Too Good To Miss? Why cafés should embrace zero-waste apps

Across social media, a new kind of unboxing video is gaining traction. Smiling customers reaching into paper bags filled with surplus sandwiches, pastries and pretzels, picked up not from the post office, but from their local café. And often, at a fraction of the usual price.

These viral clips highlight a growing trend: the use of zero-waste food apps. Among the best-known is Too Good To Go, which describes itself as the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food. The platform partners with high-street names such as Greggs and M&S.

Independent cafés, bakeries, and restaurants are also turning to these platforms — not only to reduce food waste, but to attract new audiences. So how do these apps work? And how much can consumers — and businesses — expect to save?

What is Too Good To Go and how does it work?

Food waste is a big issue for hospitality. According to Waste Managed, the food service sector generates around 920,000 tonnes of food waste annually. 

In recent years, plenty of zero waste food apps have cropped up on the marketplace, like Olio and Karma, aiming to provide the solution to the problem. Easily the best-known is Too Good To Go, which now has 15 million registered users in the UK.

The app works by allowing businesses to offer customers “surprise bags” of unsold items at one third of the contents’ original retail price. 

Companies can sign up by creating an account through the app. You’ll then add your default typical supply, which you can adjust throughout the day depending on your leftovers. Users then order a surprise bag, which the business sets aside until the user is ready to collect.

In 2025, Too Good To Go says that 42,000 UK organisations are now active on its platform. 

It may be a good time to join them. By March 2027, all UK firms will need to comply with new “Simpler Recycling” rules. The guidelines aim to ensure that all commercial waste is properly produced, stored, transported and disposed of without harming the environment. 

How much does it cost for businesses?

For businesses, part of the allure of zero-waste food apps is the ability to profit from stock that would otherwise have gone in the bin. Even with goods being sold at a third of the price, most struggling cafes and market stalls would agree that any sale is better than no sale.

However, it’s worth noting that these platforms are not entirely free to use. Take Too Good To Go as an example. It’s free to sign up, but after the first three months, businesses are charged a flat annual fee of £46.80 (including VAT).

You’ll also be charged a commission on every sale. For surprise bags under £4.40, Too Good To Go takes a fixed fee of £1.09 (plus VAT). For those over £4.40, the fee increases to 25% (plus VAT) of the price per bag sold.

You’ll also only receive payment on a quarterly basis, which is something to be aware of when you’re planning your cash flow forecast.

Free food, free marketing

Fees aside, for many organisations, the main benefit to zero-waste food apps won’t actually be about clearing your pastries before they go off. It’s also a way to get your business on the app map, and attract new customers from the platform’s user base.

Users download the app and browse eateries near them, building brand awareness. This could also lead to full-priced sales, as there’s the opportunity to upsell other products when the user comes in to collect their surprise bag.

According to a user survey conducted by Too Good To Go, 76% of surplus food shoppers then return as regulars; making it an unlikely customer retention strategy. 

And of course, there are also benefits for your brand reputation. Environmental awareness is growing among consumers. In one 2023 study by WRAP England, 63% of UK diners said they were concerned about wasting food when they were eating out. 

Demonstrating that your company is taking clear steps to reduce its carbon emissions will make it clear that you are practicing your company values, not just professing them.