Discount food app Too Good to Go partners with Tim Hortons

As inflation continues to drive up food prices, consumers are increasingly seeking ways to stretch their dollars. One innovative app is not only helping restaurants minimize food waste but also offering customers substantial savings.

Ali Cheaib, owner of Shawarma Garlic and Onion, says he is glad to have a way to reduce waste. "Definitely. In our industry, there was a lot of food waste."

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The app, Too Good to Go, addresses this problem by enabling restaurants to sell their end-of-day leftovers at a discounted price, preventing perfectly good food from ending up in the trash.

"Anything that we're about to throw away at the end of the night, that not necessarily has to be thrown away, we can package it and sell it to people for a discounted price," says Cheaib. "Might be falafel, chicken or beef shawarma. And it's usually package with rice, potato, salad. And then we just put it in a container and the customer comes and picks it up."

Nat's Bread Company also concerned with food waste.

"Seeing all that and not having anywhere to put it is kind of heartbreaking sometimes." Says owner Natali Harea.

Through Too Good to Go, users can browse participating stores, reserve surprise bags of food, which may include baked goods or prepared meals, and pick them up during specified hours, effectively diverting surplus food from landfills.

"It's our hard work," says Harea. "Plus it's good food that somebody could eat, you know. So it is nice to have it as an option."

Too Good to Go recently announced a partnership with Tim Hortons, making its offerings available at all 2,000 locations across Canada.

Sarah Soteroff, Too Good to Go North America's Public Relations representative, highlights Tim Hortons' commitment to sustainability, emphasizing the importance of large brands investing in such initiatives.

"They are our biggest retailer, and they're making a real pledge to show that it's important for brands, especially at their level, to be investing in sustainability options and then using partners like Too Good to Go who can help to facilitate it across the country," says Soteroff.

For businesses like Shawarma Garlic and Onion, the app has not only reduced food waste but also boosted sales.

"Beginning it was a little slow, but definitely the last six months, it's booming," said Cheaib.