By Adrian Mcdermott 

By reducing food waste in restaurants, not only do you save money you also reduce your business’s carbon footprint. In America, 70 million tons of food is wasted each year. Surveys show that nearly 5 out of 10 customers will pay a little more and patronize establishments that are making a conscious effort to reduce food waste.

Begin with conducting an audit to establish the amount of food that is being wasted. You may have a few surprises in store for you. Such an exercise also reveals those points where maximum food waste happens.

Your staff will be able to highlight the major factors contributing to waste of food in your restaurant. Food waste in restaurants includes food that does not leave the kitchen, food that is left and eaten by customers, and non-food items such as packaging, paper items, take away materials.

In order to reduce food waste, the first step to take is to streamline the order management and inventory process. A “just in time” delivery model will allow you to purchase perishable items as late as possible. Take care to store them properly. Get creative, prepare as many dishes as you can from the ingredients you have. Reduce food waste by providing free means to charities and also your stuff.

Provide accurate information about the quantity and portion sizes so that patrons can order accordingly. Track items that sell and ones that are slow to move. This will help you remove the not so popular dishes from the menu, and you can adjust the ingredient purchases accordingly.

 Cut down on the use of single-use plastics by encouraging your patrons to bring their own thermoses and refillable bottles. Encourage the use of reusable straws. Use biodegradable paper cups.

| Haultail | Demo Bags |