When you think about social impact at scale, point-of-sale software might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But for Ani Boyo, Associate Director, Product at Toast and head of its product innovation arm Toast.org, that’s exactly where the magic happens.
In a recent episode of Changemakers From Within, Ani joins Millie founder Rachel Klausner to unpack how a few bold ideas have turned Toast’s product ecosystem into a powerful driver of social good. From reducing food waste to building donation tools for restaurants, Ani shares how impact became embedded in Toast’s DNA.
Listen to the episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts:
From Data Nerd to Product Leader With Purpose
Ani didn’t start in social impact. In fact, he began his Toast journey as a data engineer. But after several years in the weeds of data pipelines and attribution models, he felt a pull toward more people-driven work and eventually, more purpose-driven work.
The turning point came in 2020, when Ani was tapped by leadership to explore how Toast could internalize its mission of “enriching the food experience for all” in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. That exploration led him across every line of business, and eventually into a brand-new role focused on product innovation for good.
How Toast Is Building Products With Purpose
What started as a hackathon idea has become a suite of CSR-powered features helping restaurants do what they’ve always wanted: serve their communities better.
Here are a few of the tools Toast has launched under Ani’s leadership:
Roundup at Checkout: Guests can round up their bills to support local causes chosen by the restaurant, complete with automated disbursement and campaign customization.
Food Waste Tracker: Staff log wasted items directly in the Toast system, providing GMs with real-time insights and helping reduce overproduction.
Food Recovery Integrations: In development now, this tool will automatically notify food recovery partners when restaurants have excess to donate, removing friction and logistics from the process.
Packaging Preferences: Allows guests to opt out of single-use items and ensures restaurant teams receive clear, real-time instructions at point of sale.
Scaling Through a Socially Conscious R&D Model
One of Toast’s secret weapons? A rotational R&D program that lets engineers and designers from across the company temporarily join Ani’s team. They work on scoped, impact-focused projects for a few months before returning to their regular roles.
To date, more than 25 Toast team members have contributed to impact tools through this program, helping to scale Ani’s team without formal headcount.
“We realized people were asking to help and we built a system that let them,” Ani explains.
Solving Real Customer Pain Points, With a Side of Impact
What makes Toast’s approach so effective is that it’s never just about doing good. Every impact product starts with a real customer problem, from food waste to donation fatigue, and then finds a mission-aligned solution that helps restaurants thrive.
“Once you can blend a social mission with a real customer need,” Ani says, “you’re off to the races.”
What’s Next for Toast.org?
The future is focused on scaling. Toast’s upcoming ESG report will capture the full scope of what’s been achieved and where they’re headed next, from EBT/SNAP accessibility to empowering restaurant employees through philanthropy and education.
Ani’s biggest hope? That impact products become the norm, not the exception and that more companies embed this work directly into their product and engineering teams, not just CSR arms.
“Impact isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s a must-have, especially in competitive industries like ours.”
Subscribe to Changemakers from Within and follow Millie for more insights on building meaningful CSR programs that work—from the inside out.
🎧 Listen to the full episode:
Changemakers From Within: Ani Boyo on Using Product to Drive Purpose
This episode includes music by audionautix.com, released for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
