How do digitalisation and sustainability fit together in the catering industry?
Digitisation and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, they are even interrelated and can help to build a more efficient and resource-saving digital catering industry in the long term. With the right know-how and tools at your side, your gastronomy will also benefit. In this article, you will receive 5 valuable tips for more digitalisation and sustainability in your business.
What is sustainability in the catering industry?
Awareness of the issue of sustainability has taken on an important status in society, and so there is growing interest for it in the catering industry. The popularity of meatless and sustainable cuisine has increased enormously in recent years. As the nutrition report of the german Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) shows, the number of vegetarians and vegans even doubled between 2020 and 2021. This means that about every tenth person in Germany eats a vegetarian diet. restaurant owners can benefit from this development by adding creative vegetarian and vegan dishes to their menus.
Sustainability is particularly important in the transport and take-away sale of food. Since polystyrene and plastic packaging only biodegrade slowly and harm the environment, the EU Parliament decided in 2019 to ban disposable plastic products. Since 2021, single-use products such as plates, cutlery and straws made of plastic have been banned and alternatives made of reusable materials must now be offered. But sustainable behaviour and responsible use of resources can also be promoted in other areas, especially with the help of digital catering solutions.
Tip 1: Create order & optimise processes
With an efficient kitchen management system, the ecological footprint in the kitchen can be reduced. Chaotic paperwork, lost receipts and inconsistencies in the daily kitchen routine can be easily organised with a digital tool. A kitchen monitor displays the respective dishes at the correct station, informs the staff about the processing status at other stations and automatically compiles delivery tours that can be run together.
Wrong orders and delays in food preparation are thus be avoided. Food waste in daily restaurant operations can be addressed and packaging material reduced.
Tip 2: Look at key performance indicators
For restaurateurs, a digital POS system provides important key figures for the analysis and detailed evaluation of the catering business. The tool helps you with clear liquidity and profitability planning, costing of goods or effective staff planning. Holistic and sustainable planning is thus possible.
Tip 3: Reduce walking distances
With digital catering software such as a contactless table ordering system for guests, restaurateurs can improve their service and save time. One reason for this is the reduction of walking distances. In this way, labour resources can be saved and used more sustainably.
Tip 4: Transparent merchandise management
In this case, a digital restaurant merchandise management system creates transparency over the entire movement of goods and helps to avoid waste. From supplier management, goods ordering, goods receipt, warehouse management and inventory, all points can be managed at a glance. This way you can quickly see if purchased goods have been discarded and can take countermeasures at an early stage by checking if they have been stored incorrectly or if too much has been ordered. This means less food waste, less rubbish and ultimately lower costs.
Tip 5: Reduce environmentally harmful materials
Restaurateurs can save on environmentally harmful materials such as production receipts. With the use of a kitchen monitor, the processes are digitalised so that receipt rolls are no longer used and receipt paper can be saved. This can provide a significant contribution to more sustainability.
Conclusion
The digitalisation of the catering industry offers a great opportunity to make the catering kitchen more sustainable. There are many savings opportunities, especially in the administrative area. With the help of digital tools, many processes can be optimised, accelerated and automated. This in turn enables more efficient work, offers improved service and allows capacities for more guests.
A digital gastronomy software can also create an enormous benefit in the area of cost reduction, and as a result, restaurateurs can increase their revenue by converting to digital systems.
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