How to reduce bread waste in a restaurant or café: 7 steps
According to Leket Israel's food-loss report, 10.6% of bread and baked goods in Israel is thrown away — about 20,000 tons. In a food business, discarded bread is money lost twice: at purchase and at disposal.
Short answer: Count leftovers daily, order by weekday rather than by average, switch variable-demand items to frozen, and bake in small batches. Leftovers go to croutons, French toast or donation.
7 steps
- Count how much bread is left at the end of each day for two weeks.
- Set a separate order for each weekday — Friday is not Tuesday.
- Move variable-demand items to their frozen version.
- Bake in 20–40 minute batches instead of everything in the morning.
- Serve table bread on request or as a small portion with refills.
- Turn leftovers into dishes: croutons, bruschetta, French toast, breadcrumbs.
- Donate surplus to a food-rescue organization.
What it's worth
A business throwing away 10% of its bread and cutting that to 3% saves about 7% of its bread budget — without changing supplier or price.