BiteShare Terms of Service
Effective Date: August 2026. These terms govern the redistribution of surplus food, hygiene compliance, counter payments, rolling fee accounting, and in-store inspection waivers across the BiteShare network.
1. Fresh Food & Strict Hygiene Standards (For Donors)
Food Donors (restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and grocery stores) agree to uphold uncompromising safety, preparation, and hygiene standards:
- Publish Only Fresh Surplus: Donors must list only surplus food that was prepared fresh on the same day or remains well within safe consumable shelf-life limits.
- Proper Cold Storage & Packaging: Perishable, dairy, cooked, and meat-based items must be maintained under rigorous refrigeration and packaged in clean, food-grade containers up to pickup handover.
- Zero Tolerance for Contamination: Listing expired, spoiled, sour, or contaminated food is strictly forbidden and subject to immediate legal and platform sanctions.
2. 12% Platform Facilitation Fee & Direct Counter Payment
BiteShare does not charge or process online payments from customers on the application.
- Direct Register Settlement: Recipients pay cash or UPI directly to the restaurant counter register upon collecting their reserved surplus food package.
- 12% Commission Structure: For maintaining hyper-local discovery, server infrastructure, and real-time verification, BiteShare retains a 12% platform fee. Store partners keep 88% net earnings.
- FIFO Rolling Balance Ledger: Accumulated platform fees due from restaurants are recorded in an admin rolling balance and settled using First-In, First-Out (FIFO) chronological order.
- 100% Free Shelter Donations: Surplus items designated for verified shelters and NGOs are completely exempt from platform fees.
3. Mandatory In-Store Food Inspection & Quality Waiver
Recipient safety and food quality approval are enforced prior to payment completion:
Recipients are strictly required to physically inspect the food bundle at the store counter prior to making payment. Once the recipient inspects, approves, and takes possession of the food package, BiteShare bears zero liability for subsequent spoilage, unpalatability, or handling issues.
4. Pickup Windows & 4-Digit Security PIN Handshakes
To maintain order accuracy and prevent unauthorized pickups at store counters:
5. Cancellations, Expiries & No-Show Policy
Surplus food has a limited shelf life. Order commitments must be honored responsibly:
- Timely Cancellations: Recipients who cannot make a pickup must cancel their claim in-app ahead of time to release items back to the local feed.
- No-Show Penalty Strikes: Reserving food and failing to show up without cancelling results in a no-show strike. Multiple strikes trigger automatic account suspension.
6. Direct Account Suspension (Zero-Tolerance Food Quality)
If a food donor lists stale, unhygienic, improperly stored, or expired food, or receives substantiated food quality complaints, their BiteShare partner account will face immediate, permanent suspension without notice to preserve community health and safety.
7. Limitation of Liability & Facilitator Role
BiteShare operates exclusively as a hyper-local software facilitator connecting independent food businesses with community members.
BiteShare does not manufacture, cook, inspect, or package food items. Restaurant partners retain 100% legal liability and responsibility for the hygiene, wholesomeness, and safety compliance of all items redistributed.