Goodie Bag launches in February
Goodie Bag is an app that aims to eliminate food waste and put good, affordable meals into communities across America. The program, conceived by Colorado-based entrepreneurs Eddy Connors and Luke Siegert, will launch in Charlotte next month. medium paper bags
Local restaurants sign up to be on the app and put together “goodie bags” of food that may otherwise go to waste at the end of the day and sell them for $6 through the app. “We connect local people to local shops with perfectly good unsold food at a discounted price for pickup,” says Connors, “Our software enables local business owners, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants to list any kind of prepared good food that they were unable to sell in-store, for whatever reason. On our platform, a goodie bag is essentially a mystery bag. The app notifies customers in the area about that food being available. And then as a consumer of Goodie Bag, you would go on to our mobile app and then see what shops have bags available. And then after you purchase it, it’s up to you to go get it. You know you’re still getting quality food for at least half the price. And shops know that its product isn’t going to waste, while also reaching new customers and salvaging some revenue.”
The Goodie Bag sees this as an app for everyone — not just broke college students (though Connors and Siegert were in college when they invented it). “We span from students to seniors,” says Connors, “Some of our most active customers are 75 year olds looking for a good deal. And they’re frustrated with food prices and inflation and take any chance to get a meal a quality meal for less. We’re trying to create a fun and valuable experience for everyone just trying to dine locally and not break the bank.”
garment swing tags Customers can join the Charlotte waitlist and get their first bag for free. A few local vendors on the app include pizzeria Benny Ferrovia’s, vegan restaurant Oh My Soul, and cream puff cafe Beard Papa’s.