Waste costs you hundreds of euros per month without you realizing it. A bit of lettuce that turns brown, meat that sits too long, vegetables that shrivel up - they seem like small things, but they add up. With a few simple routines you prevent 70% of your waste and keep more money in your pocket.
The biggest waste culprits in your kitchen
Before you adjust routines, you need to know where your money is disappearing. These four points cause 80% of all waste:
- Poor storage: wrong temperature, no FIFO (first in, first out)
- Overordering: no planning, buyers who overestimate
- No monitoring: nobody checks daily what's about to expire
- Wrong portioning: chef gives oversized portions, leftovers remain
💡 Example: What does poor storage cost?
Restaurant with 80 covers/day, 6 days/week:
- Lettuce thrown away: €15/day
- Meat past expiration: €25/day
- Vegetables shriveled: €10/day
Total: €50/day = €15,600/year
Routine 1: Daily 'nearly expired' check (5 minutes)
Every morning at 9:00 one person walks through the cooler and freezer. They check all products expiring within 2 days. These go on a 'use today' list.
Practical:
- Put yellow stickers on products expiring tomorrow
- Red stickers on products expiring today
- Place these at the front of the cooler
- Inform the chef: use these products first
⚠️ Important:
Do this every day at the same time. If you skip a day, more will be wasted than you can save in a week.
Routine 2: FIFO with every delivery (10 minutes extra)
With every delivery, new product goes in the back, old product goes in front. Sounds logical, but in the rush of service this often goes wrong.
How to do this properly:
- Remove all old products from the cooler
- Place new delivery in the back
- Put old products back in front
- Check the date: old products have priority
💡 Example: FIFO with meat
Tuesday delivery: 5kg beef steak, expires Friday
You have: 2kg beef steak, expires Thursday
Correct: Old 2kg in front, new 5kg in back
Wrong: Everything mixed together, old meat sits until it spoils
Routine 3: Weekly inventory cleanup (30 minutes)
Every Monday (quiet day) do a thorough check of all stock. Not just fresh items, but also dry goods, canned items, spices.
What to check:
- Products expiring this week
- Products that have been sitting too long (even if still good)
- Products you have too much of
- Damaged packaging
Create a specials menu for this week from these items. Better to sell something at lower margin than throw it away with 0% margin.
Routine 4: Portion control during service (daily)
During the rush of service, chefs often give oversized portions. "Better too much than too little" they think. But this costs you money.
💡 Example: 50 grams extra meat per portion
Beef steak €32/kg, you give 50g extra per portion
Extra cost: €1.60 per portion
At 40 portions/week: €64/week
Per year: €3,328 extra costs
Practical control:
- Weigh random 3 plates per evening
- Check if portions match your recipes
- If deviation: correct immediately
- Explain why consistency is important
Routine 5: Temperature monitoring (2 minutes)
Wrong temperature is the fastest way to lose products. Too warm and everything spoils faster. Too cold and you freeze products that shouldn't be frozen.
Daily check:
- Cooler: between 0°C and 4°C
- Freezer: -18°C or colder
- Record the temperatures (HACCP requirement)
- If deviation: take action immediately
⚠️ Important:
A cooler that's 2°C too warm cuts the shelf life of many products in half. €50 extra waste per week is then normal.
The impact of these routines
These five routines take you 20 minutes total per day. But they can save you hundreds of euros per month.
💡 Example: Savings at average restaurant
Restaurant with €40,000 revenue/month:
- Waste before routines: 4% of revenue = €1,600/month
- Waste after routines: 1.5% of revenue = €600/month
Savings: €1,000/month = €12,000/year
How to stick with these routines
The hardest part isn't starting, it's keeping going. These tips help:
- Make it concrete: not "check the cooler" but "check products expiring tomorrow"
- Same time: every day at 9:00, not "when I have time"
- Same person: give one person responsibility
- Record results: how much are you saving? That motivates
Many restaurants use an app like KitchenNmbrs to track these checks. Then you don't have to remember what to do, and you see the effect on your food cost immediately.
How do you start anti-waste routines? (step by step)
Measure your current waste for one week
Weigh everything you throw away and note the value. Add up what you lose per day in spoiled products. This is your starting point to measure improvement.
Start with the daily 'nearly expired' check
Every morning at 9:00 one person walks through all coolers and freezers. Put yellow stickers on products expiring within 2 days.
Implement FIFO with every delivery
Remove old products, put new ones in back, old ones back in front. Takes 10 minutes extra per delivery but saves hundreds of euros per month.
Measure your waste again after 2 weeks
Weigh everything you throw away again for one week. Compare with week 1. Most restaurants see 50-70% less waste after 2 weeks of consistent application.
✨ Pro tip
Start with just the daily 'nearly expired' check. Those 5 minutes every morning already save you hundreds of euros per month. Once that becomes routine, add the other checks.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
How much time do these routines take per day?
About 20 minutes per day total. Daily check 5 minutes, FIFO with deliveries 10 minutes extra, measuring temperatures 2 minutes, portion control 3 minutes.
What is a normal waste percentage for restaurants?
On average 3-5% of your revenue is lost to waste. Restaurants with good routines keep this under 2%. At €40,000 revenue/month that's €800-2000 difference.
How do I motivate my team to stick with these routines?
Show them how much money it saves. Measure waste the first week, implement routines, measure again after 2 weeks. The difference in euros motivates more than rules.
What if I don't have time for daily checks?
Start with just the 'nearly expired' check of 5 minutes. That alone saves you €200-500 per month. You can add the other routines later.
Do I need to buy special equipment for temperature measurement?
A digital thermometer for €20 is enough. Many coolers also have built-in thermometers, but check if they're accurate with a separate meter.
How long before I see results?
After 1 week you'll see less waste. After 2-3 weeks the routines become habit and you'll consistently save 50-70% on waste.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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