As a foodservice operator, you're constantly faced with the tyranny of the urgent, so it's easy to overlook food waste prevention. According to the National Restaurant Association, the United States foodservice sector generates an estimated 22 to 33 billion pounds of food waste each year. Environmental and humanitarian concerns aside, reducing food waste is vital for a restaurant's financial success. The average restaurant loses anywhere from 4 to 10 percent of the food they purchase to food waste, so reducing food waste can cut your costs by 2 to 6 percent. In the tight margins of a restaurant budget, this effort is more than worth your while. We walk you through the different aspects of reducing food waste so you can put an effective plan in place.
What Is Food Waste?
Food waste is the disposal of food during consumption. It encompasses plate waste (food served but not consumed), spoiled items, and inedible parts like peels and rinds. This wastage can happen for various reasons, such as overstocking, improper food storage, or products exceeding their expiration date.
What Is Consumer Waste?
Food waste falls under the broader category of consumer waste. We walk you through the three types of consumer waste below:
- Pre-Consumer Waste: food that doesn’t leave the kitchen
- Post-Consumer Waste: food that is purchased by a customer, but is not eaten
- Disposables: paper goods, plastic utensils, packaging, and similar items
How to Reduce Food Waste in Your Restaurant
By implementing effective strategies to reduce food waste, commercial kitchens can not only save money but also contribute to a more sustainable environment. From proper inventory management to creative menu planning, there are various practical ways for businesses to minimize food waste and operate more efficiently. To effectively minimize food waste in your restaurant, consider implementing the following steps:
1. Conduct a Food Waste Audit
A food waste audit is identifying where your operation's food waste comes from, so you can then find ways to reduce it. There are two main elements of tracking food waste; tracking how much food is being wasted and how many people come through your restaurant. By gathering data for both of these variables, you can get a better sense of what your biggest source of waste is. We explain how to track your food and foot traffic below.
- Food Log System: Provide your staff with a simple sheet of paper where they can keep track of pre-consumer waste (food that never left the kitchen), noting what's being discarded, the reasons for disposal, and the quantity wasted. Additionally, it is beneficial to maintain a separate sheet for tracking post-consumer waste, which refers to uneaten food that customers have paid for.
- Traffic Log System: A traffic log provides insight into the number of guests served on a particular day and the prevailing weather conditions. Establishing a baseline of expected traffic based on previous years' data helps chefs make informed decisions regarding food orders. Over time, this data becomes increasingly valuable as trends become more evident. Many POS systems offer daily log features, making it essential to consider this functionality when selecting a POS system for your establishment.
2. Adjust Portion Sizes and Prep
Use your thorough analysis of customer preferences and consumption patterns to tailor your serving sizes according to what portion sizes are most commonly consumed by customers and which are discarded. You can also offer flexible portions, such as offering small or large portion options to accommodate varying appetites. This not only gives customers the freedom to choose the amount of food they want to consume but also reduces the likelihood of excess food being left uneaten.
Utilizing portion control tools, such as measuring cups, scales, or portion control scoops, can help kitchen staff accurately portion out ingredients and meals. These tools ensure consistency in portion sizes and help prevent food waste caused by inconsistent serving amounts. By educating employees on the significance of portion sizes and providing them with the necessary tools and guidelines, businesses can promote a culture of waste reduction throughout their operations.
3. Be Intentional with Menu Planning
By monitoring customer preferences and analyzing sales data, businesses can identify which items are consistently in high demand and which ones tend to be wasted. This information allows chefs to adjust menu offerings accordingly, focusing on popular dishes while reducing the production of less favored items. Additionally, tracking dish popularity enables businesses to optimize portion sizes, ensuring that customers are served the right amount of food without excess waste.
Another way chefs can use recipe management to reduce food waste is by repurposing ingredients across multiple dishes. By creatively incorporating surplus items into new recipes, chefs can minimize the need to discard unused products. For example, chefs can repurpose vegetable scraps and make flavorful stocks or soups, while leftover proteins can be transformed into innovative appetizers or specials. This approach not only reduces waste but also adds variety to the menu, enticing customers with unique offerings.
