Have you ever stopped to think about what happens with the uneaten food leftover from restaurant meals? Food waste is increasingly becoming a problem for restaurants, costly in financial and environmental terms.
Fortunately, technology is revolutionizing the restaurant industry in more ways than most people care to know. Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have specifically opened up new opportunities for restaurants to reduce their food waste.
For example, AI systems can be implemented to accurately size recipes and automate menu item rotation– both of which minimize extra or excess ingredients used or served.
AI algorithms can enable predictive analytics that assists in optimizing food inventory management. Voice recognition technology, on the other hand, enables kitchen staff monitoring while automated tracking software assists in managing expired products more efficiently.
If your restaurant is interested in reducing its food waste but doesn’t know how to get started, keep reading!
5 Ways Restaurants Are Benefiting From Using AI in Food Waste Production
Below are a few ways through which artificial intelligence can help restaurant businesses to optimize their operations and cut down on waste food.
1. Leveraging AI Systems for Accurate Recipe Sizing
The ultimate goal of reducing food waste is to make sure that the amount of ingredients used and served per dish remains accurate. Incorrectly sizing recipes creates a surplus, leading to money losses and increased food waste.
Thankfully, AI-driven systems can help with this by leveraging machine learning algorithms which are programmed with rules about the required portion size for a specific dish. The system works by comparing these “ideal sizes” to what’s actually made, monitoring any deviations before they become costly problems.
For example, restaurant operators could be notified when a particular dish needs more or fewer ingredients than expected. This allows them the time to adjust accordingly and prevent waste even before it happens!
2. Automating Menu Item Rotations to Reduce Food Surplus
AI-augmented systems can analyze customer preferences alongside profit margins and leftover food counts automatically. With this data, AI can make recommendations to restaurant owners as they rotate their menu items over time to refresh the customers’ dining experience.
As customers’ tastes change or ingredients start becoming scarce during certain times of the year, effective menu rotation strategies will be able to prioritize different dishes and identify any gaps that need closing. This, in turn, helps save restaurants from purchasing more than necessary ingredients that may end up manufacturing food waste in the long run!
3. Utilizing Predictive Analytics Algorithms to Optimize Food Inventory
AI-driven predictive analytics have become essential to many industries – and food waste reduction efforts are no different. AI algorithms can be trained on historic data relating to customer purchases so they can accurately forecast a restaurant’s most likely future inventory needs.
As these systems learn over time and get better at predicting, the insights they collect will help restaurants identify & purchase produce that’s both cost-effective, and fresh enough to not spoil before being served!
4. Harnessing Video and Voice Recognition Technology to Monitor Kitchen Activity
Video and voice recognition technology can be used to monitor kitchens, reducing the number of human eyes needed in the kitchen. AI systems equipped with video capabilities can detect equipment malfunctions or food spoilage, allowing business owners to better track incoming shipments and pay close attention to expiry dates on food products.
Equally important, these technologies enable restaurants to not just keep an eye on their teams, but also identify any safety issues that may need addressing as soon as they arise!
5. Implementing Automated Tracking Software to Manage Expired Food More Efficiently
Many restaurants use manual methods to track when food is going out of date, meaning that a lot of resources are wasted. AI automation tools can be used to create automated sign-off sheets and manage expiration dates in near real-time.
These systems use information supplied by kitchen staff to automatically sync with existing inventory management software – giving restaurants the insights they need to know what’s on hand and more importantly, how old it is!
Apps That Can Help a Bar or Pub Run More Efficiently
Modern-day apps can be incredibly useful for bars and pubs seeking to reduce food waste, streamline processes, and boost profits. With so many different apps out there, however, it’s important to select one that suits your needs – even if you don’t have time (or staff resources) to manage complex solutions. Some great apps you can try include:
Ollie: If you are looking for an AI-powered software solution for brewery management, then try Ollie. This brewery management software is designed to grow with small businesses as they scale up their operations. Its convenient cloud-based platform helps staff process orders quickly while providing real-time insights into inventory status, available stock levels in the kitchen, rotation schedules, and more!
OpenTable: An easy-to-use online reservation and table management system for restaurants of all sizes.
Square Dashboard: A streamlined point-of-sale solution that helps pubs stay organized and accepts payments quickly from their customers in any situation.
JustCBDDrinks POS System: A popular iPad-based POS software that streamlines bar operations by helping manage inventories, automate transactions, track sales, and more with one integrated platform tailored to the specific needs of bars & pubs.
Iiko Software: A complete restaurant enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed specifically for food service businesses such as bars & pubs which simplifies staff scheduling, ticketing, and inventory management among many other functions.
All in all, finding the right app allows F&B business owners to focus on what matters most–tending to customers—all while minimizing surplus products caused by human error. These tools can go a long way in helping to simplify the day-to-day operations at your bar or pub!
Other Ways the Food Industry Uses AI Today
Food businesses are leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionize customer experiences in more ways than just reducing food waste. Some other awesome applications of AI include:
Automating customer support tasks like answering product inquiries and providing real-time feedback.
Creating virtual restaurant assistants that can predict individual customers’ likes & dislikes as well as suggest similar dishes or specials for them.
Designing custom menus tailored specifically for each client based on their culinary preferences, dietary restrictions, purchase history, etc.
Developing personalized recommendations of recipes across different platforms including social media channels, websites, and mobile apps!
These are some great examples among many others showing how AI is playing a key role in transforming the entire landscape of the food industry today.
Indeed, Artificial Intelligence (AI) does hold huge potential for revolutionizing operations processes within the restaurant industry, especially in terms of reducing food waste. Hopefully, the above few tips have provided helpful insight into how you can get started using AI solutions for improving operational efficiencies at your business!
The post How AI is Helping Restaurants Reduce Food Waste appeared first on Total Food Service.
