Från planering till servering. En studie om restaurangbranschens arbete för minskat matsvinn

Due to the environmental impact of food waste and its implications on the economic performance of restaurants, the importance of reducing food waste has taken a central role in the management of restaurants. This paper examines the difficulties which arise in the restaurant industry in their efforts to reduce food waste. In addition the paper aims to answer the following questions: Is food waste perceived as a problem for businesses within the restaurant industry? How can businesses in the restaurant industry achieve an efficient management of raw produce in their strive for less food waste? What incentives works as a motivational factor for restaurants to implement such a management perspective on food waste?. This was accomplished through a qualitative research method which was based on ten interviews. They were conducted with management personnel in restaurants concerning their structuring of processes and routines within the organisations with the aim to reduce food waste. The applied theoretical frameworks consist of research regarding service management, lean management and environmental responsibility. This is used to make meaning of the empirical evidence in an attempt to answer the above questions. The results of this study indicate that there are three main difficulties arising within the restaurant industry when applying an environmental friendly management approach to reducing food waste. The difficulties consist of estimation of demand, environmental impact and raw produce efficiency versus customer perceived service quality. Furthermore this study will give examples of different strategies that have been employed by the research objects to solve these issues. The primary reasons for adapting this management perspective is based on economical and moral grounds.