Food waste in the commercial kitchen remains a painful reality. Here’s how one Entegra client is tackling it head-on.

The Charlotte Doubletree by Hilton kicked off its food waste reduction program in the spring of 2024 helmed by Doubletree Executive Chef Ahmed Azizy, support from the Entegra Culinary Consulting team, and Leanpath, an Entegra supplier and leader in automated food waste prevention.

A proactive approach to reducing food waste helps both profit and planet. And with 80% of consumers saying that reducing food waste is an important sustainability issue¹, it’s a top-of-mind guest issue.

Shockingly, a typical food service kitchen wastes 4-10% of its food purchases before it reaches a diner’s plate. For operators trying to meet sustainability and social responsibility goals, tackling the food waste challenge is essential.

How much food waste can be prevented in a commercial kitchen?

In the case of Charlotte Doubletree over four months, 2,260 lbs. of food waste was prevented!

Food waste prevention is measured by comparing the change in food waste levels over time against each location’s unique waste baseline.

Baselines are set at the beginning of the program to establish average food waste levels prior to working on prevention.

Doubletree Hilton: Cumulative waste prevented from June 2024-September 2024

Tracking consistently is key to successful food waste prevention

The Charlotte Doubletree team is committed to strengthening their staff’s tracking processes. With data capture as the backbone of the program, the team’s progress will continue to be monitored using Leanpath’s Location Calendar which tracks log-ins and logged transactions.

How can a GPO (Group Purchasing Organization) help operators decrease food waste in commercial kitchens?

In addition to its supplier relationship with Leanpath, Entegra helps clients decrease food waste by:

1. Implementing menu engineering: By analyzing the popularity and profitability of menu items, you can optimize offerings and reduce waste. Entegra Culinary Consulting can help.
2. Educating staff on proper food handling and storage: Train employees on techniques like first-in-first-out (FIFO) rotation and proper storage practices to keep food fresh longer. Portion control to prevent excessive servings is also key.
3. Activating SKU rationalization: Streamlining your SKUs reduces inventory levels and makes your operation easier to manage—with less waste overall, including food. As an extension of our client’s procurement arm, Entegra has the expertise to help.

Interested in learning more about selecting a GPO who can help you waste less food and save money? Contact us to learn more.

_{¹Technomic: Journey to 2030: Forecasting the Future of Foodservice, presented by at the 2024 National Restaurant Association Show}

December 05, 2024