The hospitality industry is downsizing—especially when it comes to hotel buffets, The New York Times reports.
Research, conducted by global design firm Ideo, found guests at a Hyatt Hotel in Orlando, Florida, only eat about half the food spread out at buffets.
Now, the hospitality industry has seized on the firm’s initial findings to make headway in addressing a pervasive and costly problem—food waste.
The United States generates 63 million tons of food waste annually, at an estimated cost of $218 billion, according to a 2016 report by ReFED, a group of businesses, nonprofit groups and government leaders devoted to reducing the nation’s waste. Of that, roughly 40% is estimated to come from consumesr—serving businesses like hotels and restaurants.
Though no good data exists yet about how much hotels or their buffets specifically contribute to the overall waste total, but the thinking is that hotels are an ideal place to raise awareness and change behaviors around sustainability issues.
