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."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army ordered some 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.