Food waste is money you paid for and then threw away. In a restaurant with thin margins, a small drop in waste adds directly to profit.
Seven habits that work
- Order by sales, not by habit. Compare what you bought last week with what you actually sold before you place the next order.
- First in, first out. Label new deliveries with the date and put them behind older stock.
- Share ingredients between dishes. If a herb or sauce appears in only one dish, it is likely to spoil.
- Prep in small batches during the day instead of one huge batch in the morning, especially in hot months.
- Weigh your waste for a week. Put a bin and a scale at the pass and write down what is thrown away and why.
- Fix portions. Plates that come back half-eaten tell you the portion or the dish is wrong.
- Turn trimmings into something useful: stock, staff meals or a daily special.
Use your sales data
If a dish sells ten times a week, you do not need to prep for fifty. Your sales report is the best forecast you have. A POS that shows top sellers by day tells you what to prep for a Thursday versus a Sunday.
TU2 Business gives you sales, profit and margin by item. Combine it with your weekly waste notes and you can cut the dishes that cost you most without selling much.