You're managing perishable inventory in a busy restaurant. How can you ensure nothing goes to waste?

Alright, listen up. Running a restaurant isn't for the faint of heart. You wear a lot of hats here. One minute you're coaching a new server on the perfect wine pairing, the next you're diving into the back office to a confusing food order. There's a constant hum of energy, and you gotta be on top of it all to make sure the night runs well. A packed dining room full of satisfied customers enjoying a delicious meal, the kitchen firing out perfectly cooked dishes, and your team working together like a well-rehearsed orchestra. That's the feeling you chase every night. It's about creating an experience, a memory for people. It's more than just serving food; it's about hospitality, about making people feel welcome and cared for.

Managing waste and spoilage in a restaurant - - Dealing in a restaurant is a tedious task, you may have to conduct a training and check on the KOTs back in the line simultaneously. However if the team synchronised and works in a well rehearsed orchestra the level of Guests satisfaction is expected to go high. - Wastage and spoilage generally occurs when we over stock perishable produce on non busy days. Following FIFO is absolutely necessary, the first in produce has to be used first to avoid spoilage and wastage. - Crafting a daily special menu to use the ingredients which may get spoiled soon. - The fresh produce should be locally sourced and keeping a good relation with them can help in avoiding over stocking.

Keeping Vegetables Fresh: Traditional and Modern Methods To keep vegetables fresh traditionally, store root veggies in cool, dark places, wrap leafy greens in damp cloths, and use baskets or mesh bags for air circulation. Avoid washing before storage to prevent mold. Modern methods include refrigeration in crisper drawers, airtight containers, vacuum sealing, and freezing. Use smart fridges and hydroponic systems for optimal freshness. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is also effective for commercial storage.

FIFO is the best mechanism to reduce/eradicate waste in system. But to have it working we need a robute system/process in place which should not break. Thus I believe the process in place to keep it running is of primary importance. rest every thing will take care of itself.

Regular Audits: Conduct frequent inventory checks. FIFO Method: Use the "First In, First Out" system to ensure older stock is used first. Proper Storage: Store items correctly to maintain freshness. Accurate Ordering: Order based on demand forecasts to avoid overstocking. Creative Menus: Design daily specials to use excess stock. Monitor Waste: Track and analyze waste to identify patterns and adjust ordering. These strategies help in efficient inventory management.

definitely! Keeping track of inventory is very important. I suggest, best if we use a software in place to keep a track of it. This ways it help in getting data handy as well as you can always put a filter and download the data to have a better look at over a time frame. for establishments which are not too spread out or not that huge, they can continue to do it manually. this will be time consuming but eventually it will give better understanding.

It's not just a case of encouraging chefs to be innovative, it's the whole team! Know you've got ingredient x going out of date soon, have the wait staff push dishes that contain said ingredient! Same with the bar staff, is there a quick and easy way they can incorporate something in a drinks special. It's also great to look at, is there a bi product of the menu that can be used, is it worth using veg and meat scraps to make your own stocks? Is there fruit and veg waste that the bar can use to make a syrup?

Well, it all depends on the flexibility you have ap per your business model. Looking at QSR it's not that easy as we really cannot experiment with the menu that easily. for restaurants, definitely yes, under the name Chef's special !!

yaa, but then the economy of scale does not come into play, looking at QSR system. For restaurants, it is not that big of a problem as rates can be endured while looking at ticket size and margins involved.

very important point. Team needs to know the WHAT'S & HOW'S on these items. A must I would say looking at the items and shelf life of these.

This is an underrated idea, the only problem that can occur with waste audits is stubbornness. Someone may be adamant that their way of prep is the best and results in a better tasting dish despite the waste created. Similarly, a dish may be a chefs addition to the menu, their baby as it were and may be reluctant to let it go. You can't just go on the data, you've got to remember to manage the people behind the food too.