4. Train Staff and Enforce Efforts
Ensuring that your staff is well-informed and actively engaged in waste reduction efforts can significantly reduce the amount of food that is thrown away. First and foremost, it is essential to make sure that your staff understands the cost of ingredients. By educating your team on how much each ingredient costs, you can help them develop a greater appreciation for the value of the food they are working with. Encourage them to treat each ingredient as if they had personally purchased it, instilling a sense of responsibility and mindfulness when handling food. Make sure they are well-educated in both food storage and preparation techniques that reduce waste.
Communication is key when it comes to reducing food waste in a commercial kitchen. Take the time to talk to your staff regularly about ways to improve efficiency and minimize waste. Encourage them to share any ideas or suggestions they may have for reducing food waste and involve them in the decision-making process. By fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration, you can work together to implement effective waste reduction strategies. In situations where there is a small amount of ingredients left that may not be sufficient for another dinner service, consider offering staff meals. This not only helps to minimize waste but also shows appreciation for your team's hard work and dedication.
5. Implement FIFO
FIFO, an abbreviation for "first in first out", is a method of inventory management where products are used in the order they were received, with the oldest items being used first. To implement FIFO, you must store newly received products behind existing stock, so that older items are used first. This simple practice ensures that products with earlier expiration dates are used before newer ones, reducing the likelihood of food waste due to spoilage.
In addition to organizing your storage areas, labeling is essential for successful FIFO implementation. Clearly label all products with the date of receipt and expiration date, if applicable. This makes it easy for your staff to identify which products to use first, based on the FIFO principle. Regularly check and rotate your inventory to ensure that older items are being used before newer ones. By following the FIFO method, you can prevent food spoilage, reduce the risk of serving expired products, and ultimately save money by reducing food waste.
6. Maximize Food Shelf Life
Properly storing food items is crucial for maximizing shelf life and reducing food waste in commercial settings. By following these guidelines, businesses can ensure that their ingredients and products remain fresh for longer periods, ultimately saving money and minimizing waste.
- Temperature: Maintaining the appropriate temperature is key to preserving the usability of perishable items. Refrigerated goods should be stored at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to slow down bacterial growth and prevent spoilage. Freezing items at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower can further extend their shelf life.
- Air-Tight Containers: Using air-tight containers or packaging can help preserve the freshness of food items by preventing exposure to oxygen, which can lead to oxidation and deterioration. Vacuum sealing or tightly sealing containers can also help maintain the quality of products.
- Proper Handling: Proper handling practices, such as washing produce before storage and avoiding cross-contamination, can help prevent premature spoilage and extend the shelf life of ingredients. Following food safety protocols is essential in maintaining the quality of food items.
- Cold Food Storage Organization: Organizing cold food storage areas effectively can help businesses keep track of inventory and ensure that items are used before their expiration dates. Proper labeling, clear rotation systems, and designated storage areas for different types of products can streamline operations and reduce the risk of waste.
7. Help Customers Reduce Food Waste
You can’t control if every customer finishes their food, but you can implement strategies to help them reduce their food waste. First, make sure your food is accurately described on the menu. By providing detailed and enticing descriptions of dishes, guests are more likely to order items they will enjoy and finish. This can help prevent food from being left uneaten due to mismatched expectations.
Encouraging guests to take leftovers home is another effective way to reduce food waste. Offering convenient packaging options and reminding guests of the option to take leftovers can go a long way in minimizing waste. Additionally, waitstaff can offer to include additional sauce or condiments with packaged leftovers. This simple gesture can enhance the taste of leftover food, making it more appealing for guests to enjoy at a later time.
8. Outsource Leftovers
If you have items that are still safe for consumption but, for one reason or another, can’t be used, a local food bank may appreciate your contribution to feeding people in your community. Programs like Feeding America make it easy to put those unsellable leftovers to good use. Food banks will sometimes even come to your establishment and pick up food for free, and you can claim these charitable donations on your tax return.
Another option is to repurpose leftover food scraps as animal feed. Many local farmers will provide low-cost or free pick-up for food scraps, which can be fed to hogs or other animals. If you go this route, you will want to make sure you are following any local, state, or federal regulations on what can and can't be used for animal feed. It presents another chance to help out the local economy while cutting back on your food waste at the same time.
Back to TopBy delving deeper into the amount of food waste your restaurant generates, you can identify areas for improvement. If you discover that your waste production is higher than expected, implementing simple monitoring and waste reduction measures can be beneficial. Reducing food waste not only benefits your community and the environment but also increases your profits.
