According to the initial finding of experts from Ideo, buffet guests ate just over half of the food put out. In addition, only 10 to 15 percent of the leftovers could be donated or repurposed because of food safety regulations, while the rest ended up in the garbage.
Lawarence Eells, the executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, would like his kitchen (or at least its operations) to be lean. Hence, a group of researchers was engaged to measure exactly how much food was consumed or re-purposed, versus being thrown away at the abundant all-you-can-eat buffets. The researchers also pinpointed areas where innovations might help to cut waste.
There is currently insufficient data to measure the amount of waste contributed by hotels or their buffets. However, hotels are an ideal place to raise awareness and change behaviours around sustainability issues, as they have for water conservation.
”If we can change the way food service happens in hotels, it has the potential to influence a lot of different hearts and minds,” said Pete Pearson, director of food waste at the World Wildlife Fund. With a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation, Mr Pearson is working with Hyatt, Ideo and others to develop a list of best practices for the hospitality industry to combat food waste.
By targeting buffets, Hyatt and Ideo are zeroing in on a hotel staple that by definition oozes excess. The question is why that is so, and what can be done to rein it in without short-changing guests.
Once solutions are identified, Hyatt intends to roll them out at properties around the country, and some simple fixes have already been made in Orlando. Mr Eells said that these fixes have already cut buffet costs by about 10 percent, and that guests have not objected.
Other changes are in the works to engage consumers and to make buffets more data-driven. So far, consumers seem open to providing more information about their plans and food sensitivities, especially if it aids conservation efforts. The challenge will be finding the right balance between delivering a high level of service and minimising waste.
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Source: The New York Times, 4 October 2017