Drexel Dining recently announced its partnership with Too Good to Go, an app that connects users with local businesses offering surplus food that goes unsold at the end of the day for heavily discounted prices. By joining the platform and supporting its mission to combat food waste, several Drexel Dining locations now expand the range of University City spots where students and residents can find affordable, sustainable meals.
Founded in Copenhagen in 2016, Too Good to Go has expanded across continents and grown in popularity over the past nine years to over 100 million registered users. The company operates with a model meant to benefit everyone: users enjoy quality food at lower prices, businesses earn revenue from the surplus that would otherwise go to waste and the environment is spared from unnecessary food waste.
As of this month, the following popular Drexel dining spots are live on the app: Chick-fil-A and The Market at Northside Dining Terrace, Pret a Manger and the Starbucks in Gerri C. LeBow Hall.
The app works by allowing stores and restaurants to release a number of Surprise Bags filled with a mystery selection of unsold but fresh items that would otherwise be discarded at the end of the day. Users can browse the nearby options, reserve a bag when it becomes available, pay through the app and pick it up at a designated time. These bags are typically priced at 25 to 50 percent of the original retail value. In addition to money saved, the app shows users the total positive environmental impact of their saved meals.
In addition to the newly added Drexel Dining locations, a growing number of restaurants and cafes in University City have made their mark on the app. Savas Brick Oven Pizza and Mad Greek’s Pizza on Lancaster Avenue offer daily Surprise Bags, as does Madis Coffee Roasters, a popular cafe further down the street. Other local shops, like Top Hat Coffee Lounge at 32nd and Walnut and T.UNI Tea Cafe at 34th and Walnut, which serves bubble tea, also participate. Breakfast spots such as Schmear It and Bart’s Bagels have become particularly popular among app users.
For many students, Too Good to Go offers a convenient and affordable way to access food, especially while navigating the financial challenges that inevitably come with college life. Its appeal lies in both the enticingly low cost and the simplicity, with portions that can often stretch across multiple meals being only a few taps away.
Madhu Karuppiah, a third-year Biomedical Engineering major, shared her experiences using the app: “I’ve always gotten more than what I paid for, more bang for my buck,” she said. “I always think, if I’m going to spend five dollars to get a cup of coffee, I might as well get more out of it.”
However, the app comes with a degree of unpredictability; you never know what you might receive in your Surprise Bag. Because the contents of each bag depend on the day’s leftover food, users with dietary restrictions may find it hard to rely on the app regularly. While participating businesses provide a short description of what to expect, specifics are not guaranteed.
Savas Brick Oven Pizza, for example, notes: “This bag might include pizza, just side portions, and/or whole dishes depending on what is available!” Top Hat Coffee Lounge writes that their bags may contain “pastries, iced coffee, or a mix of both!” Bart’s Bagels reminds customers to “Embrace the surprise and please remember that specific preferences and variety are not guaranteed!”
“I think there’s a lot of people who think that Too Good to Go is food that’s going bad, but it’s not,” Karuppiah noted. “Maybe the food’s not heated up, but that’s a simple fix.”
She also shared a positive experience with T.UNI Tea Cafe: “From the bubble tea place, I got three drinks for $7… it’s awesome because I tried drinks that I would have never tried otherwise for less.”
Milind Sangani, a third-year student majoring in Biological Sciences and a Too Good to Go user, shared that he found the value unmatched but noted the challenge of portion sizes. “My friend told me about Too Good to Go when I was at work, and then we tried it out with Schmear It. They gave me a lot of bagels, about 10, so it was very worth the price. However, since I’m one person, I found that I couldn’t finish them all.”
Both students emphasized the appeal of convenience. “This makes it much easier for people who maybe can’t afford to eat out every day but also want to get a treat every once in a while,” said Karuppiah.
Sangani agreed, saying, “I like that they’re partnering with places that are conveniently on campus because it helps not having to travel a long distance for cheaper food.”
As the cost of living continues to rise, balancing academics, expenses and daily needs is becoming increasingly difficult for college students. Too Good to Go offers a practical way to stretch the budget while supporting sustainability. Drexel’s partnership is a step towards reducing waste and making good food more accessible to students and community members.