In large-scale hotel kitchens, food is produced in high volumes every single day. Buffets must look abundant. Guest expectations must be met. And preparation must run smoothly.

But behind that daily operation, one challenge quietly grows: food waste.

At Park Inn by Radisson Amsterdam City West, the team recognized that food waste was more than a sustainability issue; it was an operational blind spot with financial consequences.

In just under 3 years, the hotel achieved:

• 41% reduction in food waste
• 32,000+ kg of food saved
• €237,000 in cost savings

Here’s how they did it.

The Challenge: Large-Scale Production and Hidden Waste

In a large hotel operation, food is prepared at scale every day to serve hundreds of guests. Buffets, breakfast services, events, and à la carte offerings create constant production pressure.

As the team explains:

“We prepare food on a large scale every day for our hotel guests.”

In this environment, even small inefficiencies multiply quickly. A few extra trays prepared “just in case.” Slightly oversized portions. Overestimated demand.

Every kilo thrown away represents:

• Wasted ingredients
• Lost purchasing budget
• Unnecessary environmental impact
• Missed operational optimization

The team understood that reducing food waste would directly improve cost control and efficiency. But first, they needed clarity.

The Insight Gap: Not Knowing What and When Waste Happens

Like many large hotel kitchens, waste existed, but it wasn’t measurable in a structured way.

Without reliable data:

• Purchasing decisions were based on estimates
• Portion sizes were difficult to optimize
• Menu adjustments lacked feedback
• Overproduction remained invisible

The hotel wanted to move from assumptions to facts.

As they put it:

“By actively measuring and reducing food waste, we can improve purchasing, produce more efficiently, and continuously optimize our processes. This contributes to sustainability and cost control.”

The ambition was clear. The missing piece was measurement.

The Solution: Making Food Waste Measurable with Orbisk

Orbisk introduced a practical solution directly on the kitchen floor: a weighing system that tracks food waste in real time.

Suddenly, waste was no longer abstract.

“Orbisk helps us make food waste measurable.”

Through the weighing system, the team gained precise insight into waste patterns:

“Through the weighing system, we can see exactly what is being thrown away and when it happens. This provides immediate insight into where improvements can be made.”

Instead of guessing, the kitchen could now:

• Identify high-waste ingredients
• Detect peak waste moments during service
• Connect waste to specific production decisions
• Take immediate corrective action

Measurement created visibility. Visibility enabled action.

The Results: From Data to Operational Optimization

With concrete waste data, the kitchen team began making targeted improvements.

“With this information, our kitchen team can adjust purchasing, menu planning, portion sizes, and production.”

Orbisk supported improvements in:

• Purchasing optimization: Ordering more accurately based on real demand
• Production planning: Reducing overproduction during peak times
• Portion size adjustments: Aligning serving sizes with actual consumption
• Continuous process optimization: Reviewing and refining operations regularly

The impact after 3 years:

• 41% less food waste
• 32,000+ kg of food saved
• €237,000 saved

Food waste reduction became directly linked to financial performance.

At the same time, it aligned with the hotel’s long-term sustainability goals:

“Reducing food waste aligns with our ambition to be a future-proof organization and to make a positive contribution to the environment.”

The Cultural Shift: Making Waste Visible on the Work Floor

Beyond the numbers, something else changed.

Food waste became visible in daily operations.

“It also raises awareness within the team. It makes food waste visible on the work floor and encourages employees to actively think along about improvements.”

Instead of appearing as a monthly report or sustainability metric, waste became:

• Tangible
• Immediate
• Actionable

This visibility:

• Increased team engagement
• Encouraged accountability
• Stimulated proactive problem-solving
• Turned sustainability into a shared responsibility

Reducing waste was no longer a management initiative, it became part of the kitchen culture.

Key Takeaway: From Invisible Cost to Controllable Lever

For Radisson Amsterdam City New West, the breakthrough was not simply reducing food waste.

It was making it measurable.

With Orbisk, food waste transformed from an invisible operational cost into a controllable performance lever, driving efficiency, cost savings, and sustainability at the same time.

When kitchens can see their waste, they can change it.

And when they change it, the results speak for themselves.