A Day in the Life of Restaurant Food Waste

As a restaurant owner, we are supposed to be thinking about food waste and cutting costs all the time; profit keeps the doors open, losses shut them. Did you know that every day we waste enough food to fill the Rose Bowl in Pasadena two times a day?

Here is a simple example of how to save money by reducing waste from bread service. A 100-seat restaurant open five days a week, 360 days a year could save upwards of $30,000 a year by removing and butter from the table and offering other options. And where could that extra money go? Ask a restaurant owner about their marketing budget and the answer is usually “who has money for marketing?" Don’t throw cash in the trash.

While recently in New York, I took note of blatant food waste in restaurants I patronized. 

BreakfastI ordered two scrambled eggs and one piece of rye toast. I was given two; I wanted one. I ate only one.

Cost: $.06

Waste: $.06 when it went into the trash

CoffeeWhile at a coffee bar, I was asked at the register if I…