2026-10-20 · 1 min read
How to Reduce Food Waste in a Restaurant Kitchen: 9 Practical Steps
Nine practical ways to cut food waste in a restaurant or cafe kitchen, from first-expired-first-out to prep forecasting and waste logs.
Food waste is money you paid for and threw away. In most kitchens it is also the largest part of the gap between theoretical and actual food cost.
Nine steps that work
- Measure it first. Keep a simple waste log: item, quantity, reason (spoiled, over-prepped, dropped, returned). You cannot reduce what you do not record.
- Use first-expired-first-out. Label with received and expiry dates and place new stock behind old.
- Receive carefully. Check temperature, quantity and quality at the door and reject what is not right.
- Order to usage. Set par levels from real usage, not habit. See par levels and reorder points.
- Prep to a forecast. Base prep quantities on expected covers or orders, adjusted for the day, weather and bookings.
- Cost by yield. Know how much of each product you can really serve, and use trim in stocks, staff meals or specials.
- Standardise portions. Use scoops, scales and recipes so every plate is the same.
- Review the menu. Cut slow dishes that need unique, short-life ingredients.
- Share the numbers. Show the team weekly waste in money, not kilos. It changes behaviour.
What to track each week
- Waste by reason and by item
- Waste as a percentage of food purchases
- The five items you waste most, and why
Turn the log into something you can act on
Paper logs get lost. DineTide records waste with a reason as it happens, builds prep lists from your forecast, and shows expiring lots before they become waste. Start a free trial.