Category Archives: Restaurant

Sampling Stops Waste

Geno’s Chowder, in Portsmouth, N.H., has a great idea for avoiding plate waste: samples. As this article discusses, At Geno’s, a customer can sample anything — from the chowders to the lobster meat — before making his or her choice. Fernald said she hated to see food wasted and this way the customer gets to […]

May 24, 2007 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Sorting Waste

The National Restaurant Asociation’s 2007 Restaurant Show concluded Tuesday. While I wasn’t able to attend–they make journalists jump through many, many hoops–apparently environmental awareness was a big theme there. Exhibitors displayed plenty of recycling innovations like compostable cups made from corn. Much more exciting, though, LeanPath, Inc. unveiled its ValuWaste product. This product assesses the composition of food […]

May 23, 2007 | Also posted in Institutional, Stats, Technology | Comments closed

Talkin’ Turkey

Apparently wasted food is a hot topic in Turkey. According to Today’s Zaman, an English-language daily paper linked to The Times of London, food waste is a problem in Turkey. In this article and a more comprehendible news roundup, the paper reported that one-third of the food from all-inclusive hotels’ buffets goes to waste. The data is from […]

May 21, 2007 | Also posted in International, Stats | Comments closed

Rocky Closing

Restaurants certainly throw away their share of food. From making too much food to overordering, their dumpsters are full of food that should either go to the hungry or be composted. A recent article in Akron, Ohio’s The Beacon Journal brought to light a special circumstance that often elevates food waste–restaurant closings. While occurring far less […]

May 18, 2007 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Ends Justified

Ever wonder what happens to those sub roll ends that are cut off in the making of your sandwich? If you guessed “thrown out,” you’d be correct…until recently! David Krasner and Mike Teunis, both 16 and Quizno’s employees in Frederick, Md., witnessed this common form of wasted food every day they worked at the sub shop. As […]

May 16, 2007 | Also posted in Food Recovery | Comments closed

Kong-sized waste

Hefty plate waste after eating out isn’t just an American specialty. Thanks to its abundance of restaurants and hotels, wasted food comprises one third of Hong Kong’s landfill space. (The US average is about 12 percent.) To reduce their food waste, local eateries have implemented an interesting idea–fining buffet diners for uneaten food. Voice of […]

May 10, 2007 | Also posted in International, Stats, Unfinished Food Charge | Comments closed

Labeling Waste

While I was visiting my family in Boston recently, we ate at a local chain called Not Your Average Joe’s. It seems like the kind of restaurant we’ll see more of in future, serving a diverse menu of “creative casual cuisine” (whatever that means). It’s like a more local, higher-end Chili’s. Our table of five adults and two […]

April 5, 2007 | Also posted in Food Safety | Comments closed

Restaurant Technology: Our Friend?

I came across this article in Fast Company about Slingshot, a restaurant tracking system made by Avero. Restaurants, especially fast food companies, often point to their technologies like Slingshot to show they’ve trimmed their waste. While that’s usually true, by reading between the lines we can see that these systems can create another kind of waste. Paraphrasing the western […]

March 27, 2007 | Also posted in Casino, Technology | Comments closed

Sunday Portions

I recently lauded T.G.I. Friday’s “Right Portion, Right Price” menu. The New York Times addressed the same topic in Sunday’s business section examination of restaurant portions and prices. I’m most interested in portion size because serving customers 2,000-calorie dinners often means that as much food finds its way to the dumpster as diners’ stomachs. This “plate waste” […]

March 25, 2007 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Small Step for Waste, Giant Leap for Restaurants

I have to give credit where it’s due. I’ve railed against restaurants for putting profits ahead of waste avoidance and health. I doubted whether any restaurant would lower prices and portion size. Well, T.G.I. Friday’s has done just that with their “Right Portion, Right Price” menu. Not surprisingly, the March 6 press release illustrates that the […]

March 20, 2007 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed