App helping restaurants cut waste while giving diners deals
By Megan Matthews
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — A new app called “Too Good To Go” has launched in Louisville.
The app aims to reduce food waste by allowing customers to purchase unsold food from local restaurants at a discount.
Every day, hundreds of pounds of food are thrown out from Louisville restaurants because it didn’t sell throughout the day. Now, that extra food can go to consumers instead of in the trash.
The app has already partnered with several community favorites like the Macaron Bar, Barry Bagels, and Soupy’s.
“Over the time that we’ve been in the city, we’ve actually already saved over 13,000 meals from going to waste,” said Allie Denburg, with Too Good to Go.
Barry Bagels is one of the main restaurants seeing that impact, saying before the app, they were throwing away close to six dozen bagels a day.
“I really hate wasting all of these bagels when someone could be eating them. So it was really nice to see that there was a nice balance between being able to keep our product flowing with money and then also keeping people fed with just things,” said Chance Kauer, manager of Barry Bagels.
Some businesses like Soupy’s, which has been in the area for decades, are using it to offer sampler packs and attract new customers.
“We’ve sold out every day. So, if you see it on there, hurry up and get it, because it goes quick,” said Kyle Byerly, part-owner of Soupy’s.
The app is simple to use. Customers can download it from their respective app store, browse a map of nearby options to choose from, place an order and pick it up during a designated time frame.
Denburg said waste is inevitable in the food industry, but Too Good to Go offers business owners a solution.
“There’s always going to be some surplus in the business model unless, you know, they bake less and end up losing out on potential income. So generally they’re overbaking, needing to throw things out. And this is a way that they can make sure that they don’t really have to throw out anything and can help save that food from going away,” said Denburg.
The end result is a win-win-win. Businesses make back revenue, customers save money, and less food goes to waste.
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