It is an ugly truth that most of us waste so much food when there are many unfortunate people and also animals in the world that starve to death. I know that there are many people who try to help the less fortunate as much as they can by donating food and other essential items but do we really think about the amount we are wasting, especially in restaurants and hotels that could be preserved for the future generations use? If you are a restaurant owner and are concerned about wasting food, these ideas about managing waste is for you.
Keep the stocks in check
There are some items that can be sold quickly and others that will sit for ages before someone orders a food that is made using that ingredient. You have to look at the movement of stocks and identify which items move fast and needs to be restocked quickly and which items do not so that you will not order too much or too little the next time.
Point of sale systems will be of great help in making the identifications as they will have a clear log in comparison to the manual logs that are usually kept. Moreover, they can tell you when the inventory is low and when you should order once you have entered the threshold values minimizing unnecessary order. However, you have to keep in mind that automated systems are only as good as the data you enter. So, if the item you are looking at is a seasonal favourite, make sure you change the threshold values accordingly when the season is over.
Store properly and follow appropriate stock rotation rules
If you have been in the business for some time you will most definitely know the optimal conditions for every single item that is in stock. If you are new, you will have to spend some time doing research as trial and error may not be the option at this point.
Make sure your staff understand the best storage conditions for each item and that they follow them and also make sure there is an established pattern regarding where the new supply is stored so that you will not be using the new items while the older items are bound to perish. If you know where the new stock is, you can follow the first in first out rule and first use what was stored first minimizing waste.
Something like a pub point of sale system can assist you with the stocking of beverages.
Reduce consumer waste
Even though you did everything you can to make sure your staff do not waste food, there is the chance that the consumers will. This is specially evident when you have buffets. One easy way of reducing this type of waste is to make the food extra delicious so that the consumers will not leave anything uneaten!However, this is not easy as not everyone’s preference in taste is the same. So, you can do simple things like make the portion size smaller (of course, you will have to reduce the price), keep smaller plates and serving equipment, etc.
You can also ask the customers if they want to take home the leftovers. There is a high chance that they will finish it later so that the amount wasted will be lesser.
Implement waste disposal methods
What was taken from nature can always be given back to the nature if you are not using it. So, if you still have food waste even after following all of the above suggestions, think of having a compost dump or send it for recycling.