Portionizing Food Savings
Portionizing Food Savings
Food waste will increase, casuing restaurants to change their practices
Food waste is a big problem. The US Department of agriculture estimates that about one-third of our food goes to waste, which means that there’s plenty of opportunity for restaurants to take action against the issue.
The good news is that some restaurants are already taking steps toward reducing their food waste — and it’s not as difficult as you might think! Here are some ways you can help your restaurant become more environmentally friendly:
Get creative with the menu
- Get creative with your menu. Offer smaller portion sizes, more value meals, or even create a new menu item. Take advantage of seasonal produce and make sure you’re using it in ways that will appeal to customers’ palates (and wallets).
- When it comes time to list your prices on the board or menu board, don’t be afraid to tweak them as often as necessary to keep up with inflationary pressures.*
Changing the supplier of food
The first step to combat inflation is to find a supplier who can offer you a better deal. If you are not happy with the price, then look elsewhere!
There are many benefits to changing your food service supplier:
- You may be able to negotiate a lower price for your products
- You’ll have more options when it comes to different types of food and drink items (e.g., organic)
Use frozen or canned products
- Frozen and canned products are a great way to combat inflation in the food service industry. You can use them to reduce waste, get creative with your menu, and change your supplier.
- Try using frozen foods instead of fresh ones. For example: if you’re making lasagna, buy the frozen kind at the grocery store instead of making it yourself from scratch. This will save time and money!
- Be more selective when purchasing ingredients and toppings for items on your menu–this will help keep costs down as well!
Cut back on meats
As with everything else, you should try to cut back on meat. Reducing the portion size of meat is one way to combat inflation, but there are other options available as well. For instance, you could use more vegetarian dishes and less expensive cuts of meat that are lower in fat and cholesterol. This will help reduce your costs while still providing customers with delicious food options!
Be more selective with ingredients and toppings
- Be more selective with ingredients and toppings.
- Use less expensive ingredients sparingly, and use more expensive toppings sparingly.
- For example, if you’re making pizza for the first time, consider using a less expensive dough base such as store-bought or frozen instead of making it yourself from scratch. Or try using cheaper meats like ground beef or turkey instead of chicken breast or pork loin. The same goes for cheese: choose mozzarella over cheddar! You could also opt for less expensive toppings like mushrooms instead of peppers (or vice versa).
Reduce food waste
- Reduce portion sizes – You don’t need a full plate when you’re eating at home so why should customers expect theirs? Smaller portions mean les leftover food, meaning less money spent on ingredients and packaging materials (and also less waste).
- Use leftovers creatively – Instead of throwing away yesterday’s pasta dish or last night’s meal plan! Not only will this reduce unnecessary spending but also reduce what gets thrown away at the end of each day.
Handgards® Pre-portioning bags make it easy to serve consistent portions of food, while also helping save time and money. Our pre-portioning bags are color-coded and labeled with the day of the week to help you keep track of expiration dates and what foods need to be served first. Simply place foods into each bag, weigh them to the desired weight, and properly store them to be used later. We offer high-density pre-portioning bags in a variety of sizes to match any food service need. They’re made of High Molecular, High Density (HMHD) polyethylene material which makes them an ideal choice for storing foods in a freezer while protecting foods from freezer burn and waste.
Portion Control Worksheet
Begin calculating how much food you can save using pre-portioning bags
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