The Little-Known Trick To Scoring The Cheapest Takeout Meals

Saving money on a food budget often means skipping out on takeout. (After all, here's how much Americans spend on fast food on average.) But one company, Too Good to Go, is aiming to serve up savings with affordable takeout meals and combat food waste at the same time. It charges anywhere between $5 and $8 (sometimes more, sometimes less) for a mixed bag of prepared food that would otherwise be tossed out at the end of the day.

Founded in 2015 in Copenhagen by an entrepreneurial team looking to curb Danish buffet food waste, Too Good to Go now operates in 18 countries across both Europe and North America. New partnerships and participating cities seem to grow every day, and service offerings have expanded to include surplus grocery pickup in some areas. The Too Good to Go website claims its app "is the world's largest marketplace for surplus food."

To start using Too Good to Go, customers download the app, register their email, and then set their location. They can then browse options for pickup within a 1- to 20-mile radius. Cafes, restaurants, even bodegas and grocery stores list their available food options, along with pricing information and a pickup time frame (it also lets you know how many bags are left and if the bags have sold out for the day). Some listings are generally clear, like "Small Pizza Slice Surprise Bag" or "Baked Goods." However, most options are listed under an intriguing, perhaps even alarming, title: "Surprise Bag."

Surprise Bags are the bread and butter of Too Good to Go, and many are full of ... bread. Day-old pizza, muffins, loaves, even end-of-day pastries make up a large amount of options on offer. While getting a bag of massive Brooklyn-baked bagels for $5 is a great deal (and a personal experience), the app isn't carb-exclusive. Die-hard Too Good to Go users also share tips and hauls on social media sites like Reddit and Facebook.

Offerings depend on location and pickup time, and include plenty of prepped salad bar items, plus hot and cold protein dishes available for Surprise Bag pickup; whichever option strikes a user's fancy can be bought for a small fee. Savings are listed right in the app as well. The original value of the serving is posted in strikethrough font, and underneath is the price Too Good to Go customers pay. While savings vary, most food that would go unsold can be picked up via the app for one-third the original price.

While paying $6 for a bag of pizza or bagels may seem like a steal, how can you really get the biggest bang for your Surprise Bag buck? Just like using certain grocery shopping strategies can save you money, Too Good to Go can be used to maximize savings and fun dining options. No one can live on bread alone, but picking up a $5 bag of baked goods before a work meeting or brunch with friends is a much cheaper option than grabbing a pricier, fresh-baked option — plus, it saves tasty treats from the trash.

For regions where grocery options are available, users who are okay with cooking up their own "Chopped"-style challenge can stock their fridge for pennies on the dollar. Admittedly, this may be a better option for diners without dietary restrictions. Still, it should be noted that some Too Good to Go partner stores make best efforts to provide allergen- and restriction-friendly options.

It may be difficult for one person or couple to consume all of the many baked goods or protein-and- rice plates served up in Surprise Bags before they spoil. Further savings — and tasty dining options — can be achieved by freezing hardier bread products and dishes for next week's breakfast or lunch. Just like a full-price takeout meal might make multiple meals, so can the contents of a humble TGTG Surprise Bag.