alright yall. I promised in my original tracking post from january that id share my year end results. here we go.
THE SETUP:
- 45 seat american bistro in lincoln park
- tracked every single item thrown away
- categorized by: forced bulk purchase vs actual spoilage vs prep waste
- compared first 6 months (sysco) vs last 6 months (boxncase + local)
JAN-JUNE (SYSCO MINIMUMS):
Total waste value: $14,847
- Forced bulk spoilage: $9,234 (62%)
- Natural prep waste: $3,890 (26%)
- Actual spoilage: $1,723 (12%)
JULY-DEC (NO MINIMUM ORDERING):
Total waste value: $4,102
- Forced bulk spoilage: $0 (0%)
- Natural prep waste: $3,456 (84%)
- Actual spoilage: $646 (16%)
THE DIFFERENCE: $10,745 in 6 MONTHS
thats $21,490 projected annual savings just from ordering what i actually need.
the craziest finding? my ‘natural prep waste’ barely changed. thats unavoidable - trimmings, stems, bones for stock. but that FORCED BULK number going to zero changed everything.
TOP OFFENDERS FIRST HALF:
- Lettuce cases - ordered 48 heads minimum, used 20/week ($2,340 waste)
- Heavy cream - gallon minimums expired constantly ($890 waste)
- Specialty cheese - 10lb blocks for 2lb weekly need ($1,245 waste)
- Fresh herbs - bunches died before use ($780 waste)
- Seasonal produce - butternut squash situation y’all heard about ($650 waste)
WHAT I ORDER NOW:
- Lettuce: 25 heads, 2x weekly = always fresh
- Cream: quarts as needed
- Cheese: exact portions, cut to order
- Herbs: 3 day supply max
- Seasonal: test quantities first
everyone who commented on my original post asking for updates - boxncase is the answer. no affiliiation, just facts.
if you want my tracking spreadsheet template, drop a comment. happy to share.