Sheraton Amsterdam cuts food waste 50%, food cost 3% with Leanpath

The Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center, with its 417 rooms, two restaurants, a bar, 24/7 room service, and 32 meeting rooms, faces the complex challenge of managing food production for a diverse group of guests. Pim Van Het Reve, the hotel’s food and beverage manager, knew that managing food waste was crucial for both the hotel’s financial health and its commitment to social responsibility. But his kitchen staff was skeptical about adopting a new food waste tracking system.

That all changed when the hotel partnered with Leanpath. By leveraging Leanpath’s technology, the Sheraton Amsterdam has not only transformed its food waste management but has also seen a significant positive impact on its bottom line and kitchen culture.

Challenge: Overproduction and Lack of Visibility

Before Leanpath, the hotel’s food and beverage operations operated on a "generous" philosophy, especially with buffets for conferences and events. This approach, while visually appealing, led to significant overproduction and, consequently, high levels of food waste. Without a system to track what was being thrown away, the team lacked the data to make informed decisions about their menus and production quantities.

The kitchen staff were initially wary of a new system that they feared would create more work. Van Het Reve knew that to make a real change, he needed to make the issue of food waste tangible and empower his team to be part of the solution.

Solution: Data-Driven Decisions with Leanpath

The Sheraton Amsterdam implemented Leanpath’s food waste tracking technology to gain a clear, data-driven understanding of their waste stream. The data revealed a surprising truth to the kitchen staff: every item thrown away represented a tangible financial loss.

"Chefs, they came to me and they were like, are these numbers correct? Are we really throwing away that much money," Van Het Reve explained. "It created a lot of awareness."

With this newfound insight, the hotel’s team, led by two dedicated food waste champions, began to use Leanpath’s data to identify key opportunities for waste reduction. They implemented several strategic changes:

• Buffet Optimization: Leanpath data showed which buffet items, such as certain cheeses and cold cuts, were consistently unpopular and being wasted. The team replaced these with more popular varieties, ensuring guests were happy and less food was discarded.
• Repurposing Food: To address the brand-standard requirement for a variety of fruit on buffets, Van Het Reve’s team began tracking fruit waste. A cook saw the opportunity to repurpose leftover fruit into the hotel’s beverage program, using it to create smoothies and frozen margaritas—a win for sustainability and innovation.
• Event-Specific Forecasting: With 32 meeting rooms, the hotel serves diverse groups with different consumption patterns. The team began using Leanpath data to connect the purpose of a meeting (training events, board meetings or celebrations) with food consumption levels. This is allowing  them to more precisely forecast the production.
• Buffet Quantity Reduction: Toward the end of service, the team began reducing the quantity of food on display, which significantly cut down on the amount of food that might otherwise go to waste.

Results: Financial and Cultural Transformation

Since implementing Leanpath, the Sheraton Amsterdam has achieved remarkable results:

• 50% Reduction in Food Waste: The hotel has successfully cut its food waste by more than half, a substantial environmental and financial victory.
• 3% Decrease in Food Cost: This reduction in food waste has directly translated to a 3% decrease in the hotel's food cost, exceeding their budgeted goals.
• Engaged and Empowered Staff: The initial skepticism from the kitchen staff has been replaced by a sense of ownership and friendly competition. Van Het Reve notes that the cooks now treat food waste reduction "as a kind of game," challenging each other to minimize waste and celebrating their successes. The team is now proactively thinking of new ways to optimize production and reduce waste, such as the creative idea to repurpose fruit.

Pim Van Het Reve’s advice to his peers is direct: "If you're not controlling your food waste, you're gonna lose the game... Your food waste needs to be a centerpieces in optimizing your food cost."

By making food waste visible, Leanpath empowered the Sheraton Amsterdam to not only achieve its sustainability and financial goals but also to foster a culture of awareness and innovation among its entire team.