How can you reduce food waste in hospitality?

Cooking and dishing out the food for right numbers, Understanding the customers and tgeir food habits, Timely securing of food left over which can be rechauffed, cooking in batches to keep the food fresh, Cooking and emphasising on live cooking stations in bulk business to safeguard minimal wastages of food and revenue..

It’s imperative that everyone in the industry is educated on the devastating effects of food shortages and starvation in parts of the world through videos and articles of actual happenings in the world in various parts of the planet . Just because there seems to be an abundance of food in a hotel / restaurant operation does not mean that deep awareness of utilisation without wastage is not needed .

Here at The Conduit, we cater to food demands of the season, meaning that fresher, more local products are used and are thus more likely to be eaten simply! I think discussions regarding portion sizing are a dangerous and slippery slope to go down, but careful menu planning which caters to what is more likely to be eaten, as well as what is less likely to be damaged or destroyed across long journeys is what we need to be doing.

Food wastage not just occurs from plate to Bin but also occurs from farm to Market or poor logistic system. 1.Authorised Regularisation Of crops: this will help the farmers to nurture their crops and sell them in good eco system resulting in to more value for the yielded crops abolishing the middle man. 2. Good logistic and storage infrastructure: A produce does require good transportation infrastructure and storage spaces for the longevity from to market, thus controlling wastage. 3. Excess produce: if any need to be processed in the factories to jams,jelly, pickles, sauces and marmalades,etc 4. Sustainable practices: chefs , homemakers,every food joints should come up with recipes with head to tail consumption with minimal wastage.

There are very few chefs or kitchen managers who measure and record food wasteage. To control food wasteage a lot of checks and balances are needed at every stage starting from menu creation to requisition to ordering to storage to food preparation. Even the food displays and portion sizes have to be precisely measured. In many kitchen operations there are these smart practices but to achieve success the entire cycles requires defined systems

Offer customers serving size options. Normal portions at regular prices, smaller portions at a reduced price. Adjust price to protect margins but lower prices with less waste in this environment will be appreciated. Add this mission to your menu. The amount of left overs, despite portion controls in the kitchen are astounding.

Based on awareness of what is happening, what has happened previously during the same season and having a forecast is extremely important. That helps you roll out a strategy. The next critical part id having a buy in of everyone about it and then being patient enough and persuasive enough to have the execution hand-held and monitored.

Menu engineering is paramount. Have your staple products in your menu and cross utilize them in the whole menu. Apply different cooking techniques for the same product and rotate them based on season, availability and demand. I suggest to use the "Hilton formula". After several weeks, track your sales and divide them in four categories: 1- Star -dish that sells very well and is cost effective 2- Plow- dish that is well known by the client to attract traction to your establishment 3-Puzzle- dish that sells randomly ( this week sold, the following week did not) 4- Dog - doesn't sells and is not cost effective Once you understand your menu performance, then you can adjust the inventory accordingly.

Efficient menu planning and inventory management are essential for tackling food waste. Seasonal forecasting, based on historical data, feedback, and market trends, aligns offerings with demand, reducing overproduction and overstocking. Staying proactive in each season enables accurate ordering, ensuring popular items are well-stocked and reducing food costs. Clear cambros and storage bins streamline inventory, promoting freshness and efficient ingredient use. Incorporating a waste bin encourages creativity in repurposing leftovers, further minimizing waste and decreasing costs. These practices reduce food waste while upholding quality and safety.

you avoid food wastage by first sticking to your recipes and controlling your portions thats cooking as per the number of the desired customers ,controlling your purchasing by avoiding buying perishable things in bulk yet the quantities needed are less .keeping tabs and controlling your food cost by ensuring that your costing is within the desired levels ,setting systems that work in terms of controls and finally controlling all your procurement from the point of entry up to the time they are served as food in a plate and ensuring that nothing has been lost .

At Planta restaurant, we took a unique approach to staff training and food waste reduction. We maintained a rooftop garden with seasonal ingredients, highlighting the seed-to-table cycle. Chefs actively participated in growing herbs, microgreens, and more. This hands-on experience fostered a deep appreciation for ingredients. Chefs were responsible for harvesting before each service, reinforcing the value of growing and cooking. This approach educated our staff on the environmental and economic impacts of food waste. By creating a culture of reciprocity between chef and guest, we successfully minimized food waste, contributing to a more sustainable dining experience.

Once you determine the direction of your menus, create highly detailed specifications for every item on those menus...not simply the entrees. After all, the waste of soup/salad/sides ingredients can add up quickly. Be certain to include the purchasing/kitchen staffs in the creation of the specs making it clear their participation in the documentation process will ensure consistency, guest satisfaction, profitability and reduced waste. Lastly, "Inspect What You Expect." Conduct unscheduled kitchen visits to make detailed inspections of adherence to the established specifications. Praise when the results are positive. Counsel when there are "variances." A culture of establishing and reinforcing specs will always contribute to less waste.

Engaging customers is vital in reducing food waste. Educate them about your restaurant's narrative and ethos, fostering a sense of ownership. Valuing feedback, even altering dishes based on their suggestions, highlights commitment to their experience. Utilizing data-tracking programs like BreadCrumb (without brand promotion) predicts guest preferences for tailored experiences. Encourage ordering what can be consumed and seek feedback for collaborative waste reduction. Partner with customers for food donation or composting, demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainability. Customer involvement is key in our collective effort to combat food waste.

It believe that organizations can propose establishing a dedicated committee within the organization, comprised of passionate employees who are deeply interested in sustainability. This team will be the driving force behind our food waste reduction initiatives. Challenge all employees, encouraging them to actively reduce food waste in their respective departments or workspaces. To make this challenge compelling, we will set clear and measurable metrics and goals. It is critical that the entire team is aware of the cost of waste. When the team is able to understand the actual dollars and cents they will see waste as a cost as it happens. Those who pay pay attention.

Customers can be encouraged to order what can be consumed as well as encouraged to take away if quantity remaining is sufficient. Customers need to be educated on the threat of food wastage that is quite apparent in the planet and given options for them to contribute in reducing it.

One of the most important thing is to give standard portion to the customers _May be food is rejected because of lack of good taste so it's good to enhance food tastes. _Due to poor quality food also can be rejected by customer. _Storage can contribute,if the condition are not up to refrigeration standards. _Food should be cooked to ensure that food nutrants are not destroyed in the process by over cooking.

I am continually amazed at the large number of food and beverage businesses that do not have a system for monitoring and recording their food wastage in place. In many businesses that do have a system, it is often poorly implemented and tracked. In order to reduce food wastage you need to have a clear understanding of the current state of affairs, this can only happen if you are collecting the data! Create a system for monitoring wastage, engage your employees in the process, get them on board with the goals and then you will be able to see what food you are ACTUALLY wasting (it may be much more than you think!), and how effective the strategies you are using to reduce food wastage are.

It is essential to establish what the hotel's market positioning is? Who are your customers? Location of hotel, Market mix. Etc... The market positioning and your star report should somehow influence your offering in terms of F&B. Etc..

I prefer always to use iso system, ad you can control everything from the system, so step one to create a system, step two to keep train peoples to learn and have a fully knowledge, step three to keep following up.