As a country, the UAE are leading the world in tackling food waste in the hospitality sector.
One of the shining lights is the Marriott hotel in Dubai - Grosvenor House.
Through their partnership with Winnow, they have slashed food waste by an enormous 72%. This means they are on the way to saving 50,000 meals per year, which equates to approximately AED 300,000 ($81,000).
More and more hotels in the region are attempting to make their operations more sustainable in an effort to align with customer values.
Since food waste is the third-largest producer of greenhouse gases, reducing food waste gives companies with a unique opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint.
This blog will tell you about how the Grosvenor House Dubai is at the spearhead of the food wastage revolution in Dubai, using technology to drastically improve their food waste management
About the hotel
The team at Grosvenor House Dubai saw reducing food waste as an opportunity and decided to act on it. The property is a unique twin tower complex, an instantly recognizable landmark of the Dubai Marina in the United Arab Emirates.
It opened in June 2005, becoming the first hotel in Dubai Marina and the 8th tallest building in Dubai. It boasts 749 contemporary guest rooms, suites, and apartments with spectacular views of the Marina.
With twelve restaurants and bars, the hotel is quite busy throughout the day and night. In September 2018, the Winnow System was installed in the busiest kitchen - Sloane's. After showing significant benefits, three more Winnow Systems have since been installed across the property to help the team track, monitor, and reduce food waste.
Reaping the benefits of the partnership
The team at Grosvenor House are constantly looking for new ways to become more sustainable and improve their operations. They are devoted to running a more efficient overall F&B offering, which led to the partnership with Winnow.
Grosvenor House is able to take the savings they get from reducing food waste and have re-invested this back into their food and beverage offering.
Grosvenor House is part of Marriott International, which is one of the world’s most renowned brands with a presence in 122 countries. The team is committed to delivering sustainability strategies that help preserve the planet and its resources.
By focusing on reducing food waste, Marriott International are not only contributing to the environment but also helping their kitchens become more efficient. Currently, food waste reduction is one of the initiatives under Marriott’s sustainability program ‘Serve 360’. Winnow and Serve 360 align well with each other. Quoting Marco Torrasso, Culinary Director at Marriott Grosvenor House, Dubai
“Winnow has helped us understand the volume and also the different varieties of food that we were throwing away each service. With this information, we were then able to look into various areas where we were able to either reduce the amount of production, increase the use of various food items or re-use the food for our staff canteen. With the daily and weekly reports we were able to monitor and reduce the amount of food that ends up in the bin each day.”
How has the team reduced food waste?
The team managed to reduce food waste by identifying the areas in the buffet where food consumption is normally lower and then adjusting portion sizes accordingly.
Through the Winnow system, they receive the data required to see what dishes are both fast-moving and slow-moving for their guests. They are able to re-engineer their menus and adjust portion sizes accordingly.
Staff awareness is also an integral part of their food waste journey. The employees in the kitchen are now aware of what goes into the bin, creating a sensitivity around wasting food that has helped to support the hotel on its food waste reduction journey.
Plan food purchase and daily food preparation in advance to avoid overproduction. Planning and correctly estimating how much food they needed to prepare was key to minimizing food waste in their kitchen.
Through the food waste data, the hotel noticed that they required smaller packets of certain products and they were able to reduce their ordering size to best match their forecasts and requirements.
Grosvenor House Dubai is a great example of how Marriott is taking measures against food waste while serving delicious food that is also sustainable. This is a part of a global movement of chefs with an aim to reduce wastage and change our food system to create a more sustainable future.
The UAE government and The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has a goal - to save 3 million meals by 2020 - backed by a campaign known as #Proudtopledge.
Learn more about other hotels in the UAE who are making a difference.
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