Food Waste: 6 Tips for Your Restaurant

In France, food waste in the institutional and commercial catering sectors amounts to 1.4 million tons annually; this means that 14% of all food waste comes from food service professionals. However, since February 2016, the Garot Law has required restaurants to distribute their unsold food, under penalty of a fine of up to 0.1% of their revenue.

In addition to helping you distribute your unsold inventory, we’re sharing six practical solutions to combat food waste and make your business more eco-friendly.

1. Share your leftover food

This is the solution required by law. The good news is that it’s also extremely easy to implement. Entrepreneurs have successfully launched several initiatives and, in doing so, have developed a new market for the management of unsold food.

As a result, numerous apps have emerged in recent years. Fresh Me Up, for example, allows business customers to purchase excess inventory from wholesalers, neighborhood retailers, or even directly from local producers during private sales at attractive prices. Too Good To Go and Phenix, meanwhile, offer to sell the day’s unsold items (from bakeries, fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, and other retailers) to individual consumers at discounted prices.

2. Combine a limited menu with a limited number of place settings

The problem of food waste usually stems from poor inventory management and an inaccurate estimate of the number of meals served each day. To operate more efficiently and minimize waste, one solution could be to limit the number of dishes on the menu (for example, two appetizers, two main courses, and two desserts).

The second option would be to limit the number of seats available and set up an online reservation system to determine in advance the maximum number of guests who can visit your establishment.

3. Prioritize short supply chains

This involves buying and selling the product directly from the place where it is produced. This keeps the number of middlemen to a minimum. By limiting the number of middlemen, you minimize the risk of losses associated with transportation (such as those caused by a break in the cold chain). Bonus: this will also allow you to reduce your transportation-related carbon footprint and support small-scale producers.

4. Start a home garden or compost

What if, instead of throwing away your waste, you used it? If you live in the countryside, your chickens, pigs, or your neighbors’ will happily eat your food scraps or vegetable peels. Otherwise, a simple compost pile at the back of the yard will do the trick.

For city dwellers, many organizations and groups have set up community compost bins to collect biodegradable waste.

5. Process its products

When planning your menus, think about how you can combine different recipes. Vegetable peels and meat trimmings are perfect for making flavorful broths; carrot and radish tops make delicious pestos; and leftover vegetables can be added to a mixed salad... Be creative!

6. Offer takeout containers to customers

Since July 1, 2021, restaurant owners have been required to provide reusable or recyclable containers to any customer who asks to take home leftovers. If you notice that many plates are being returned to the kitchen with leftovers, be sure to remind your servers to promote this practice and offer customers a doggy bag at the end of their meal.