Did you know that UK restaurants produce almost 200,000 tonnes of food waste every single year?
The equivalent of 320 million meals are thrown away each year by UK restaurants – that’s over four times the entire population of the country!
As well as being bad for the environment and local communities, food waste also costs the industry £682 million annually. So, what’s to be done?
Ghost kitchen brands are in a unique position to be able to cut down on food waste, through streamlined operations, smart menu choices and flexible consumer-led ordering.
Today, we share five top tips to help virtual food brands reduce their waste.
1. Invest in inventory management
Whilst it can be tempting to over-order, this is a key cause of kitchen food waste.
Technology can help here, with sophisticated software for in-house restaurant ops that can predict supply and demand, automate ordering and keep track of usage.
You should always know what foods you have in stock at all times, so make this a top priority. Not only will this reduce waste, but it will save you time and money.
2. Optimise your storage
For the ingredients you have to buy ahead of time, what are the optimum storage conditions?
Make sure all your fridges, freezers and storage areas are at the right temperature – as well as keeping everything immaculately tidy. This will improve your food-hygiene rating as well as preserving the quality and shelf-life of your ingredients.
As part of this, also implement rigid FIFO procedures… first in, first out!
3. Super supply chains
Supply chain management is an essential part of running a successful virtual kitchen brand, as well as a major way to reduce food waste.
Focus on building relationships with long-term suppliers, who’ll help you respond to fluctuating demand and just in time ordering. When deliveries arrive at your kitchen, always inspect the quality of food and communicate clearly if any produce falls short.
If everyone’s working to the same standards from the outset, this will reduce waste on all sides.
4. Empower customer choice
Food waste isn’t just about your kitchen operations – it extends into diners’ homes.
Give customers the ability to customise items (i.e. replacing chips with salad, adding their own dips and sides, or smaller portion options). Oversized portions aren’t necessarily the draw you’d think, as customers increasingly turn towards healthier takeaways that reduce their environmental impact.
This will reduce the amount of food ending up in the bin, as well as giving customers freedom of choice. It’s a win, win for everyone involved.
5. Multi-use menus
Think about innovative ways you can use the same ingredients over multiple dishes.
Could vegetable offcuts or bones be used to make stock for gravy? What about old bread turning into salad croutons? Carefully plan your “zero waste” approach in advance – accounting for each and every ingredient.
If you find yourself with excess food, there are plenty of food charities (for instance, Fareshare) that work with restaurants. Not only will you reduce waste, but you’ll actively help your local community.
Peckwater Brands offer popular delivery franchises to ambitious kitchen operators. If you’re looking to reduce waste, improve efficiency and extract additional value from your food business, book a call today.
Topics from this blog: Operations
