Too Good To Go announced its nationwide partnership with Le Pain Quotidien, which means all 59 bakery-restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., California and more are now selling their extra, unsold tartines, soups and pastries to Too Good To Go app users.
The Too Good To Go app, available for iOS in the Apple store or Google Play for Android, connects consumers with surplus from restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and grocery stores at the end of each business day, ensuring delicious, unsold food doesn’t go to waste. Over 6,000 stores across 13 major U.S. cities are already utilizing the platform.
If lucky users are able to get a hold of a coveted Le Pain Quotidien Surprise Bag – the contents of which will change day to day – they can expect a delicious mix of bakery items, soups, salads and quiches, all for ⅓ the retail price. The Belgian eatery’s organically-driven menu was already curated with creating a greener planet in mind, so adding Too Good To Go was a natural next step to continue operating sustainably.
Le Pain Quotidien’s Director of Catering, Michael Stansfield, says, “We’re thrilled to partner with Too Good To Go, an organization that’s been making social impact at a global scale alongside additional, international Le Pain Quotidien markets. Too Good To Go’s sustainable efforts are the kind we aim to align ourselves with regularly, so this is a natural step in the right direction for Le Pain Quotidien US. We’re eager to grow together.”
“As a French native, I’m excited to see how beloved the cuisine from my home country is here in the states, and I’m even more excited that none of that delicious food will go to waste,” says Lucie Basch, Co-founder, Too Good To Go. “We want to empower everyone to help us save all of this extra food, and fight climate change along the way by savoring what they get in every Surprise Bag.”
Unfortunately, there is an abundance of food waste globally. In the U.S. alone, 40% of food is wasted each year. As a result, it’s necessary for multiple organizations to work together and minimize it – some companies redistribute surplus at the production and farm level, food banks save bulk quantities of non-perishable goods and Too Good To Go saves food at the retail level, literally right before it would tossed at the end of each business day. The app also works hand-in-hand with hunger-relief organizations including ReThink Food, Greater Boston Food Bank, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Food Lifeline and Oregon Food Bank.
Available in 17 international markets including Paris, London, Copenhagen, Madrid and Amsterdam, Too Good To Go has quickly become the go-to for conscious consumers and businesses around the world. Additionally, the app has built strong momentum in 13 major U.S. cities, with 1.5 million Americans already having saved over 975,000 meals in just one year.