Eliminating food waste and supporting local restaurants: Goodie Bag, an app that launched in Charleston on Sept. 6, prides itself on doing both.
The first of its kind to serve the Lowcountry, Goodie Bag partners with restaurants to offer discounted bundles of food that would otherwise be wasted at the end of the day.
The company sold its first bags in Boulder, Colo., before expanding to nearby Fort Collins and Denver. Earlier this year, Goodie Bag launched in Charlotte. September’s Charleston debut marks the company’s third foray into a major city.
Eddy Connors and Luke Siegert came up with the concept in 2022 after graduating from the University of Colorado in Boulder where Siegert worked at a pizza shop. He was shocked by how many pies were dumped in the trash.
Goodie Bag is a for-profit company but the founders said their mission to help the environment is genuine. Connors and Siegert want to play a part, even if it’s a small one, in reducing the world’s staggering food waste numbers.
At least one billion meals are wasted every year, according to a recent report by the United Nations. In the U.S., about 40 percent of food produced is destined for the landfill annually. Approximately 600,000 tons of food waste are produced in South Carolina each year.
“It’s unfortunate how inefficient the system is right now,” Connors said. “There’s a huge need, and we’re just excited to play a role in the space.”
Goodie Bag has grown to four full-time team members since its 2022 launch.
The Daily, Bodega and Daddy’s Girls Bakery are among the dozen-plus Lowcountry restaurants currently selling “goodie bags.” Holey City Bagels joined the app during an interview with The Post and Courier.
“Let’s go!” Connors and Siegert interrupted in unison when the news dropped. The uber-popular Charleston bagel shop represents one type of business that can greatly benefit from joining the app.
While all food providers are welcome, bakeries are arguably the best fit. Most local shops only sell goods made that day, leaving lots of still-fresh leftovers at day’s end. That’s where Goodie Bag comes in.
The app is simple for restaurants to use. One of Goodie Bag’s four team members will walk managers through an onboarding process; after that, they can upload for-sale items to the app themselves.
“With restaurant margins tighter than they have ever been, finding any opportunity to diminish food waste is not only a positive for us as business owners but also as humans,” said Bodega chef and partner Alec Gropman. “(We’re) providing perfectly fine food to people at a discounted rate rather than throwing it away.”
Goodie Bag is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. Customers who allow notifications to their phones have the best opportunity to score deals, Connors and Siegert said.
The new company has competition in the space from a global business named Too Good To Go. The Denmark-based app operates in more than two dozen U.S. cities and has saved more than 11 million meals from going to the landfill since its 2016 launch. Goodie Bag differentiates itself by targeting local restaurants that are growing alongside the app.
“We really view our opportunity as helping consumers connect to local restaurants,” Connors said. “We look for areas with a high concentration of local spots and communities that would be in favor of a model like Goodie Bag.”
Restaurant food waste amounts to about $2 billion in lost profits, according to a recent study. Connors and Siegert hope Goodie Bag can help chip away at that daunting number.
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