Nearly one-third of all food is wasted. So with restaurants, what does that mean? That means land use is a real issue. The water that it takes to grow the crops is a real issue. The transportation, the emissions are real issues. Methane is created from the organic waste that’s thrown into the landfill. That all has an impact on the environment.
The Customizable Portions Project
The Customizable Portions Project is a Georgetown-led research initiative that makes a data-driven case for rethinking portion size as a strategy to cut waste, improve financial margins, and better meet evolving consumer demand.
Read the Project Announcement
Explore how the Georgetown-led researcher team combined expert interviews, food waste audits, cost analyses, and more
Read the Report
Dive deep on the research, meet the research team, and explore recommendations foodservice operators can take today
Coming soon: meet the researchers
From picking through discarded fries and pickles to interviewing CEOs, hear from researchers and students about the process
Background: the Food Waste Problem
Food waste is a significant and costly challenge for the U.S. foodservice industry, driven largely by front-of-house plate waste—food sold but not consumed—despite many reduction efforts targeting back-of-house and supply chain optimization. Portion customization presents a key solution, offering untapped potential to enhance profitability, support sustainability goals, and improve customer satisfaction. Historically, restaurants have concentrated food waste efforts on back-of-house operations, but the research suggests that front-of-house plate waste represents a major blind spot.
12.7 million tonssurplus foodgenerated by foodservice operators in 2023 alone
64.6 million metric tons carbon emissionscontributed by excess food
$162 billionwaste-related coststo foodservice operators including food, packaging, labor, and disposal
Just 20%of operators tracking front-of-house wasteOnly 1 in 5 surveyed operators are tracking what customers leave behind on their plates
About the Research
The Georgetown-based research, led by Dr. Gina Green of the Earth Commons, analyzed the current state of food waste management to uncover opportunities to reduce food waste by offering customizable portions in retail foodservice environments. The study combined expert interviews and surveys, in-house food waste audits at four popular locations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and a detailed cost analysis and projection modeling. The researchers found that nearly 70% of restaurant food waste stems from food that is prepared, served, and never eaten, revealing that front-of-house plate waste represents a major blind spot in food waste reduction initiatives.
11Expert interviewsConducted with foodservice operators and experts
70Menus analyzedIncluding the leading 8 of 10 top US chains
20survey respondentsfrom commercial and non-commercial scaled foodservice operations
4In-house locations auditedIn the Washington, DC metropolitan area
5 Recommended Steps to Reduce Food Waste
The researchers developed concrete steps foodservice operators can take to reduce food waste:
Set food waste reduction targets.
Start by establishing clear, measurable goals for reducing FOH waste based on benchmark data—for example, set a target to reduce plate waste by 20% over the next year. Specific targets guide the work, facilitate progress tracking, and provide opportunities to celebrate successes along the way.
Track FOH food waste.
Conduct simple waste audits—even manual ones—to help identify which dishes and ingredients end up in the FOH trash most often. Use these insights to adjust menus, test portion customization, or make takeout containers more accessible. Even a few days of tracking can reveal patterns that reduce costs over the long term.
Adapt menus to appeal to evolving customer preferences.
Today’s diners want more control over their meals. Consider offering half-portions, smaller plates, build-your-own meals, smaller initial portions with free refills, or à la carte sides instead of a single default option, so customers get only what they actually want to eat. Consider reducing heavier entrée portion sizes and starchy side amounts, and reduce menu items that rarely sell and incur high waste-management and inventory costs.
Embed food waste reduction in employee-customer interactions.
Train staff to ask simple questions such as, “Would you like [fries, fruit, potatoes, sauce] with that, or would you prefer to skip the side or sauce?” or “Can I get you a container for leftovers?” These small conversations empower customers to make better choices, reduce waste, and provide valuable feedback to the restaurant operator about what’s working—and what’s not.
Market portion and meal changes to highlight customer satisfaction.
Frame customizable portions positively. Emphasize choice, freshness, and value, putting customers in the driver’s seat to optimize the value of their meal. Deciding on their portion and what is included on the plate alongside transparent pricing and messaging can make them feel good about their choices, not shortchanged, and build trust and loyalty.
