Food waste is a significant issue for many UK restaurants. Not only does it impact the environment, with food waste accounting for 6-8% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, but it also impacts your bottom line.
You’ll be pleased to know that with a few simple changes, you can reduce your restaurant’s, hotel’s or pub’s food waste, improve your carbon footprint and reduce your food waste costs. In this article, we’ll uncover 10 effective food waste tips to help you improve food waste reduction in your restaurant.
How to decrease food waste in restaurants
1. Conduct a food waste audit
For restaurants reducing food waste, the first step is understanding where and why it occurs. By conducting a food waste audit, you can record data, identify your problem areas and implement solutions to reduce wasted food. To track food waste, you’ll want to divide it into the following categories:
- Preparation waste: Trimmings, peelings and expired ingredients.
- Plate waste: Food returned by customers or staff.
- Spoiled inventory: Items that have gone out of date or spoiled before use.
From there, you can analyse your data and identify patterns. Perhaps certain ingredients are frequently thrown out, or you’re serving too large portions which encourages food waste. From these audit results, you can identify problem areas and take actionable steps to reduce food waste as a business.
2. Optimise your menu
Having an optimised menu can significantly reduce unnecessary food waste in your restaurant. By designing your menu strategically and removing unpopular dishes, you can look to minimise leftover food, and better meet the preferences of your customers.
An overly extensive menu often leads to excess food waste because it requires you to stock a wide variety of ingredients, some of which may not be used often enough. Instead, focus on a smaller selection of popular dishes that use similar or leftover ingredients to reduce waste and the risk of spoilage. You could also look to incorporate seasonal ingredients into your menu by working with local suppliers, like All Greens, which are not only fresher and less likely to spoil quickly but are often more cost-effective and delicious.
3. Order fresh, order local
Ordering your produce from a quality, local supplier reduces carbon emissions by taking less time for food to get from the farm to your kitchen. It also limits food wastage before your ingredients stay fresher for longer.
Here at AllGreens, we work closely with British and European farmers to source the freshest produce at the peak of the season, while reducing food miles as much as possible Open a wholesale account with us today and get fresh, locally sourced produce delivered to your door. Your dedicated account manager can provide their expertise to plan your menu around the seasons so you use produce sourced as locally as possible.
4. Encourage customers to take home leftovers
If diners don’t finish their meal, encourage them to take their remaining food home. You could train your staff to proactively offer takeaway boxes while they clean tables, making it a natural and easy process for your customers.
Try to opt for eco-friendly, plastic-free containers to align with your sustainability goals. By encouraging customers to take home leftovers, you can significantly reduce plate waste while leaving a friendly and positive impression on your customers.
5. Introduce pre-ordering
Pre-ordering is a simple but effective way for your restaurant to reduce food waste. By allowing diners to place their order in advance, whether they’re dining in or taking it away, your restaurant can plan ahead and prepare only what’s needed. This can give you a clear picture of customer demand ahead of time, minimising over-preparation and only using the required amount of ingredients. This can help you save money on surplus ingredients and streamline your kitchen operations by helping chefs work more efficiently and reducing any last-minute rush.
6. Repurpose leftovers
Repurposing your restaurant’s leftover food is an effective way to minimise food waste and save money too. Rather than throwing out unsold or unused food or food scraps, you could transform them into new dishes. You could use vegetable peels for stocks or soups, turn stale bread into croutons or breadcrumbs or use excess proteins like chicken or fish as salad ingredients. Alternatively, you could allow staff to take leftover food home.
7. Partner with food donation programs
Why not give back to your local community and donate leftovers to food banks or charities? Giving local charities or food banks surplus food (that is still safe to eat, of course) can be a great way to help your community while aligning your business with ethical and sustainable practices.
8. Compost organic waste
Rather than throwing away food scraps, consider composting them. Composting is an eco-friendly alternative to simply throwing away food waste. You could partner with local composting facilities or use an in-house composting system to turn your food waste into soil.
9. Track and adjust
Reducing wasted food isn’t just a box-ticking exercise – it’s an ongoing process. Continuously monitoring your efforts and making necessary changes can ensure you stick to and achieve your waste management goals. Use technology to your advantage too, such as inventory management software, to streamline your tracking and identify ways you can improve. Why not involve your suppliers in the process? Working with a good supplier who has your best interests in mind will work closely with you and your team to track food purchasing data and help you identify areas for improvement.
Let’s wrap things up
Reducing food waste in your restaurant isn’t just better for the planet, it can also benefit your business by helping you to save money and improve customer relationships. Implementing these tips into your workplace can help you become more sustainable, cut costs and ultimately give your reputation a boost.
Get in touch with us today at our New Covent Garden Market head office and see why 100s of chefs around London already love using All Greens.
