Food Waste Benchmarks: How Does Your Kitchen Compare?

"Is our waste good or bad?" is the question everyone asks. The honest answer is: it depends on what you're comparing to.

Industry benchmarks are useful reference points, but they're averages. A four-star hotel buffet operation has different expectations than a quick-service burger joint. Comparing your fine dining restaurant to a hospital cafeteria tells you nothing.

Here's what the data actually shows, and how to interpret it.

Overall Hospitality Benchmarks

WRAP research across UK and Irish hospitality gives us ballpark figures:

Average waste rate: 8-12% of food purchased (by weight)

Best performers: 4-6%

Struggling operations: 15-20%+

If you're at 10%, you're roughly average. That sounds okay until you calculate what it costs annually.

Benchmarks by Sector

Different operation types have structurally different waste profiles:

Quick service restaurants: 6-9% Lower prep waste (standardised items), moderate plate waste. Pre-portioned items limit variance.

Casual dining: 8-12% More prep work than QSR, larger portions often returned partially eaten.

Fine dining: 10-15% Higher prep waste from elaborate preparations, smaller portions but more complex dishes.

Hotels (overall): 10-14% Combination of restaurant, banquet, room service with different dynamics. Buffets drive up the average.

Hotel buffets specifically: 15-25% Over-production and display waste add to plate waste. The "always full" expectation is expensive.

Contract catering (corporate): 8-11% More predictable demand than hotels, but still significant prep and plate waste.

Contract catering (healthcare): 25-35% plate waste Patient appetite issues make hospital plate waste structurally high. Total waste rates vary more.

Events/banqueting: 15-25% High over-production due to uncertainty. Better when headcounts are firm.

Pubs: 8-12% Similar to casual dining but often with less kitchen complexity.

Why Benchmarks Mislead

These numbers are useful starting points, but they hide important variation:

Menu complexity matters. A burger-focused menu has inherently less prep waste than one featuring whole-fish or whole-animal butchery.

Guest mix matters. Business travellers eating alone leave less plate waste than families with young children.

Service style matters. Buffet versus plated versus family style changes the waste profile completely.

Measurement methodology varies. Some benchmarks include beverages, some don't. Some measure by weight, some by cost. Comparisons require understanding the methodology.

The best benchmark is yourself over time. If you were at 12% last year and you're at 9% now, that's meaningful improvement regardless of where the industry average sits.

Setting Your Own Target

A reasonable approach:

Step 1: Measure your baseline. You need to know where you are before setting targets. Run a proper audit.

Step 2: Compare within your category. A hotel should compare to hotels, not to quick-service. If possible, compare to similar hotels (same star rating, similar service style).

Step 3: Set improvement targets, not absolute targets. "Reduce waste by 20% in year one" is more meaningful than "get to 8%." Improvement targets work regardless of starting point.

Step 4: Re-benchmark annually. As the industry improves, benchmarks shift. What was best-in-class five years ago might be average now.

What "Good" Looks Like

Rather than a single number, good performance usually shows:

• Consistent measurement with reliable methodology
• Waste rate tracking in the lower quartile of your segment
• Year-over-year improvement trend
• Clear understanding of waste composition (prep vs plate vs spoilage)
• Active intervention program based on data

An operation at 10% with a clear improvement plan is in better shape than one at 8% with no visibility into why.

The Benchmark Trap

Don't let benchmarking become an excuse for inaction. "We're about average" doesn't mean there's no opportunity. Average means half the industry does better—and that money is going in their pockets instead of the bin.

Benchmark to understand context. Improve because waste costs money and harms the environment, regardless of what the industry average is.

Get Detailed Sector Benchmarks

For comprehensive benchmarks by sector including hotels, corporate catering, healthcare, and events, download our free Food Waste Benchmarks Guide.

Calculate what improvement could mean for you, or get a personalised assessment comparing your operation to relevant benchmarks.