Hospitality Medium-Sized Company Sustainability Guides

For medium-sized cafés, restaurants, hotels and catering businesses

Main focus

Hospitality businesses often face high energy costs, food waste, water use and staffing pressure. The best approach is to improve kitchen systems, stock control, equipment use and team routines.

Start with your biggest costs

Review your main operating costs:

• Food stock

• Kitchen energy use

• Refrigeration

• Heating, lighting and water

• Waste collection

Identify which area has the biggest cost increase.

Reduce food waste

Key actions

• Use FIFO: first in, first out.

• Track food waste daily or weekly.

• Record why food is wasted: over-ordering, spoilage, preparation waste or plate waste.

• Use menu planning to reduce unused ingredients.

• Adjust portion sizes if plate waste is high.

• Donate surplus food where safe and legally allowed.

Good practice

Create a simple food waste log:

Date	Item wasted	Reason	Estimated value

This helps staff see that food waste is also money waste.

Improve refrigeration and kitchen equipment

Important: commercial fridges should not normally be switched off overnight. Focus on efficient use instead.

Key actions

• Keep fridge doors closed when not in use.

• Do not overload fridges.

• Clean seals, vents and filters regularly.

• Check fridge temperatures daily.

• Service ovens, dishwashers and kitchen equipment.

• Switch off non-essential equipment when safe.

Reduce energy and water use

Key actions

• Use LED lighting in dining, kitchen and staff areas.

• Fit timers or controls for heating and lighting.

• Fix dripping taps quickly.

• Run dishwashers only when full.

• Train staff to reduce water and energy waste during service.

Improve daily operations

Key actions

• Review stock before ordering.

• Use one person or team to manage ordering.

• Link purchasing decisions to menu planning.

• Train staff on waste reduction during preparation.

• Review closing procedures for lights, equipment and heating.

Customer communication

Medium-sized hospitality businesses can communicate sustainability without making it complicated.

Simple messages

• “We reduce food waste through careful stock planning.”

• “We use energy-efficient lighting.”

• “We work to reduce waste in our kitchen every day.”

Avoid claims that cannot be proven.

What to track

Area	What to measure
Food waste	kg or £ value per week
Energy	monthly electricity and gas use
Water	monthly water use
Stock	expired or wasted stock
Operations	number of waste issues reported

First 30 days

1. Start a food waste log.

2. Check fridge temperature and maintenance routines.

3. Review stock ordering.

4. Train staff on one waste-reduction action.

5. Review bills at the end of the month.