This study is the first to study the waste stream of buffet restaurants in Taiwan. The daily food wastes generated, from three all-you–can-eat buffet restaurants, averaged from 304.43 to 565.09 kg with volumes ranging from 1.40 to 2.62 M3. The guests were estimated to generate 449.71 to 928.84 g of waste per meal, which was much greater than the corresponding weight reported for other restaurant types. The theoretical food waste recovery rate of these restaurants was estimated to be higher than 70%. However, staff’s failure in proper waste sorting and stacking observed during the study suggested a much lower waste recycling in actuality. It has demonstrated that the volume some foodservice waste could be reduced by 60 to 80% through stacking, while the weight of foodservice waste can be reduced by 50% when the waste is simply drained. In this study, interestingly found, the restaurant with open kitchen had the lowest buffet-counter food waste. Managerial implications to the restaurant operators are also suggested.
Keywords: All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Restaurants, Foodservice Waste, Open Kitchen, Theoretical Recovery Rate, Turnover Rate
