Does it pain you to look at how much food your restaurant wastes every day? Are you desperate to reduce your wastage? Do you want to make your business more eco-friendly? Reducing waste isn't as hard as it might seem, and following the tips below will help you save money, help others in the community, and generate positive publicity for your business. Read on to find out how to start reducing your waste today.
Carry out a Regular Inventory and Adjust Food Orders as Needed
Do you end up with tons of a certain ingredient leftover each week? It's important to take a regular inventory, assess which foods are most likely to be wasted, and adjust your orders accordingly. For example, if ice cream is really popular in summer but rarely ordered in winter, it doesn't make sense to stock all the ingredients all year round. It's also possible to make mistakes when predicting the popularity of certain dishes and over-order their ingredients. Reduce wasted food and money with regular inventory checks.
Create a Menu That Repurposes Ingredients
Always end up with loads of leftover rice from your Monday curry night? Then why not start a special risotto night on Tuesday? Planning your menu carefully is a great way to use up leftover and repurpose ingredients that were originally purchased for different dishes. This strategy also helps you introduce more variety to your menu.
Donate Leftovers to Local Food Banks and Charities
Do you find yourself throwing away perfectly good food at the end of each day? Partnering up with local charities and food banks is an excellent way to cut waste and help others. Offer to donate items and most charities will arrange the collection themselves, meaning you don't need to spend any extra time or money on delivery. This strategy is ideal for items like cakes, sandwiches, bread, and pre-prepared salads.
Start a Compost Bin
Instead of chucking leftovers straight into a skip bin, consider composting. If you have a restaurant garden, this is a great way help your plants grow and reduce wastage. Even if you don't have a garden, there will be plenty of local garden and allotments owners who would be happy to take some free compost off your hands. Offering environmentally-friendly freebies is a great way to generate good publicity for your business.
Want to stop wasting food at your restaurant? The suggestions above help reduce waste and benefit your business and community.
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