Strategic Menu Development: Its Impact on Waste Reduction, Part 2

Restaurants and foodservices waste hundreds and thousands of dollars every year due to sloppy receiving practices. Code dates are not checked, and the consequence is loss of shelf life of perishable products. Product lost because customer count is down following a freak snow storm is a very different thing from product lost because of an operation’s own practices allowed it. Even once received correctly, rotation, which may seem like a pain to do at the time, will further contribute to waste. Finally, product stored incorrectly even for a very short time reduces its shelf life exponentially. Remember: once foods are exposed to the 41oF. to 140oF. danger zone, bacteria doubles every 15 minutes.  

So consider:

·      Assigning a ‘receiving expert” thoroughly trained to check code dates, who will

·     •   Employ First In, First Out rotation and check it daily, and

·      • Set up a physical layout of inventory that has no cracks for items to get lost in, behind or under.

How often have we heard operators say, “In the summer, I always order 10 cases of romaine a week.” - Even though they are throwing away portions of those cases every week.  And at costs that can vary radically. Lazy? Maybe. But often they lack or fail to check, data that could help them make timely, cost-saving decisions. Without sales information which shows peaks and valleys week-by-week, month-by-month and year-to-year, along with notification of price changes, kitchen managers have no conclusive way to moderate their purchasing habits.  You simply cannot trust eye-ballling inventory checks, even if the staffer scanning is “almost always close.”

So, ask yourself, “Who is . . ..

·      • Studying sales reports daily for strategic ordering and par level adjustments?

·      • Taking inventory daily or at least weekly?

·      • Adjusting par levels continuously, to reflect current sales volumes?

·      • Utilizing selective purchasing of deals and seasonal offerings?

·      •  Considering product state: fresh vs. frozen vs. canned (and the storage space for each)?

·      • Identifying ingredients that create the highest yields and least waste, with an eye to converting their “leftovers” into useable products?

Many operators have spatial restrictions built into their facilities. Nonetheless, there is an optimal flow and efficiency solution for every one of them. Layout design can reduce waste, just as menu design can. Furthermore, equipment manufacturers have made enormous breakthroughs with their cooking, holding and storage technologies that also contribute to waste reduction. The degree to which a kitchen design makes sense to operators is the degree to which they will champion waste reduction.

So, if you have set up a solid menu in the beginning, you will now be able to…

·      • Choose equipment whose technology supports not only the best production of menu items, but also allows for maximum yields and prolonged shelf life of foods. Example: In conventional cooking environments, a 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast will weigh 3.75 to 4.00 ounces after cooking. This is loss of 20% - 25%. Other cooking technologies reduce shrinkage to as low as 10%, and rarely more than 15%.

·      • Utilize equipment that allows for blast-chilling, dehydrating or other methods of processing seasonal items for storage that can be purchased at their peak and at best prices.

·      • Install walk-ins and freezers close to receiving areas for ease of storage immediately upon receiving.

Yes – waste can be reduced and nearly prevented!