The Ledger, Issue No. 7 · October 21, 2026
Start with the prep bin
A one-shift count is a cheap first look at where kitchen waste goes.
The stat
The 2019 report "The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Restaurants," written by WRI and WRAP for Champions 12.3, analyzed actual programs at 114 restaurant sites in 12 countries. On average, kitchen food waste at those sites fell 26 percent by weight over the first 12 months. Every site used smart scales and invested $10,000 to $20,000 over three years. The sample had no U.S. sites, excluded food left on guests' plates and had median annual food sales of $5.2 million. The authors caution that this small sample cannot predict results for any particular restaurant.
The idea
The invoice records what came in, and the POS records what sold. Neither one explains which prep ended up in the bin. A waste count fills that gap. Sort edible waste by item and cause, then price each pile and start with the costliest. The report counted inedible scraps too, so an edible-only count cannot be compared with its 26 percent by weight. A small independent should count its own baseline before it borrows anyone's target.
Try this week
For one dinner shift, put edible kitchen waste in a separate container and record the item, amount and cause before it goes out. Keep staff names off the sheet. Price the three largest totals the next morning. Adjust one prep quantity for the next comparable shift and count again.