Mercure Kraków Old Town, just minutes from the famous Wawel Castle, stands as a timeless gem in the heart of Kraków. Along with its unmatched beauty, Mercure Kraków Old Town also places sustainability as one of their core values. This is why they decided that reducing food waste and creating a truly sustainable kitchen will be their next focus. This is when Orbisk stepped in to help. With our help, they were driven to not only reduce food waste but also set an inspiring example for the industry.

The challenge: A vision for sustainability

Mercure Kraków Old Town was aware of the issue of food waste. But tackling it can be overwhelming, challenging, and just plain stressful. And creating a sustainable kitchen can take more work than expected. They lacked the data and tools to effectively measure their food waste, but more importantly, their reduction efforts. With a long-term commitment to sustainability, they needed a solution that would not only help them in the short term but also in the long term. That’s when the Orbi came into their kitchen.

With the Orbi automatically tracking food waste and our Food Waste Coaches always by their side, the team at Mercure Kraków Old Town got to work. For one month, they tracked their food waste to gain data and insights into what they were throwing away, why they were throwing it away, and of course, how much. All this data was collected automatically, and effortlessly. All they needed was to hold their plate of food waste in front of the Orbi for less than half a second, and the rest was done for them. That’s not to say the kitchen team didn’t have their work cut out for them. With the first half of the job done by the Orbi, the rest, with guidance from our Food Waste Coaches, was up to them. And they delivered some impressive results.

The solution: Combining insights & data for a sustainable kitchen

With tailored guidance from the Food Waste Coaches, the kitchen team at Mercure Kraków Old Town got to work with implementing reduction efforts. And this time, they could measure their true impact.

So, how did they turn their commercial kitchen into a sustainable kitchen? Well, there were a few key changes they made that had quite an impact.

• They adjusted the size of plates and bowls for the breakfast buffet
• Instead of refilling the breakfast buffet in its final hour, they put out a sign that certain items are available upon request
• They reorganized the stations so that bread was at the end to reduce excess servings.
• They also redistributed the unused bread to the staff canteen after breakfast service

All these efforts created an impact that was more than marginal. In fact, they reduced their food waste by an impressive 34% in just one year of their partnership with Orbisk. That’s pretty impressive, right? While the ripple effects are sometimes forgotten, they’re just as significant and impressive, and maybe even more important. 

The results: Concrete achievements and ripple effects

Mercure Kraków Old Town has made quite an impact, but they’re already looking to the future, setting new milestones for 2025, and reaching for newer heights. But for now, let’s take a look at the impact they’ve made in the first year.

• 34% reduction in food waste
• 3,982 kg of food saved from the bin
• 10,769 kg of CO2 prevented
• €39,823 saved

That’s a lot of saved money, resulting in a strong ROI. And a lot of prevented CO2 emissions. To put it into perspective, it’s the same amount of CO2 as driving a car for 90,000 kilometers, or around the world 2 times. It’s safe to say their kitchen can be considered a truly sustainable kitchen. A well-deserved title showcasing Mercure Kraków Old Town’s kitchen team’s efforts.

The bottom line: Sustainable kitchens save you money in the long run

Let’s be honest. Whether sustainability is a priority for you or not, the associated cost savings are hard to ignore. And becoming sustainable is an inevitability if you’re in hospitality. So why not hop on the train now and start reaping all the benefits instantly?

Orbisk helps commercial kitchens reduce food waste, reduce purchasing costs, and increase their sustainability. Through the Orbi, our AI-powered food waste management system, tracking your food waste is made effortless, and almost instant. It works by taking a picture of your food waste in less than half a second. Then, through our AI system, it can recognize the food, attribute a reason to it, and record when it’s thrown away. All this gives you the data you need to make changes to your operation that will result in saving lots of money and lots of food. And our qualified Food Waste Coaches are there to help you every step of the way. No matter what industry you’re in, or what size your kitchen is. The Orbi can help every kitchen become more sustainable and save more money.

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