REDUCING CONTROLLABLE FOOD WASTE THROUGH DATA DRIVEN TRACKING PROTOCOL IN HOTEL FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS

Abstract

Food waste represents one of the most persistent operational and sustainability challenges confronting the global hospitality industry. Within hotel food service environments, controllable food waste arising from overproduction, inaccurate demand forecasting, and inadequate monitoring systems continues to generate avoidable financial losses and environmental impact. This study examines the implementation of a structured data-driven food waste tracking protocol within a five-star hotel kitchen environment in Jakarta, Indonesia, and evaluates its effectiveness in reducing controllable food waste across a fourteen-day observation period. Grounded in Operational Management Efficiency theory (Geminarqi & Purnomo, 2023), supported by Evidence-Based Management (Rousseau, 2020) and operationalized through the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle framework (Shi, 2024), the research employs a quantitative twophase design comprising a pretest phase (Days 1-7) and a posttest phase (Days 8-14), enabling comparative analysis of waste generation patterns before and after tracking protocol stabilization. Data were collected using a standardized food waste tracking instrument and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Paired Sample T-Test, and Pearson correlation analysis using Jamovi statistical software. Findings reveal a statistically significant improvement in operational efficiency between phases (p = 0.046, Cohen's d = 0.950), alongside a marginally significant reduction in waste percentage (p = 0.089). Mean waste quantity declined by 23.4%, waste per cover decreased by 43.7%, and waste percentage reduced from 1.61% to 0.91% between phases. Pearson correlation analysis further identified moderate positive relationships between food waste generation and both guest volume (r = 0.531) and production quantity (r = 0.531), alongside a moderate negative association with operational efficiency (r = -0.600). The findings demonstrate that structured waste tracking, even without advanced technological infrastructure, produces measurable improvements in kitchen operational performance and waste visibility. This study contributes empirical evidence to the limited body of hospitality food waste research conducted within the Indonesian context and offers a practical, scalable framework for evidence-based food waste management applicable across hotel food service operations.