Food Spoilage How Can Resauratants Reduce It 360training.com

Food Spoilage How Can Resauratants Reduce It 360training.com How Can Restaurants Reduce Food Spoilage? Food waste is one of the most substantial expenses in a restaurant. If that cost isnt made up of paying customers, it can quickly become a huge problem. However, food waste in restaurants is inevitable with excessive portions, staff meals, and of course, food spoilage. Whether youve already noticed a trend of food spoilage, youre trying to get ahead of the issue, there are several ways you can reduce it. In fact, here some of the best ways you can reduce food spoilage at your restaurant to increase profits. Top 5 Ways to Reduce Food Spoilage Plan Ahead for Your Food Orders Planning your food orders ahead  of time is most likely something youre already doing, but how detailed is your planning? Chances are that its pretty basic. So now is the perfect time to step up your plan and make it more accurate to reduce food spoilage. The most significant factors to account for include: Seasonality changes in your regular menu items Weekly specials you plan on offering Time of year and upcoming busy restaurant days The lifespan of each food item Paying attention to these seemingly small details will help you get a better idea of what you actually use. Most likely, the number of customers coming to your restaurant varies depending on the time of year and whats happening in your area. That means you shouldnt order the same amount of food each week. Plus, the lifespan of each food item varies. And unless you run out of somethingâ€"like spices, dry pasta, or riceâ€"you wont need to replenish it every week. Track the Food You’re Throwing Away To reduce food spoilage, pay attention to where your food is going. Does it end up in the trash, or paying customers mouths? Knowing the final destination of your food ensures youre not ordering too much each week. While you may see the food disappearing from your refrigerators and shelves if its ending up in the trash because its spoiled, you need to reduce your food order. Obviously, you cant always sift through the dumpster, so instead, start a waste tracking document. Ask employees to document every time they throw away unused food. To clarify, this does not include food that your customers dont eat from their plates. You want to pay attention to the food that goes straight from your kitchen into the trash. Review the log frequently to see if you notice any trends, and  adjust your food order  accordingly. Reduce Over-Prepping Depending on the type and style of your restaurant, there may be some prep work you handle on a daily or weekly basis. However, unless youre actually using all of your prepped food every week, youre creating unnecessary food waste. Instead of pre-prepping the majority of your dishes weekly, try preparing them daily. Not only will your food taste fresher this way, but youll have better control over the quantities of prepped food your restaurant needs and uses. Its a lot easier to notice trends in smaller batches than it is in larger ones, plus whole ingredients (pre-prepped) will last a lot longer. Label and Organize Your Food Undoubtedly, there have been times when youve reordered food because you thought you were out only to find the original ingredients later, as spoiled food. This problem stems from a lack of organization in the kitchen, refrigerator, and storage room. When everything is labeled correctly and put in the same place, you will never have to search for ingredients again. Take a few extra minutes after every food order comes into  label each item  with what it is and when you received it. And then put each item in its proper place. Make sure all your employees are familiar with and follow your system as wellâ€"it only works if everyone is on the same page. Reuse Food When You Can This tip is last on our list because we understand that not all restaurants can reuse or repurpose ingredients. However, if you have a more flexible menu or one that changes daily or weekly based on produce in season, repurposing food is a great way to reduce food waste. For example, if you run a Mexican restaurant and typically make your guacamole with fresh tomatoes, but you have excess salsa from over prepping earlier in the week, try substituting your tomatoes with salsa. Of course, while reducing food waste is important, keep in mind that the integrity of your recipes and food quality are equally as important. Dont compromise your food quality for the sake of saving a few dollars. Running a restaurant this way will hurt your business in the long run. Become a Food Safety Expert While we hope this blog post has been instrumental in improving your understanding of how to reduce food spoilage, its not a replacement for formal training. Expand on what you learned in this post and get your Food Safety Manager Certification. Sign up and start learning today!