Quick Service Restaurants Are Stepping Up Their Efforts To Eliminate Food Waste

There’s one problem that all quick service restaurants have in common: food waste. It’s an issue that’s starting to get more attention, largely because of an article that appeared in National Geographic in March. The publication put a spotlight on the fact that one-third of the world’s food is wasted, which is enough to feed two billion people every year.

Now, restaurants are finding ways to take responsibility for their food waste. According to an article in QSR Magazine, there are four main options available to operators who are tracking their waste output. The first is repurposing food that would typically be thrown out. Some brands have successfully turned scraps into brand new menu items thanks to their talented team of chefs.

In an interview with QSR Magazine, Ellen King, co-owner and head baker at Illinois-based Hewn Bakery, said, “I actually think that probably one of the best things you can do is task your employees with this. Allow them to have the time to be creative. From the leadership perspective, oftentimes you’re too distracted, you can’t focus in, but your employees… come up with the ideas of what to do with it.”

Restaurants can also cut back on food waste by buying damaged or ugly products that would otherwise be discarded, reducing portion sizes and donating leftovers to charities or food drives. Mark Kelnhofer, president and CEO of Return on Ingredients—a company that helps foodservice companies streamline their operations in order to minimize waste—told Quick Service Magazine that quick service restaurants have an advantage when it comes to eliminating waste.

“Two of the biggest areas of opportunity in almost every restaurant I go into are overproduction and over-ordering, and a lot of it has to do with the accuracy of recipes,” said Kelnhofer. “Quick service is a little bit easier to tackle because of the limitations on products and the limitations on the number of recipes, and processes are a little bit easier there than maybe a full-service restaurant.”