Food waste is a major problem, and restaurants can be a major source of food waste. If you’re serious about operating sustainably, restaurant management needs to take the necessary steps to address and reduce the amount of food waste produced. Fortunately, this guide from all of us here at Organic Restaurants may be able to help.

Donate Leftovers

One great way of reducing food waste is to give away leftovers. There may be local organizations that you can partner with to make sure that your extra food gets to people who need it. You might also be able to use apps like Too Good To Go, which can help you make money off of food that would have gone to waste anyway.

Give Away Staff Meals

You can also treat your staff to meals from time to time. This is a work perk that will not go unappreciated. Plus, you get the chance to cook up some stuff that hasn’t sold as well as you thought, ensuring that it doesn’t go to waste after sitting uncooked and unused.

Encourage Carryout

Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs when we order at restaurants. This can mean food leftover at the end of a meal. It would be pretty wasteful to throw these leftovers out, so encourage full customers to take their leftovers with them. Having carryout boxes on hand will make it easy for people to box up their food and bring it home. That means less food wasted.

Limit Your Menu

If your menu is broad, you might end up with many items that don’t sell that well. If their ingredients aren’t shared among more popular dishes, that could mean that some items end up expiring before they can be used. That’s a massive waste, so think about limiting your menu to your specialty items and meals that are more likely to sell.

Offer Different Portion Sizes

If you notice that customers are frequently leaving food on their plate and that carryout isn’t taking off, think about offering different portion sizes. Customers can order just what they need, so nothing is left over and wasted. As a bonus, smaller plates could encourage customers to try out more dishes and keep coming back!

Store Everything Properly

This seems obvious, but make sure that everything is stored properly. Refrigerated and frozen foods and ingredients need to stay in their proper places at all times. Address electrical problems or other potential issues in your restaurant quickly, so that you do not lose anything unnecessarily. Finally, ensure staff members are trained in proper food and ingredient storage.

Think About Composting

If you still have significant amounts of food waste, learn about composting and see if any of this waste could have a place in a compost pile. Composting is a rewarding activity that can result in nutrient-rich soil that’s ideal for growing fruits and vegetables.

For Other Sustainable Food Tips

If you want to learn more about reducing waste and creating a more sustainable food industry, join us at Organic Restaurants. We’re always looking for the latest info on how to create a greener world with less waste and more delicious organic meals.