Food waste data is valuable on its own. Combined with point-of-sale data, it becomes powerful—revealing relationships between what you sell and what you waste.
Why Integration Matters
Waste per cover: Normalise waste by sales volume for meaningful comparisons Menu item analysis: Connect waste to specific dishes and ingredients Forecasting input: Predict waste based on expected sales Cost allocation: Attribute waste costs to menu items Pattern analysis: Understand how sales mix affects waste
Integration Approaches
Manual export/import: Download data from each system, combine in spreadsheet. Works but labour-intensive.
API integration: Systems communicate directly, sharing data automatically. Most reliable.
Data warehouse: Both systems feed central data store for combined analysis.
Native integration: POS and waste systems from same vendor with built-in connection.
What to Connect
From POS:
- Covers/transactions
- Sales by item
- Sales by time period
- Discounts and comps
- Service type (dine-in, takeaway, delivery)
From waste system:
- Weight by category/item
- Timestamps
- Waste type (prep, plate, spoilage)
- Environmental metrics
Insights from Integration
With connected data, you can answer:
- Which menu items have worst waste-to-sales ratios?
- Does waste per cover vary by day or service?
- How does sales mix affect total waste?
- What's the true fully-loaded cost of each dish?
- How do promotions affect waste patterns?
Implementation Considerations
Data compatibility: Ensure systems can exchange data in usable format Timing alignment: Match waste data timing to sales data periods Category mapping: Align waste categories with menu categories Data ownership: Clarify who owns combined data Maintenance: Plan for ongoing integration maintenance
Getting Started
- Identify what questions you want to answer
- Understand what data each system provides
- Evaluate integration options
- Start simple—manual integration for proof of concept
- Automate once value is proven
Contact us about integrating waste monitoring with your existing systems.