How To Cut Food Waste In Your Restaurant

Benefits Of Cutting Food Waste

The need to cut food waste in the foodservice industry is made plain by the statistics. Hospitality Magazine cites a study that found the industry was the biggest contributor to landfill. In 2013 this level had reached 661,000 tonnes.

The issue isn't just a morale one however. Food waste also affects a restaurants bottom line. A US study found that 11.3% of the total amount of food purchased for a restaurant was thrown away. Food costs are the second largest expense for restaurants after wages. Just imagine the savings you could make if you were to reduce wastage by 10%.

The moral and cost-saving arguments aren't the only benefits of cutting food waste either. Promoting your sustainability can be a point of difference with your competitors. It can also increase employee morale where staff feel like they are part of a business that is playing it's part and contributing to the great good.

Here are 10 ideas that you can implement in your restaurant or cafe to cut food wastage.

1. Conduct A Waste Audit

The first step your restaurant should take in its attempt to reduce waste is conduct an audit. Where is the waste coming from, what is producing the most? One way to make this easier is to have separate bins for different types of waste. You then need a team of employees to go through and record the types and quantity of waste being produced in your restaurant. Cross-reference this with a review of invoices and any other food delivery documentation. By doing an audit you are better informed about the waste your restaurant produces. This will save you time, money and lead to better results.

2. Change Your Menu

Once you have completed a waste audit you should have identified the menu items that produce the most left overs. Perhaps the item is not selling well or the portion size is too big. You can either decide to eliminate the item or reduce its size. Either way you are reducing waste, reducing food costs and as a result increasing profit.

3. Store Food Properly

Storing food properly is a quick and easy way to cut food waste in your restaurant. Ensure all food is kept in a box or food packaging wrap. Reusable storage containers are preferable as they cut down on items like cling wrap that get thrown out. To prevent spoiling ensure all food is kept at appropriate temperatures and pre-cool hot items to reduce the likelihood of bacteria growth.

4. Store Fruit and Vegetables Separately

We thought this deserved its own heading. Did you know that fruit gives of a ripening agent that can prematurely ripen and spoil surround foods? So Store your water mellon and strawberries separate to your lettuce and tomatoes to prolong their life. 

5. Label and Manage Your Food

As well as storing your food properly you should ensure proper labeling and management so that food is consumed before spoiling. Food labels should be clear and easy to read. Ensure you include important details such as:

• What the item is
• When the food arrived
• The used-by or best-before date

Once the food has been labelled ensure that you manage the way in which food is used. Place new items behind older ones to ensure older items are used first. Another system is the "right to left" rule. Store newer food to the right of the fridge while older food is taken from the left.

6. Portion Control

As mentioned briefly above, portion control is a great way to cut down on food waste. Greenwise Business points to a study that show a third of diners leave food on their plate when eating out. Tips to counteract this include:

• Staff should use portion control scales to ensure the correct amount of food is being served. This will also help you manage ordering and food costs better. 
  
• Give diners the option of different portion sizes.
• Use small plates and glasses
• Set smaller plates but serve food on larger ones. Portions will look bigger that way.

7. Buy Only What You Need

It may seem like an obvious suggestion however impulse decisions and poor planning often get the better of us. Often a supplier will offer discounts on products and the temptation is to stock up at a good price. Of course if you fail to use the ingredients before their use-by then the savings quickly vanish and it can cost you more. If you do want to take advantage of sales or discounts then it is worth asking whether you can get products delivered at various stages of ripeness or even spread out deliveries.

Also ensure you know exactly what you need before placing orders. That way you don't double up on items or find yourself with more of a particular ingredient that you need because you failed to plan what you needed.

8. Gain Buy-In From Others

A key thing to remember is that cutting down on food waste requires a team effort. Educate your team about the importance of cutting food waste and the benefits of doing so. Ask other stakeholders in the business including customers and suppliers how you can work along side them to minimise waste.

9. Create Specials From Soon To Expire Ingreidents

If you begin to anticipate that you won’t sell a certain item before it spoils, creating a temporary pricing special will help you make use of the product and achieve a profit.

10. Donate Food You Will Not Use

As a humanitarian alternative to the last tip, send unused food to the Food Donation Connection which supports those in need. For more information, please visit