SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Gina Trouesdale runs the Too Good To Go app operations at Lombardi’s Italian Market. Something that she tries to find time for during her busy day of keeping shelves stocked, cashing out customers, and managing the store.
“When I find the time for it, I’m putting listings on the app and packing orders for people,” Trouesdale said. “It’s just nice seeing new faces come in because they found us on the app.”
The app allows its members to get day-of food products at exactly one-third of the original price. There’s a catch: they don’t know what they’re getting until they open the bag, leaving an element of surprise.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Too Good To Go app expands in Syracuse, bringing more deals to members while reducing food waste
(Sound of fridge opening)
Matt Sheremeta: Who doesn’t love leftovers? The Too Good To Go app is expanding here in Syracuse, allowing users to purchase mystery bag goods from local restaurants and grocery stores at a third of the price of original items. The app started with a singular Circle K gas station and has since expanded to local businesses. With this expansion throughout the city comes some new users too. I spoke with Luke Hasenwinkel, who heard about the app through a roommate, and he sees himself using this down the line now that more people are hopping on,
Luke Hasenwinkel: You know, helping out local businesses, especially if I can catch stuff on sale. Never going to complain.
Sheremeta: I also spoke with Gina Trouesdale at Lombardi’s Market, and she says it impacts them a little bit differently because they don’t waste as much food at the end of each day, so a lot of their goods are also already on clearance.
All this really does is get more people into the business, and it’s just something fun and exciting for them to participate in. And for Luke and Gina, all this is really about is the community. Yes, it fights food waste. Yes, it provides users cheap food. Since we’ve seen more people get involved overall, it allows everyone an opportunity to maybe try somewhere they’ve never tried before, try something new from a place they’re familiar with.
Hasenwinkel: It’s always helpful to save a little bit of money. If nobody has ever really going to complain about that, nobody’s going to complain. The food isn’t going to waste. So I think it’s overall pretty good thing for Syracuse anywhere it is.
The app’s objective is to help restaurants and grocery stores reduce food waste by discounting any food leftover after a workday or by posting goods nearing an expiration date.
Someone from the community pointed out on Reddit that the app appears to be expanding. It started out last year with just a Circle K gas station. Now, many local businesses utilize it to post food at a steal and promote their business.
And now that more businesses are joining the app, more people are hearing about it.
“He discovered it one night and showed me and was like ‘woah look at all these discounts’” Luke Hasenwinkel said. “I saw and thought, oh, that’s pretty cool.”
Although Hasenwinkel approved of the idea of the app, both app members and businesses have expressed some concerns.
Trouesdale said that Lombardi’s profit margin is much smaller than a local restaurant, and doesn’t see much financial benefit at Lombardi’s by using the app. She said the market pays $5 monthly to use the service, and pays a 10% fee on all completed transactions.
“We do get the benefit of promoting our store. You’d be surprised with how many people don’t know about us,” Trouesdale said. “We are a small Italian grocery store. We don’t really waste anything. Anything getting close to expiration already goes up on our clearance shelf.”
She also desires a more streamlined user interface experience. Trouesdale said in order to add, edit, or remove listings, she has to contact a company liaison to make the changes for her. She also said she’s had issues with the app’s instant refund feature.
“The best-by date doesn’t always mean the expiration date, especially here,” Trouesdale said. “Anybody can just go in the app and request an instant refund saying the food quality is bad, and we take the hit.”
We have reached out to Too Good To Go for comment on some of the concerns from customers and businesses, but have not yet heard back.
Despite the concerns, Trouesdale and Hasenwinkel both agreed that the app’s expansion was still an overall benefit for the community.
“It’s always nice helping out local businesses, especially if I can get stuff on sale,” Hasenwinkel said. “It’s always helpful to save a little bit of money. Nobody is ever really going to complain about that. Nobody is going to complain that the food isn’t going to waste.”