10 Ways to Reduce Food Waste in Your Restaurant

Food lasts longer when it is stored correctly. Ensure that your fridges and freezers are running at the right temperature and that food is stored in the right position, for example keeping high risk foods stored on lower shelves. Storing food in the right condition is vital to preserving quality and preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria, both of which can quickly lead to food waste. You should also ensure that all food is labelled correctly, especially if it has been decanted into a different container for storage. Plastic tubs filled with nondescript food can sit unnoticed in the back of your walk-in for months, until an unsuspecting member of staff spots it during the lunch rush and it has to be thrown away. Instead, make sure you implement a clear labelling system that details all key information such as the expiration date, a product description and any relevant allergen labelling. This makes it easier to keep track of what you have and what needs using. 

Using seasonal ingredients in menus can reduce food waste and the cost of supplies. Buying fruits and vegetables when they are in season tends to be cheaper as they are abundant and more readily available. They also have a lower carbon footprint as it is their natural growing season and they don’t require as much transportation. By using seasonal ingredients you are committing to using them within a certain time frame. Since this time frame is limited, it encourages you to find creative ways to make the most of the ingredients while you can, reducing the amount of food that is wasted since it will potentially not be readily available again for another year. A well planned menu is integral to reducing food waste and a smart menu enables you to have a more creative approach to this. You can make your menu ‘smart’ by developing dishes that use the same ingredients in similar ways. This ensures that should you over prepare ingredients, they can be used in different dishes rather than going to waste.  

By law, all food handlers must be trained in food safety. Training staff on how to properly and safely handle, store and prepare food helps to reduce waste generated through human error. Preparation waste is one of the main causes of food waste in restaurants and the hospitality industry as a whole. Therefore, training staff in the importance of reducing food waste will enable them to prepare food in a way that creates as little waste as possible. Training staff is more than dictating to them what they should and shouldn’t do. It’s a chance to explain the rationale behind certain practices. If staff are made aware of why reducing food waste is so important and how their actions can directly affect its generation, they will be better able to make sustainable choices that reduce food waste.

Environmentalism is no longer just a buzz word intended to guilt people into walking more and driving less. Social awareness around the importance of protecting the planet continues to grow and has led to tangible changes in consumer behaviour. A 2024 YouGov report found that 60% of Britons agree that climate change is the biggest threat to civilisation. The report also found that 64% of British consumers are willing to pay up to 10% more for more sustainable options. By being open about your desire to reduce food waste, you can engage with these changes in attitudes and appeal to consumers who are making more sustainable choices. Moreover, you can then encourage those same customers to make environmentally friendly choices when visiting you, such as taking home leftovers, sharing larger meals to avoid plate waste or trying a sample before committing. Reducing food waste is just one way in which you can improve sustainability in your restaurant. However, regardless of which methods you choose to adopt, engaging your customers can help you to appeal to a broader range of people and grow your consumer base.

Customer leftovers account for a significant proportion of the food waste generated by the hospitality industry. Offering different portion sizes helps to reduce the amount of food left to waste and allows customers to make better informed decisions regarding how much food they will be able to consume. There is also a cost implication that will appeal to many as smaller portions can be made cheaper which also enables consumers to try more items from your menu. Providing the option to have a side dish as a main, or change a main into a side, gives consumers more control over how much food they order and in turn, how much food is wasted. You can also apply this thinking to sides or garnishes and provide customers with the option to remove a side or garnish that they know they won’t eat. One way to reduce food waste is to reduce the number of items that you have on your menu. However, if this is not viable for your business or simply a change you do not want to make, adaptable or smaller portion sizes can help to reduce waste in a similar way without compromising the variety on your menu.

Over-ordering is another notable cause of food waste in the industry. As such, ordering ingredients in a more efficient manner is a good way to reduce waste. Whilst it can be tempting to stock up or buy in bulk if your supplier has a good deal on, doing so can leave you with more food than you need which inevitably ends up being wasted. Instead, ensure that you only purchase the ingredients that you know your business will use. Keep an inventory of stock so that you know exactly which ingredients you have ready to hand at all times. Having a detailed list of what ingredients you have stored where, as well as their expiration date helps to prevent food being forgotten and going to waste, or being ordered in excess and leaving you with more than you can use before it spoils. Another key part of efficient ordering is inspecting your deliveries when they arrive. When deliveries arrive it is important to check items, both for quality and signs of damage and to check that you are only accepting what you actually ordered and what you actually need. Rejecting anything that is visibly spoiled, damaged, or has been transported at the incorrect temperature, will ensure you do not accept food that will spoil quicker than you can use it.

Poor stock organisation can lead to food waste as it makes it harder to keep track of your stock. This can lead to over-ordering as you buy more stock than needed. Introducing a simple system such as First In, First Out (FIFO) allows you to rotate stock, ensuring that older items are kept at the front and are therefore used first. The process of rotating your stock enables you to keep track of what you have and strategically position ingredients so that those that will expire soon are used first.

When food is composted rather than being sent to a land fill, the organic matter is turned into valuable fertiliser. This fertiliser is nutrient rich and great for gardening and growing your own ingredients. This may not be a viable option for all businesses, however, composting food waste is a great way to divert it from landfills and give it a new lease on life. You may choose to set up a compost bin and use the compost produced to grow herbs for your restaurant, or get in touch with a local allotment and see if they have a communal compost bin that they would let you contribute to. Composting is more than leaving food to rot in the garden and you need to ensure that the conditions are suitable for the microorganisms to break down any organic material. However, once you have the basics mastered, composting can be a simple way to turn food waste into something useful.

Preparation leftovers include things such as animal bones, vegetable peels and fruit skins and these leftovers need not head straight for the bin once the main dish has been prepared. Animal bones and vegetable peels can be used to make flavourful stocks and soups which can then be used for other dishes. Conversely, fruit skins can easily be used as garnishes for desserts or cocktails. Getting creative with how you repurpose preparation leftovers encourages your staff to use food more efficiently and make the most out of the ingredients that they are preparing.

Donating or selling surplus food ensures that any leftover food goes to a good home, rather than to waste. Setting up connections with local charities or food banks enables you to donate leftover meals and ingredients to people in need. If this is not a financially viable option, apps such as Too Good to Go provide a good middle ground in which surplus food is rescued from the landfill and sold at a reduced price.