--- title: "Too Good To Go's Business Model of Doing Good" description: "The story of Too Good To Go, the app that turned rescuing surplus restaurant food into a growing, purpose-driven business model." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/blog/too-good-to-go-when-doing-good-became-a-business-model/ --- # Too Good To Go: When Doing Good Became a Business Model In 2015 a small group of Danish entrepreneurs stared at towering piles of buffet leftovers and asked, “What if this waste could be value?” In Copenhagen they sketched out an idea: an app to rescue… 5 min read· Business Intelligence / Marketing and Loyalty / Online Ordering / Growth In 2015 a small group of Danish entrepreneurs stared at towering piles of buffet leftovers and asked, **“What if this waste could be value?”** In Copenhagen they sketched out an idea: an app to rescue unsold food. By early 2016 **Too Good To Go** was born – a pocket-sized marketplace connecting restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores with hungry customers hungry for a bargain and a cause. As CEO Mette Lykke explains, they weren’t just selling cheap meals, they were **“taking an issue that everyone hates and turning it into a win for everyone.”**\ This was the bold mission from day one: turn surplus into opportunity, and fight food waste at scale. Food waste is a global crisis. Every year roughly **one-third of all food produced** goes uneaten, fueling 8–10% of greenhouse emissions. The UK alone tosses **8.3 million tonnes** of edible food annually. Too Good To Go tackled this head-on with a **win-win-win model**: businesses reclaim revenue from unsold food, consumers enjoy quality meals at steep discounts, and the planet gains fewer emissions. “We are taking an issue that everyone loves and turning it into a win for everyone,” Lykke says – a mantra that guided their design. From its first weeks in Denmark, the app was a hit. Hundreds of local cafes and bakeries uploaded _“Magic Bags”_ of leftovers, and thousands of users snapped them up. The model spread: by late 2016 the team launched in Norway, the UK and France [toogoodtogo.com](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us/our-history#:~:text=THE%20COMMUNITY%20GROWS). ![Article image for Too Good To Go: When Doing Good Became a Business Model](https://www.ordering.co/_astro/blog/beec241a1631855e-1400w.webp) Word-of-mouth and social buzz carried it forward. _What could feel cooler than sharing your surprise bag haul on TikTok, knowing you saved three meals for $10?_ In fact, user-generated videos soon went viral – “For $10… three meals is a pretty good deal,” one TikTok reviewer marveled [modernretail.co](https://www.modernretail.co/operations/too-good-to-go-teams-up-with-whole-foods/#:~:text=their%20own,has%20been%20instrumental%20to%20Too) – and helped skyrocket Too Good To Go’s reach. ![Article image for Too Good To Go: When Doing Good Became a Business Model](https://www.ordering.co/_astro/blog/ee4ca84c503240e2-926w.webp) By 2025, Too Good To Go has become a **global marketplace empire**. The official impact tally is staggering: **100+ million registered users** and **400+ million meals saved **[toogoodtogo.com ](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us/our-history#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20now,real%20difference%20in%20the%20world)[toogoodtogo.com](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us/our-history#:~:text=). It works with **175,000 partner stores** across **19 countries** (Europe and North America) [toogoodtogo.com](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us/our-history#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20now,real%20difference%20in%20the%20world). Major retailers and chains are on board – think Costa Coffee (UK), Carrefour and Lidl (Europe), Starbucks (US), among many others. The brand even secured **B Corp certification**, embedding social impact into its DNA [toogoodtogo.com](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20is,to%20fight%20food%20waste%20together). And it’s profitable: in 2023 Too Good To Go crossed the €100M annual revenue mark [modernretail.co](https://www.modernretail.co/operations/too-good-to-go-teams-up-with-whole-foods/#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20became,which%20retailers%20are%20joining%20the), proving you can _do good and do well_ simultaneously. Too Good To Go’s success rests on a simple, engaging platform. The app lets users dial in their location and pick-up time, then browse local “Surprise Bags” at a tap [medium.com](https://medium.com/theazarian/too-good-to-go-the-app-thats-too-good-to-miss-8218c3efc037#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20connects,to%20the%20business%20at%20the). One click reserves and pays, and at the end of the day you collect your mystery bundle — a thrill that keeps users coming back. As the founders say, _“You can’t always be sure what will be in your Surprise Bag… the surprise is part of the fun.”_[medium.com](https://medium.com/theazarian/too-good-to-go-the-app-thats-too-good-to-miss-8218c3efc037#:~:text=We%20look%20forward%20to%20the,with%20their%20Surprise%20Bag%20hauls) This gamified twist has made rescuing food feel like a fun challenge, especially for younger, eco-conscious millennials and Gen Zers who love sharing their discoveries online. Every weekend, review posts and TikTok unboxings amplify the message: saving the planet can be exciting (and delicious). Underneath the friendly UX lies powerful sustainability tracking. Consumers see real-time impact stats: how many meals they’ve saved, emissions avoided, etc. In fact, Too Good To Go recently added an **impact tracker** so “each consumer can see their up-to-the-minute savings and environmental impact” [medium.com](https://medium.com/theazarian/too-good-to-go-the-app-thats-too-good-to-miss-8218c3efc037#:~:text=We%20are%20constantly%20iterating%20and,to%20businesses%20via%20consumer%20feedback). Behind the scenes, the team watches metrics like total meals saved, active stores and user growth [medium.com](https://medium.com/theazarian/too-good-to-go-the-app-thats-too-good-to-miss-8218c3efc037#:~:text=Food%20waste%20is%20a%20time,stores%2C%20and%20unique%20paying%20users). This data-driven approach not only measures progress but fuels the mission – they can confidently say they’ve diverted carbon emissions equivalent to hundreds of thousands of flight trips. ![Article image for Too Good To Go: When Doing Good Became a Business Model](https://www.ordering.co/_astro/blog/27b22922eedf8f50-1024w.webp) **Too Good To Go built…** **What you can build with Ordering.co…** Surplus food marketplace connecting unsold meals with hungry customers Your own purpose-driven marketplace (e.g. food rescue, waste reduction, eco-friendly goods) 100M+ users and 400M+ meals rescued Launch in days: a no-code platform “to launch a scalable, automated marketplace” 175,000 partners in 19 countries with brand-name chains (Costa, Carrefour, Starbucks…) Fully customizable ordering platform (web & native apps) with payments, delivery, loyalty, etc. Engaging “Surprise Bag” gamification (mystery bundle of food) Flexible promo tools (coupons, challenges, loyalty) to gamify any behavior Too Good To Go's impact counters and certifications concern its own business. Ordering.co provides operational order and sales analytics; specialist impact methodology and reporting require a separate scope. A dream of “a planet with no food waste” White-labeled solution to build **your** brand’s vision at global scale Every item in this table shows a lesson: Too Good To Go **proved** the appetite for eco-marketplaces. Now _you_ can take the lead. Imagine launching a platform that rescues clothes, electronics, or any surplus as easily as Too Good To Go rescued sandwiches. With Ordering.co’s connected ordering technology, founders can spin up a marketplace in weeks — no developers needed[ordering.co](https://www.ordering.co/). Ordering.co provides the storefront, apps, payment gateway, delivery integration, and even loyalty and marketing tools[ordering.co](https://www.ordering.co/). In short, **your vision + our tech = powerful impact**. **Ready to fight waste (or drive any social mission) the marketplace way?** Too Good To Go’s journey shows it’s possible: one surprise bag at a time. Now it’s your turn to disrupt an industry and build your own empire – with Ordering.co powering your marketplace. “Turn waste into opportunity, and change lives while you do it,” says the Winning Mindset. Launch your sustainability-driven marketplace on Ordering.co today! Click here to get started. **Sources:** Insights on Too Good To Go’s history and impact come from the company’s site and recent coverage [toogoodtogo.com](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/about-us/our-history#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20was,by%20buffet%20restaurants%20in%20Denmark)[ foodnavigator.com ](https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/09/04/Too-Good-To-Go-turns-food-waste-into-business-It-really-is-a-win-win-win-concept/#:~:text=%E2%80%9C,%E2%80%9D)[medium.com](https://medium.com/theazarian/too-good-to-go-the-app-thats-too-good-to-miss-8218c3efc037#:~:text=We%20are%20constantly%20iterating%20and,to%20businesses%20via%20consumer%20feedback) [modernretail.co](https://www.modernretail.co/operations/too-good-to-go-teams-up-with-whole-foods/#:~:text=Too%20Good%20To%20Go%20became,which%20retailers%20are%20joining%20the). Ordering.co feature data is from Ordering.co official documentation. ## Who pays Too Good To Go, and for what? The [official partner onboarding page](https://join.toogoodtogo.com/), reviewed November 10, 2026, describes an annual fee and a commission on Surprise Bags sold. The [US Store Terms](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us/legal/terms-and-conditions-marketplace), version 3.0 effective June 16, 2025, name a Partnership Fee for marketplace use and a Reservation Fee for confirmed reservations. Amounts and applicable commercial terms are set in the store account and its agreement; do not apply a quoted fee or payout schedule universally across countries. The **store pays the platform fees**. Under those US terms, the Reservation Fee is deducted from the store's payout, with applicable tax treatment described separately. The **consumer pays the listed reservation/purchase amount** through the app for the bag supplied by the store. That customer amount is not all platform revenue: the store's proceeds and the platform's contracted fees are distinct. Reconciliation, cancellations and refunds can change the final amount paid out. For a business-model calculation, keep gross bag collections, store proceeds, platform fees and taxes on separate lines. Meals rescued, registered users and estimated environmental impact are operating or impact measures, not the platform's revenue or the merchant's profit. Food cost, packing and staff time remain relevant to the store's result. [Review the invoice-to-settlement distinction](https://www.ordering.co/blog/restaurant-invoicing/) before comparing this model with another marketplace. ## Keep reading. - ## [What Is a Custom Order? The On-Demand Errand Model, Explained](https://www.ordering.co/blog/what-is-a-custom-order-the-on-demand-errand-model-explained/) A Custom Order is an on-demand errand request placed through your ordering platform — not tied to any specific shop or menu. - ## [Custom Work: The Hidden Advantage Your Business Is Missing](https://www.ordering.co/blog/custom-work-the-hidden-advantage-your-business-is-missing/) Let’s get real for a moment. - ## [From Idea to Unicorn: How Slice Became a $380M Success](https://www.ordering.co/blog/from-idea-to-unicorn-how-slice-became-a-380m-success/) Have you ever wondered what it really takes to build a startup that raises over $380 million across 15 rounds? What if you could create the next marketplace unicorn from scratch? ## See it running on your own menu. The shortest way to understand any of this is to watch an order go from a storefront to a store to a driver, on your locations. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See a live demo](https://www.ordering.co/demo/)