Little Caesar’s wrong for this

I pulled up to Little Caesars to get pizzas for my friend kid birthday party, and I could hardly believe my eyes! An employee was carting out what looked to be dozens of pizzas to the dumpster. I waited in my jeep until the employee was done tossing them away because I just had to see this waste for myself.

I went to the dumpster, opened up a couple boxes, and sure enough there was pizza inside. Not only that, but they looked perfectly fine and were still hot. Here sat dozens of wasted pizzas that were tossed away for no apparent reason. Such a waste!!! There are plenty of people around my town who could use a good meal, and places like the local food bank who would have gladly accepted a pizza donation.

I decided to turn a bad situation into a good one. I plucked out 7 of these good pizzas and returned them to my Jeep. I figure why spend money in the store when I have kids to feed at a birthday party right? Lol and it’s here in front of me. Not only that, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around giving money to a company who would rather waste good food than to help out the community. #littleceasars #pizza #freefood #birthdayparty #deliciousfood

1/11 Edited to

... Read moreAfter seeing those stacks of orange pizza boxes, labeled 'HOT-N-READY,' being carted to the green dumpster, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It wasn't just *a* pizza; it was dozens, still hot! This shocking sight made me wonder about restaurant food waste policies. Can you actually go to a place like Little Caesars and ask for their leftover food, or is it common practice for businesses to simply discard surplus? My immediate thought was, 'Why wouldn't they donate it?' I've heard stories about legal liabilities preventing food donations, but there are so many food banks and charities in every community desperate for meals. It seems like a huge disconnect. When you witness perfectly good food, like a freshly made 'Three Meat Treat' pizza, just being tossed, it really makes you question the priorities. While I wouldn't recommend actual 'pizza dumpster' diving due to safety and legal concerns – trespassing, potential health risks, local ordinances – the temptation is understandable when faced with such blatant waste. This experience opened my eyes even wider to the massive scale of food waste, not just at Little Caesars, but across the entire food industry. Think about all the perfectly edible food that gets thrown away daily because of strict 'best-by' dates, overproduction to meet demand, or even aesthetic imperfections. It's truly heartbreaking when you consider how many families struggle with food insecurity every single day. There are fantastic initiatives out there, like apps that connect consumers with restaurants to buy surplus food at a discount, or organizations that specialize in picking up donations for the needy. I truly believe more companies, especially big chains, should explore these options seriously instead of resorting to the dumpster. For me, my small act of rescuing those pizzas for the birthday party felt like a tiny victory against a huge problem. It showed me that even in moments of waste, there can be an opportunity to do some good. It also made me think about my own habits – how can *I* reduce food waste at home? Maybe by planning meals better, using leftovers creatively, or supporting businesses that actively work to minimize their environmental footprint. This incident was a powerful reminder of how much food we produce, and how much of it is needlessly discarded. What are your thoughts? Have you ever witnessed such food waste, or found a clever way to prevent it?

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Arianna Johnson's images
Arianna Johnson

Hey! I use to work at Little Caesars for 3 years, we are required to throw out pizzas if they’ve sat there for a certain amount of time and if they are still warm it’s probably because someone never came and picked up their order. We are told not to give them out to people for safety because anyone we give a free pizza to can easily come back in and complain we made them sick with the free pizza and we as employees can get into serious trouble…There’s no “Do better” when we have rules we have to follow!!

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Cynthia Preble's images
Cynthia Preble

it's a waste, all food places do it & it pisses me off

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