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Discounted pizza, pastries, more available in Pierce Co. on anti-food-waste app

At the end of a long day, lots of restaurants have leftovers — which can easily turn into food waste.

That’s why more than two dozen restaurants, cafes, grocery stores and sweets shops in Pierce County use Too Good To Go, an app that lets users pick up “surprise bags” full of leftovers.

Most of the bags range from around $4 to $10. They can be full of just about anything, depending on where they’re from. There’s a Facebook page dedicated to sharing what users received.

The bags are priced to be much cheaper than the value of the food, so it’s no surprise that the app has grown to be mega-popular. Surprise bags often sell out within minutes, which is why users can be notified when they become available.

Some places will offer multiple surprise bags or different types with different pick-up times. Whole Foods in University Place has different bags for produce, specialty foods, prepared foods, florals and the bakery.

Why do restaurants use the app?

The surprise bags only cost a few bucks for the most part, so it’s safe to say restaurants aren’t in it for the money. It’s the mission to curb food waste that’s appealing for many.

Manifesto Coffee in Tacoma is one of the many local cafes that offer surprise bags through the app.

Manager Luis Bueno, who uses they/them pronouns, said they heard about Too Good To Go from other cafes in the area.

“We felt really bad about our waste,” Bueno said.

Manifesto Coffee sells a selection of baked goods from Spilled Butter Desserts in Tacoma.
Manifesto Coffee sells a selection of baked goods from Spilled Butter Desserts in Tacoma. Manifesto Coffee

Plus, Bueno said, Manifesto wanted to support the other local businesses it works with, Spilled Butter Desserts and Memoranda Kitchen, that provide Manifesto’s baked goods and prepared food.

Since the bags go on sale ahead of time, Manifesto workers look at expiration dates and how much food they plan to sell to figure out if they’ll be able to put together surprise bags that day.

Manifesto offers a small bag for $3.99 and a large bag for $5.99, usually including pastries and sometimes prepared sandwiches.

Camp Colvos Brewing + Pizza Co. also takes part in Too Good To Go. Owner Matt Lawrence said the app reached out to his business about two years ago, and it was pretty much an automatic yes.

“Food waste is something that I’ve been aware of not only just as a business owner … but also as a person on the planet,” Lawrence said. “I did not have to think long and hard about signing up.”

Camp Colvos Brewing in downtown Tacoma serves draft beer, classic cocktails and New York-style pizzas whole and by the slice.
Camp Colvos Brewing in downtown Tacoma serves draft beer, classic cocktails and New York-style pizzas whole and by the slice. Evangelea Seelye Eva Seelye Photography

Camp Colvos’ surprise bag goes for $9.49 and includes a selection of three slices, whether that’s cheese, pepperoni, a meat slice or a veggie slice.

“It was always a focus of our crew to make the pizzas that we needed to make to get our slice business through the night, but not so much that we were throwing a lot of pizza away,” Lawrence said.

To stay true to the mission of reducing food waste, Camp Colvos doesn’t make extra slices for the surprise bags, so if it’s a particularly busy night, no surprise bags are available.

Where can you get surprise bags in Pierce County?

Legendary Donuts

  • Tacoma: 2602 6th Ave., Tacoma
  • Puyallup: 5604 176th St. E., Puyallup
  • Orting: 212 Washington Ave. N., Orting
  • legendarydoughnuts.com

Campfire Coffee Co.

Abella Pizzeria

Camp Colvos Brewing and Pizza Co.

Metropolitan Market

Marlene’s Natural Foods & Deli

Krispy Kreme

Manifesto Coffee

Wily

Cafe Perk

The 15% Board Game Cafe

Central Co-op

Whole Foods

Wanna Cupcake?

  • University Place: 3826 Bridgeport Way W., University Place
  • Puyallup:  2102 E. Main Ave. #112, Puyallup
  • wannacupcake.com

B’s Bagels & Butters

Stixx & Dough

Forever Sushi

Cold Stone Creamery

Golden Corral

The Pickled Pepper

Bomb Charcuterie

Mosa Sandwich Makers

Bite Me! Cookies

Cutters Point Coffee Co. Drive-Thru

Profile Image of Minnie Stephenson
Minnie Stephenson
The News Tribune
Minnie Stephenson covers restaurant and business news in and around Tacoma for The News Tribune. She has previously worked for WBZ NewsRadio in Boston and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. Through the Howard Center, she worked on the Associated Press investigation “Lethal Restraint,” which was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025. She grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts and graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Maryland.
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