How to Reduce Food Wastage in Your Restaurant (2026)
Practical ways to cut food waste — better forecasting, portion control, FIFO stock and recipe costing — that go straight to your bottom line.
Food waste is money in the bin. Cutting it is one of the fastest ways to improve a restaurant’s margin without raising prices. Here are the tactics that work.
Forecast and prep to demand
Use past sales data by day and dish to prep the right quantities, so you are not throwing out unsold prep at close.
Control portions and recipes
Standardised recipes and portions stop over-plating and keep cost predictable. Recipe costing shows exactly what each gram costs you.
Manage perishables with FIFO
- Track ingredient expiry and use oldest stock first
- Set reorder points so you do not over-buy perishables
- Repurpose trim and near-expiry stock into specials
- Record wastage so it appears in reports and you can act
Frequently asked questions
How can restaurants reduce food waste?
Forecast prep from sales data, standardise portions with recipes, use FIFO for perishables and track wastage in your reports. MyGroce’s sales data and recipe costing make each of these measurable.
Keep reading
- Restaurant POS for small business
- Inventory software for small business
- How to grow your restaurant or cloud kitchen
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