A new restaurant is an exciting enterprise, full of promise. For many restaurant owners, their business represents the culmination of years of work towards the goal of bringing wonderful food to their communities. However, there are some harsh realities that the new restaurant owner will have to contend with. One of the most surprising is the trash. The sheer volume of waste that any food enterprise will generate can quickly become astonishing, not to mention intimidating. What do you do when your solid waste threatens to bury the rest of your business?
Stay Calm and Stay Compliant
Avoid the temptation to cut corners when dealing with your garbage problem. For one thing, it's simply unethical to dispose of your garbage in a way that might endanger the health and well-being of your community. Even if you find the ethics unconvincing, your customers may not agree-according to a survey by Unilever, 72% of customers are concerned with how restaurants deal with their food waste. No matter what your solution for your waste, prioritize compliance with all state and local ordinances.
Put Waste Reduction on Your Menu
Lowering the volume of your waste can begin at the very earliest stages of your seasonal or general menu planning. Consider what perishables you're purchasing in bulk, and avoid creating a need for perishable ingredients with single menu items. Perhaps you've already developed a reputation for your eggs Benedict; you may want to come up with something else to do with all your Hollandaise sauce so that less of it ends up in the garbage. Smart, strategic menu planning benefits your whole business, and you can put it to work for you reducing waste and helping your overall bottom line.
Research Recycling, Consider Composting
Recycling and composting are the two main alternatives to simply throwing out your food waste or used containers, and bringing in a compost can is a favorite trick of solid waste management consultants. Many restaurants already have recycling, but composting is far less common. If you do have recycling, it may be worth your time to research ways to expand your recycling program, particularly for packaging or other materials that are present in significant amounts in your waste.
No matter how much you throw away, ultimately your garbage isn't going anywhere. That said, proactive management of your solid waste using these and other strategies will reduce your overhead and allow you to focus on what matters: delivering a quality dining experience to your guests.
