How to Reduce Waste in Your Café or Restaurant

As a café or restaurant owner in Vancouver, Canada, reducing waste not only helps the environment but also improves your bottom line. With the growing trend of sustainability in hospitality, customers also expect eco-friendly practices from the businesses they frequent.  In this blog post, we will provide actionable tips for reducing waste in your café or restaurant and to put more money into your pocket today!

Here are five ways to reduce waste:

1. Implement a composting program

Vancouver, Canada, has strict regulations on waste management, and composting is one way to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. By composting food waste, you can convert it into fertilizer that can be used in your community or donated to local farmers. You can also engage with a local company to set up your own internal composting program in your business and potentially grow your own herbs and spices.

2. Reduce portion sizes

Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to waste in cafes and restaurants. When was the last time you evaluated your portion sizes, costs and waste?  By reducing portion sizes, you can cut back on the amount of food that goes in the garbage.  Smaller portion sizes can sometimes meet your customers needs and price point better.  Smaller appetizers and desserts are also great for add-ons to increase average customer spend!

3. Use reusable products

Single-use products, such as plastic cutlery and paper napkins, are a significant source of waste in cafes and restaurants. By switching to reusable products, you can reduce waste and improve your eco-friendliness. There are many eco-friendly products available at affordable prices.  Make sure to shop around and ask for quotes from your suppliers often to ensure the best costs and quality on these products.

4. Donate surplus food

Managing inventory levels, par and prep levels and business changes is one of the most important parts of running a successful foodservice operation.  We recommend businesses partner with a local food waste or charity to ensure if there is excess good product that you cannot sell, it goes into the hands of those in need.  At Pinnacle, we have implemented programs like these in over 50 businesses and our systems are proven to reduce waste and in some cases actually make you more money!

5. Train employees on waste reduction and portion control

Finally, it’s important to train employees on waste reduction practices and their role in reducing waste in your business.  By incorporating this critical element into training you set a clear expectation from the beginning on waste and their role in not only portion control, but reducing wasted products.  

By implementing these five easy tips, you can significantly reduce waste in you business.  In addition to being eco-friendly, reducing waste can also help improve your bottom line by reducing costs associated with waste disposal – while helping the environment.

At Pinnacle Consulting we love auditing businesses for wasted time, product and efficiency.  We partner with you and your team to uncover lost profits – don’t let them go in the garbage or down the drain!  We love Vancouver and as industry experts born and raised here, we want to help local businesses do their part.  This can also bring in more customers as a great marketing tool to share how you are doing your part as a business. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how to reduce waste in your café or restaurant, email us at Morgan@hospitalityconsulting.co to schedule a free consult with one of our experts.

Visit our website at HospitalityConsulting.co to learn more about our services and how we can help you reduce waste in your cafe or restaurant.