This Food App Gives You Hefty Discounts On Your Meals And Helps Feed Those In Need
I hate cooking. While everyone around me has been finding joy in whipping up new things in the kitchen, I’ve been lamenting having to eat my own cooking or else seriously blow my budget… except for easy desserts, those are fine.
Which is why, when I was yesterday-years-old and discovered a food app that will get you some hefty discounts on your cheeky takeaway meal, and help you reduce food waste all at the same time, I downloaded it immediately. Frankly, I wish I had known a little sooner in this whole lockdown phase of the world, but I’m here now.
The YWaste app was developed in Sydney a few years ago now, giving users up to 80 percent off full-size meals that otherwise would have gone in the bin. It’s been enjoying a real renaissance since COVID-19 threw the world into uncertainty.
A full third of what food retailers make a day across the country gets thrown out because no-one bought it – that ends up being about three million tons of food waste a year. The app’s main intention was to help reduce this number.
When the country went into lockdown and many people were facing food insecurity and businesses couldn’t afford not to use everything they had, YWaste used its platform to help.
It’s an endeavour that you as a user can support. The app has a “Pay It Forward” function that allows you to pay for either an individual meal from your chosen restaurant that will be given to someone who can’t afford it, or you can become a sponsor of the app which allows them to expand their food donation platform around Australia.
To recap: hefty discounts, reduce food waste, help feed people in need. You see why I downloaded it immediately.
What’s it like to use?
Easy, if you want a one-word review. I’m vegetarian so I was worried there might not be a lot of options for me, considering the app works on the idea of leftovers. I was wrong. You can search for the type of cuisine, as well as searching by location or by restaurant.
I hit ‘favourite’ on a few places and by the end of the day I was getting notifications on a whole bunch of specials being offered. A fun tip is that a few of these places continued to drop their prices as time went by, so if you can hold out there’s a chance of an even better deal. On the other hand, it’s just until stocks run out and it’s already a good deal.
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I found a whole bunch of different food, like gourmet pies, Indian cuisine, salads, chicken dishes, sandwiches and more. As it’s leftovers, you don’t ever know exactly what you’re getting, which is part of the fun.
If you like what you see, you purchase it in app and show your receipt to the store when you arrive. The catch, if you can call it that, is that there obviously isn’t a delivery option, so you have to be willing and able to go collect the food yourself.
Where does it work?
While more restaurants and cafes have signed on in Sydney and Melbourne, with nearly 600 eateries, there are also participating places in Perth, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and even New Zealand.
(Lead Image: Pexels / Ray Piedra)
