Restaurants Like Eataly Dallas Are Fighting It With the ‘Too Good To Go’ App

After launching in Denmark and saving 20 million meals to date in Europe, Too Good To Go continued its U.S. expansion today by launching across Texas. Restaurant and grocery partners on the app pack their surplus food into "Surprise Bags" that are sold to customers at one-third of the item's retail value.

From the tiniest neighborhood diner to bustling businesses like Eataly Dallas, restaurants and groceries have one thing in common: They make more than they can serve daily, resulting in delicious food that often goes to waste. Now Eataly and other restaurants are doing something about that by partnering with Too Good to Go—an app that launched today across Texas to reduce food waste, save money, and help the planet. The best part: It could mean great meal deals for you at one-third the retail price.

Headquartered in Denmark, Too Good to Go has more than 14 million registered users across Europe, who have collectively saved 20 million meals to date. Its U.S. expansion has now reached Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.

Food waste is a big, big, big problem

So how big a problem is food waste? Around 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food is wasted in the U.S. each year, Too Good To Go says, with 15% of all habitable land on earth used to produce the food we waste—the equivalent surface area of “14 states of Texas.”

Since it launched in the U.S., Too Good To Go says it’s saved more than 5.5 million meals from more than 11,000 partners, resulting in $50.1M in savings for consumers to date.

“We’re excited to expand our app across Texas to partner with the dynamic food scene and culture,” Chris MacAulay, Too Good To Go’s U.S. director, said in a statement. “In partnership with the incredible local food businesses across Texas, we want to make reducing food waste accessible to all. Together, with the great restaurant community and residents in Texas, we know we will have an immediate impact.”

How the app works—and how you can get great deals

Restaurant and grocery partners on the Too Good To Go app pack their surplus food into “Surprise Bags” that are sold to customers at one-third of the item’s retail value. Besides Eataly Dallas, Too Good To Go says Henderson & Kane General Store in Houston and Pasha in San Antonio are among others that have already signed on.

Partners select pickup windows or stations that work best for their business, and may instruct customers to bring packaging to transport the food items.

“In their quest to reduce food waste and save money, consumers can now pick up Surprise Bags from their favorite local food businesses, from BBQ spots and Tex-Mex style restaurants to homemade kolache shops and gourmet grocery stores,” the social-impact impact company said in a statement.

More than 450 partners have already signed on across Texas

The app’s launch began in Austin before today’s announced expansion across Texas. Since launching in Austin in 2021, Too Good To Go says it has signed up more than 450 partners across the state.

“With more partners added weekly, consumers are encouraged to check back often to see what new stores and categories have joined,” TGTG says.

The Too Good To Go app is available for iOS download in the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android. To learn more about Too Good To Go—and find tips and tricks to reduce food waste—you can also follow the organization on Instagram at TooGoodToGo.usa.