I love a good food adventure, so when I learned Too Good to Go launched in Memphis earlier this month, I immediately downloaded the app.

Too Good to Go is touted as a way to let “you rescue good food from going to waste at a great price.”

Here’s how it works: Restaurants, bakeries and other eateries (including convenience stores!) offer surprise bags of items they would normally throw away at the end of the day.

Lily's Bakery is on Summer Avenue. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

TikTok users are probably familiar with the app because shoppers in places like New York and Los Angeles have been sharing their haul videos in recent months. 

My first surprise bag through Too Good to Go came from Lily’s Bakery on Summer Avenue.

I popped in and was handed a bag that contained a giant slice of tres leches cake and one of their delicious single-serving mousse cups in a bright and tart lemon flavor. I was able to pick that order up around 4 p.m., so that was my dessert after dinner that night.

Owner Liliana Chaker told me the contents of my bag would retail for about $15, but through the app, I paid $5.48.

Too Good to Go launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2015, and it now operates in 19 countries across Europe and the Americas with a community of more than 100 million registered users.

Lily’s Bakery owner Liliana Chaker told me the contents of Jennifer Chandler’s bag would retail for about $15, but through the app, she paid $5.48. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

Currently, there are 87 businesses in Memphis participating. 

Chaker said she decided to do Too Good to Go to find new customers. Though I had been to Lily’s before, I tried something new while I was there and purchased an order of empanadas.

As for my mystery bag, the cake and the mousse cup tasted fresh and delicious despite being almost past when she likes to sell them by.

My next order came from restaurant Magnolia & May.

This pickup required a little more effort because Magnolia & May’s bags were only available after the restaurant’s dinner service, meaning around 9 p.m. But boy, was it worth it.

Amanda Dunham hands over the "Too Good to Go" surprise bag. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

My surprise bag was filled with enough goodies to feed three or four people breakfast. It contained two giant biscuits, a large stack of pancakes, a pint of cooked grits and a container of deviled eggs.

I reheated it all the next morning, added some berries I already had and had a breakfast fit for a king we couldn’t finish. All for $5.33.

Amanda Dunham, who owns Magnolia & May with her husband Chip, said she is excited about Too Good to Go. 

“It’s kind of fun, and I love how there is less waste. These are items we would normally be throwing away at the end of the night,” she said. 

She’s also liked seeing the mixture of both regulars and new customers popping by to pick up bags.

This "Too Good to Go" surprise bag came from East Memphis restaurant Magnolia & May. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

My most recent surprise bag came from 17 Berkshire, and I was able to pick it up around noon.

For $7.46, I got a box full of un-iced cupcakes and a few brownie bites. The server said she thought most people just ice the cupcakes themselves. But she suggested making cake pops, and I thought that idea was brilliant.

The cupcakes went in my freezer at home, and then during the weekend I pulled them out and made a small batch of yummy cake pops. 

Like Dunham, 17 Berkshire owner Nuha Abuduhair said she loves the idea of items she can’t sell not going to waste.

I also ordered a latte while I was there, and the brownie bites may or may not have made it home.

This "Too Good to Go" surprise bag came from 17 Berkshire. (Jennifer Chandler/The Daily Memphian)

Chris MacAulay, vice president of operations for North America at Too Good To Go, said Memphis was a natural fit for the app.

“We know that both businesses and consumers here care about reducing waste and making the most of their resources,” MacAulay said. “By connecting local restaurants, bakeries, and markets with people eager to enjoy great food at a great price, we’re confident we can make a meaningful impact — helping businesses recover revenue, consumers save money and Memphis take another step toward sustainability.”

For me, it was a fun food adventure I will definitely be doing again. And MacAulay is right: Who doesn’t love getting to try some new items at a big discount while helping reduce food waste?

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Memphis Black Restaurant Week kicked off Sunday, and this year, 20 restaurants are participating, 11 of which have been open less than a year. 

Cxffeeblack will soon be moving into a new building and expanding its company, and part of the Memphis community are lending a hand. Read how rappers, a grocery company and a retiree are showing their support for the coffee company’s mission.

Cxffeeblack owner Bartholomew Jones poses for a portrait outside his new location March 4. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

In a “juicy” Food Files this week, Sophia Surrett reported there are changes happening at three Memphis juice bars. The Juice Joint, previously in Cooper-Young, is looking for a new home. Clean Juice Germantown has closed, and Juice What You Needed is a new juice bar at 546 S. Main St. 

Jody Callahan reported Java Cabana reopened in Cooper-Young on March 15. Touted as “a haven for the arts,” the new owners plan to bring back open mic nights and keep the longtime aesthetic the same.

Josh Conley joined Holly Whitfield on last week’s “Sound Bites” podcast to talk about his soon-to-open Bar Limina. Guest bartenders, craft cocktails and charcuterie are all on the menu for the new bar concept, which is set to open in the coming weeks in the Edge District. 

In honor of St Patrick’s Day, my What to Order column this week featured one of my favorite dishes at Irish pub Bog & Barley. This East Memphis restaurant’s beer-battered fish ’n‘ chips are the real deal.

And speaking of deals, Joshua Carlucci’s $10 Deal this week is the birriburro at Chukis Taco No. 2. It’s an overstuffed burrito filled with birria de res, rice, beans, mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

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