Ownies
Established in 2001, Ownies Bar & Bistro is located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland and the restaurant has seating for 120.
The significant volume of food being wasted on a daily basis triggered the management team to take action.
KEY FACTS
– By tracking food thrown away, the business has achieved a reduction in the average amount of food wasted by 30g or 5p per cover. This is anticipated to increase as they continue to improve portion sizes and food wastage control.
– To help tracking of food waste, separate bins were placed in the kitchen. Staff were very keen to participate and adapted to new practices quickly.
SUMMARY
– Previously, Ownies acknowledged there was a lot of food being unnecessarily thrown away, but now feel they are measuring and managing this waste much more effectively.
– The food waste tracking tools helped show staff the different sources of waste, converting into a monetary value, and thus raising awareness of the value of the actions they were taking.
“The ‘food waste reduction tracking’ tools helped identify wasteful practices which, in turn, helped address portion size control and reduce preparation waste. Customers are happy with the new portion sizes, chefs are happy with less waste and management are happy with savings being made”.
Marion Magill
Manager
FUNCTIONAL CHANGES
– The major savings are due to spoilage and preparation waste (mainly vegetables) which are now used in daily soup specials.
– Customers are now asked, at the point of order, if they are happy with the side accompaniments that come with their meal, or if they would like alternatives.
– The standard portion of both mash and salad has been reduced although customers can order more, if required.
HOW WAS THIS ACHIEVED?
– The introduction of the NI Food Waste Regulations (which meant from 1 April 2017 Ownies had to arrange to have a separate food waste collection) made them think about the types of food being wasted.
– Kitchen staff monitored the waste using the tracking sheets, which enabled them to weigh the food waste and record the weights, week by week.
OPTIMISED OUTCOMES
– The logic of the project was shared with all kitchen staff, who embraced the changes from the very start.
– Ownies have reduced average food wastage by 30g of food for each dish (around 5p per plate).
– Communication is central to success. Through involving key staff members from the very beginning, Ownies have been able to seamlessly introduce new operational measures.