Reducing food waste in delivery: practical strategies

Food waste in delivery has two main sources: orders canceled after preparation and unused setup surpluses. Both are controllable.

Cancellations: Never begin preparation before the final order confirmation. On Uber Eats, wait for the status to change to “Confirmed” before starting production.

Set up: calculate your needs based on your history. If you sell an average of 20 burgers on Tuesdays, prepare 22 steaks (10% margin). Not 30.

Platforms against food waste like Too Good To Go allow you to sell your leftover food at reduced prices. It’s better than throwing it away: you’ll recover 30 to 50% of the value and gain visibility.

Suggest a “surprise menu” at the end of service: a bag with leftover items from the day at reduced prices. Some clients love the concept and order it regularly.

Measure your food waste: weigh your trash bins for a week. The goal is a rate below 5% of the total weight of ingredients used. Above that, you have a significant cost-saving lever.