Category Archives: Restaurant

Paying for Unfinished Food

Hayashi Ya Japanese Restaurant is just your regular NYC all-you-can-eat joint (if you consider a $26.95 per person price regular). Except for one little wrinkle captured on their sidewalk sign: We will charge 3% for wasted and unfinished food. New York’s WCBS had this report on the policy that discourages customers from taking more food […]

December 8, 2008 | Also posted in Unfinished Food Charge | Comments closed

Happy Returns

I’m finally back home, after a relaxing, leftover-sandwich-filled Thanksgiving trip. No sooner did I return than I found this AP story on food waste. After paying so much attention to household food waste, with Thanksgiving, let’s return our gaze to the hospitality industry and institutional kitchens. I’m encouraged to hear that Virginia Tech has cut […]

December 1, 2008 | Also posted in Casino, College, Trayless | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here are some ideas on Obama’s food policy. Strange that there’s no mention of a Food Waste Czar. He must want to keep it hush-hush. — — Reminder: Nov 26 is your last chance to submit your comments on the proposed Green Seal Environmental Standard for Restaurants. — — OK, University of New Mexico, it’s […]

November 14, 2008 | Also posted in College, Composting, General, Processing Plants, Trayless | Comments closed

Leftover Boxes Left Out

On a recent visit to Noodles & Company, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that they set out their take-away boxes next to the cup lids and napkins. I’m not sure if this occurs at all locations of the noodle chain, but I’m all for it! First, it encourages the saving of leftovers by preventing […]

October 28, 2008 | Also posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Outing Waste

Friday, I got a hot tip that a nearby Noodles & Company had closed due to a power outage. I zoomed over to see whether there’d be widespread food waste panic, but they’d reopened by the time I arrived. The woman behind the counter said that they’d thrown out a few things, but not much. […]

October 27, 2008 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

I enjoyed peeking into these food leaders’ fridges. Given the sparsity in most of them, I doubt there’d be much food wasted. For more voyeurism, check out Other People’s Pantries, a recurring feature on The Perfect Pantry blog. — — (With apologies to Shakespeare)          Get thee to a wormery! — — It’s not every day that you […]

October 17, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Household | Comments closed

Restaurants’ Green Seal of Approval

I’ve long hoped for some sort of green standard for restaurants. Some kind of sticker that eateries could display on their door to let people know that they’re doing the right thing, environmentally. Kind of the like the organic label used to do does with food products. Well, Green Seal is doing just that. The […]

October 9, 2008 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

I like the idea of a compost bench, but not the price tag. — — It’s always nice to hear about food waste from our friends down under. Then again…I think I disagree with every opinion in this post, written by an American ex-pat living in Australia, on doggie bags (except the ridiculousness of U.S. […]

September 26, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

When Bread’s Not Toast (and when it is)

Last week, I got to visit with Aaron French, better known as the Eco-Chef. Aaron is the chef at the East Bay eatery The Sunny Side Cafe and an all-around green (and great) guy. Part of his eco sensitivity means cutting down waste in his kitchen. To do that, Aaron has tried a few things […]

September 8, 2008 | Also posted in Repurposing | Comments closed

Marion Nestle Q & A

Marion Nestle is a Professor in NYU’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health and author of What to Eat, Food Politics and more. Marion was kind enough to share her insights on food waste and American’s eating habits in this e-mail interview. — WF: Not knowing when things go bad and what to […]

August 26, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Household, Q & A, Supermarket | Comments closed