How Do the Representatives of Small and Micro Restaurants Perceive Food Waste in Their Own Restaurant? Empirical Evidence from The Netherlands

The focus of this paper is on the generation of food waste by small and micro restaurants, specifically on the perceptions of representatives of these restaurants. Do they perceive this generation of food waste as problematic, and do they perceive that they have enough knowledge about how to minimize this generated food waste? With data from a sample of 200 Dutch restaurants, which were collected through surveys and analyzed with regression analysis, we came to two key findings. The first key finding is that our respondents hardly perceive the food waste that is generated in their own restaurant as problematic. The second key finding is that they perceive they have limited knowledge about how to minimize the food waste that is generated in their own restaurant. The main influencing factor for both perceptions appeared to be the actual level of food waste generated in their own restaurant. This paper continues with a number of recommendations for future research, to apply other research techniques and to study other sectors as well. The paper ends with practical recommendations for the representatives of the small and micro restaurants, as the findings of this paper suggest a need for targeted educational and training programs to enhance food waste management in their restaurants, contributing to broader sustainability goals.