Oh man do I love eating and dislike cooking. It’s a conflict-prone combination that lends itself to going out to eat way too much, which has become prohibitively expensive in these inflationary times. Then there’s that unfathomable semi-hidden fee, sometimes as high as 20%, added on to an increasing number of restaurant orders. Who can tell me exactly what happens to my hard-earned cash once that non-tip is shelled out? But I digress.

Recognizing my gastric plight, a friend who recently relocated from Minneapolis to New York City turned me on to the smart phone app “Too Good To Go” (TooGoodToGo.com), which presents itself as a way to save the planet while filling your gullet on the cheap. He and his partner buy all their pricey NYC pastries this way. I was instantly smitten with the concept: Restaurants, bakeries and even some grocers create grab bags of day-olds and other items they’d like to get rid of. They list these “surprise bags” online with just a few clues about the general contents, for pick-up by reservation only.

Consumers are promised 70% savings off food that restaurants might otherwise throw away and make no money off of at all. “This Surprise Bag will likely contain cake jars, cheesecake desserts or anything else available that day,” reads a listing from a St. Paul baker, who routinely advertises $18 in sweets for the low, low price of $5.99.

Too Good To Go, which launched in Denmark around 2016, announced its expansion into the Twin Cities in late September with its typical promotional slogans. The app, available in 19 cities across the U.S. and untold other locations throughout 17 countries, claims to have saved more than 220 million meals from the trash bin, making it the world’s largest marketplace for selling surplus food.

“With approximately 10% of greenhouse gas emissions stemming from discarded food, reducing food waste is key to solving the world’s climate problem,” reads the marketing. “Too Good To Go forges a direct connection between conscientious consumers and forward-thinking food businesses.”

Sure, there’s probably a bit of “greenwashing” (that’s a fancy term for marketing propaganda based on a questionable environmental promise) in any claim that driving around looking for restaurant deals substantially cuts down on carbon emissions. Counterpoint: if enough pedestrian- and transit-friendly restaurants utilize the app to make a few bucks, there would be no need to drive at all. Just walk next door or hop on the light rail a couple stops and voila! Lunch is served for under $10!

But there’s the rub. After weeks of faithfully checking my Too Good To Go app each day, I’ve found precious few options in St. Paul, or even the east metro. A spokesperson tells me they’ve signed up 20 partners in Ramsey County and plan to grow. On most days, however, participating restaurants within 10-12 miles or so of my work have commonly included a birria taco restaurant in Bloomington, a yogurt shop in Woodbury and a burger bar in Edina.

Intown Sushi at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis frequently offers a “sushi bag.” Yes, I’m curious what $6.99 gets me when it comes to sushi leftovers. And no, I’m not so curious that I’ll be driving into Minneapolis for lunch on the typical workday.

My big scores to date? A handful of muffins at a Lowertown coffee shop, and the tasty, ample remnants of an Indian buffet in Maplewood during the 2:30 p.m. lull between lunch and dinner. Beyond that, an order promising $30 in collard greens for $9.99 was canceled by a Rice Street restaurant minutes after I made it. It’s OK. That’s probably a lot of collard greens!

American food waste is no small matter and deserves more attention among growing calls for all of us to go green. Quoting a report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Too Good To Go notes that food makes up 18% of Minnesota landfills, where it breaks down and produces methane, a greenhouse gas with heat-trapping potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.

“Minnesotans throw out approximately 62% of food that could have been eaten or donated,” reads their marketing materials. “A family of four in Minnesota could save $1,200 a year by reducing their wasted food. Since launching in the US, Too Good To Go has saved more than 6.5 million meals from more than 14,000 partners, resulting in over $50 million in savings for consumers to date.”

I’m not sure that “savings” is the right term there, as going out to eat — even surplus restaurant food — is still likely pricier, less healthy and less emissions-cautious than heating up leftovers at home. Still, let’s hope efforts like Too Good To Go continue to expand by attracting more restaurants and customers in the east metro, so that all that online ingenuity doesn’t just go to waste.

Related Articles

Mandalay Kitchen brings traditional Karen and Burmese flavors to Frogtown

A Hudson grocer’s death left a hole in the community. A budding co-op hopes to help fill it.

Revival Smoked Meats, Mr. Paul’s Po Boys coming to Malcolm Yards

Cold-weather recipes: Chicken and potatoes, avocado salad and rice pudding

50 years sober, Greg Ekbom celebrates the Day by Day Cafe he founded while still in treatment