What if reducing food waste didn’t require expensive technology or a complete overhaul of how your kitchen runs? Kai Keepers shows that four straightforward interventions — things hospitality businesses could start doing this week — can make a meaningful, measurable difference.
1: Offer a smaller portion option
In a pilot venues identified one high-waste menu item and introduced a smaller or adjusted portion option. The results went far beyond plate waste. Total food waste per cover dropped by 20.6%, from 134g to 108g. Preparation waste fell by 43%, spoilage by 33%. Customers loved it too — 75% responded positively or very positively. The smaller option accounted for 17% of all orders, suggesting genuine demand for portion flexibility that the industry is encouraged to meet.
2: Turn prep waste into a new dish
Chefs identified ingredients regularly discarded during preparation and created a new menu item using them. This was the standout performer from the Kai Keepers pilot. Preparation waste dropped by 55% — a statistically significant result, meaning we can be highly confident the change was real and not due to chance. Total waste per cover fell by 17.5%. The new dish sold an average of 7.5 times a day per venue, and 92% of customers rated it positively or very positively. It also proved broadly cost-neutral, while reducing purchasing needs over time.
3: Run an upsell competition to prevent spoilage
Front-of-house staff were briefed on which items were at risk of spoiling and challenged to sell them — often framed as a friendly internal competition. Spoilage waste dropped by 50%, and total waste per cover fell by 20%. Staff found the initiative easy to integrate into daily service, and 84% of customer responses were positive. Among venues that tracked volumes, an average of 490 grams of food per day per site was saved from spoilage.
4: Redirect unsold food to staff
Rather than discarding food like unsold cabinet food, or, ingredients at risk of spoiling, venues redistributed it to staff or used it as the basis for staff meals. Seventy percent of venues reduced their total food waste per cover, and an average of 704 grams of food per day per venue was diverted away from waste. Staff engagement was strong, and many teams found the practice boosted morale and awareness.
The bigger picture
These results confirm that targeted action delivers meaningfully better outcomes. Even venues that simply track their waste — reduced food waste by around 12% in the pilot trial. This is itself a significant finding: the act of measuring waste appears to change behaviour.
Keen to know what we are trying to achieve with Kai Keepers? Find out more here.
Find out more about he Restaurant Association, and Edge Impact.