When some people go out to eat at a restaurant, they might not clean their plate. They have a choice of taking their leftover food home for late-night munching, or just throwing it away. And while that little bit of food on the plate may not seem like much, it represents $162 billion worth of food waste in the entire restaurant industry, according to the USDA.
Food waste is just one arm of how restaurants are failing to be more efficient in their everyday operations. Going green should be a focal point for all restaurants, and can help them not only save money for necessary items, such as restaurant insurance, but save food and help clean up the environment around them.
Here are some things restaurants can implement when considering going green.
Dishwashing stations, bathrooms, cooking, and cleaning all contribute to a restaurant's overall water usage. But making sure to not waste water is something of a struggle for restaurants as they get the day going and are focusing on treating their customers. However, water conservation can still be achieved in a restaurant through methods such as low flow spray valves, which allow restaurants to use less water when washing the dishes.
Another way this can be achieved is by outfitting all restrooms with water-saving toilets and urinals. While they cost more upfront, they can save money and water over time by using less water per flush.
The food service industry uses a lot of power and electricity to get the job done, and rightfully so. However, they can still invest in energy-efficient appliances that reduce energy consumption. Restaurants can also install energy-efficient light bulbs, such as halogen and LED to cut down on electricity and install motion sensor lights in bathrooms instead of keeping them on throughout the entire day. This is an easy way for restaurants to start going green.
Getting weekly food deliveries, for example, sent to a restaurant results in much higher carbon output because a delivery truck has to drive to a restaurant more frequently. To combat this and help to do their part in cleaning up the air around them, restaurants can order food in bulk instead of what they need for a week.
As mentioned above, food waste is a major problem facing the industry. If portions are too large, customers may end up throwing them away if they don't take the rest home. Furthermore, if a restaurant doesn't manage their inventory, they may see more food expire before it is used. To prevent this, restaurants can implement food waste audits or use portion control tools.
Another way restaurants can go green and cut down on waste is to use food scraps, such as vegetables and other raw materials, for composting. Composting helps cut down on food waste as well as greenhouse gases as waste is used in other ways besides just going to a landfill.
At RMS Hospitality Group, our expertly crafted policies are written specifically for the hospitality industry. We offer custom-tailored solutions to meet any venue's specific needs. For more information, contact our knowledgeable experts today at (888) 359-8390.
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