Food waste is a significant problem at many restaurants and cafes, ranging from large chains to small, independent mom-and-pop shops. 

For example, while coffee giant Starbucks has a history of forward-thinking sustainability efforts over the years, employees have at times called out their workplaces for excess waste due to display practices, unsold items, and inconsistent donations.

What's happening?

In a Reddit post to r/starbucks, one Starbucks worker shared a photo of unsold food piled up in garbage bags. 

"Last night — what a preventable waste," the OP wrote. 

In the post's comments, the OP explained that there were four or five bags of leftover food available for donation. However, there was no other place to put the excess food other than in trash bags on the floor. 

"We have no room in our refrigerators anyway because of the colossal overordering that's going on right now," the OP shared. 

"We could've fed 100 people with the food that was thrown away," according to the OP. "My church has a huge food bank and would have loved to have gotten this food. My store manager said that we could not take it to give away."

"That is ridiculous!" another Reddit user commented on the post. "So much waste." 

Is Starbucks doing anything about this?

Starbucks has made commitments to hunger relief and has worked to divert food from waste streams while helping to alleviate hunger. According to its website, Starbucks has donated at least 111 million meals through its FoodShare program and prevented 133 million pounds of food from going to waste. 

This is a national, company-wide effort in conjunction with a partnership with Feeding America and other hunger-relief groups. 

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But unfortunately, other Starbucks employees besides just the OP have expressed their frustrations about food still being wasted in their stores and donations not being effectively distributed. The issue is not likely a major one at every Starbucks location, but employees at several stores have been speaking up and advocating to their managers for better leftover food procedures so that local nonprofits can benefit from them.

"They just haven't been taking donations at my store," said another commenter, indicating they are a barista, "and y'know the extra food they're sending us, we threw out 75 ham and Swiss croissants yesterday. This is truly disgusting and such a waste of good food."

A Starbucks spokesperson told The Cool Down that the company's goal is to donate 100% of approved-to-donate food, suggesting that in many cases the leftover food is not suitable for eating, though anecdotes of 75 sandwiches being thrown out at once would seem to go beyond a total that could all be explained by spoilage. 

When asked about donation expectations and whether Starbucks corporate holds individual stores accountable when it comes to over-ordering and donations, the spokesperson said that preparing donations is a daily expectation and that staff members can escalate issues with deliveries or donations internally for further review. 

Why is restaurant food waste important?

Leftover food from restaurants and coffee shops contributes significantly to our global food waste problem. When restaurants order too much food and are unable to donate the leftovers, they unnecessarily spend money and waste the resources required to grow, transport, and prepare it. 

All of these actions contribute to increased pollution, especially methane gas, which is released into the air when food decomposes in landfills. 

Reducing food waste is a crucial part of saving businesses money, conserving valuable resources, and minimizing environmental pollution. 

What's being done about food waste more broadly?

Corporate food waste policies are incredibly helpful in preventing perfectly usable food from being discarded and contributing to our growing pollution problem. Fortunately, there are many inspiring examples of successful food donation programs for restaurants and cafes to follow.  

These programs are especially crucial when extreme weather and power outages strike, creating food insecurity in vulnerable communities. 

If you work in the food service industry, pay attention to what happens with unordered food at the end of your shift and discuss possible solutions with your management team. 

Whenever you dine out, consider bringing your own reusable containers to help curb plastic waste. Additionally, consider composting your food scraps to keep rotting food out of landfills, while also helping your garden thrive. 

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