Waste is rarely a cooking problem. It is a forecasting, storage and portioning problem, and each of those can be measured, managed and improved within a single contract year.
Weigh before you plan
For two weeks, everything thrown away is weighed and grouped: preparation trim, service surplus, plate return. The pattern that appears is almost always different from what the kitchen assumed.
Forecast from attendance, not habit
Headcount data, rotation calendars and weather all move demand. Menus planned against real attendance rather than last month's order sheet cut surplus immediately.
- Daily headcount shared with the kitchen before ordering
- Batch cooking through service instead of one large run
- Surplus routed to staff meals or community partners
Report it where it counts
Waste figures are reported to the client monthly alongside cost. Once the two sit on the same page, decisions about menu, portion and delivery frequency get much easier.
