Cut waste and save money: A ‘marketplace for surplus food’ lets you eat at a discount
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure — which is pretty clear with a new takeout app in Charlotte designed to save food and money at the same time.
Meet Goodie Bag: an online “marketplace for surplus food” where you can shop on the cheap for leftover “goodie bags” of food that would otherwise be thrown away from local restaurants.
Unlike DoorDash or UberEats, the goodie bags are only available when participating restaurants have extra food and list it on the platform.
After giving it a try myself, I see why the food waste app is seeing success.
‘Help your wallet. Help our planet’
The startup launched in Colorado last year and has since expanded to other U.S. cities, including Charlotte.
“We’ve been able to connect over 5,000 meals to local Charlotteans since launching in February,” Goodie Bag CEO Eddy Connors told CharlotteFive.
“It’s been a joy to see people be able to explore and get a lot of the best of what Charlotte has to offer at a great price. At the same time, it’s really cool to help these local shops save thousands of dollars that otherwise they would’ve wasted.”
Though it’s only been a couple of months, it’s become pretty popular among local foodies and has had a big impact on participating businesses in the area.
So if you’ve been curious about testing Goodie Bag out, here’s what to know.
A mystery goodie bag: ‘You never know what you’re going to get’
Once you download the app — available in the App store and on Google Play — you can create a profile, set dietary preferences and even make a “favorites list” of your go-to food spots.
From uptown and NoDa to South End and SouthPark, there are over 50 local bakeries, cafes and restaurants where you can order a goodie bag to pick up. The orders themselves are made up of different menu items discounted at least 50% off, depending on the restaurant and time of day.
The goodie bags aren’t on the market very long — and they usually go very quickly, depending on how much leftover food is up for grabs.
Lucky for me, I was able to snag a goodie bag from Beyond Amazing Donuts that held six of its new and classic flavors, including Banoffee Pie and Black Garlic Everything. (Fun fact: B.A.D. is the top Goodie Bag spot in Charlotte, according to the app’s team.)
‘It’s a win-win’
For B.A.D. — a spot that freshly bakes sweets every day, being part of the Goodie Bag program has been a game changer, financially and creatively. So much so that the bakery has increased production just to provide goodie bags.
“Essentially, I’m able to have little to no waste … it really helps us continue to eliminate our waste within the kitchen because I’m big on making sure we’re utilizing everything and every step of the process to the best of our abilities,” owner Jasmine Macon told CharlotteFive.
“I like having the opportunity to be creative, even with what would be considered our waste … You never know what you’re going to get in your goodie bag.”
Too Good To Go
Goodie Bag isn’t the only app designed to prevent food waste in the Charlotte area. Too Good To Go, a European-based platform available all over the world, will celebrate its official launch in the city next month. It is currently available with a few local restaurants as part of its soft launch.
The platform — which was founded about 10 years ago in Copenhagen — is available in 17 countries and saves more than 100,000 meals every day.
Similar to Goodie Bag, Too Good To Go also offers surprise bags of discounted surplus food from restaurants and grocery stores, and will also be available in the App Store and on Google Play.
