Reducing Wastage in Pub Kitchens: Save £500+ Monthly
Practical strategies to cut food and beer waste in UK pub operations
Typical UK pub wastes 8-12% of food and beer purchased—£6,000-9,000 annually on £300k turnover. Reducing this to 4-6% saves £3,000-4,500. This guide shows exactly how.
Beer Wastage: The Biggest Leak
Draught beer wastage averages 8-10% in UK pubs. On £100,000 annual beer sales, that is £8,000-10,000 literally poured down the drain.
Line cleaning wastage
£150-300/month✅ Fix: Clean lines Sunday night (quietest). Use line cleaning kits (£30) not full barrel rinse.
Fobbing
£100-200/month✅ Fix: Train staff on perfect pour. 95% liquid, 5% head. Fobby pints are re-poured = double loss.
Cellar temperature wrong
£80-150/month✅ Fix: 11-13°C for lagers, 11-12°C for ales. Too warm = excess foam. Monitor daily.
End-of-keg waste
£60-120/month✅ Fix: Connect multiple kegs to one line. Use keg-end for cooking or staff drinks (recorded).
Spillages
£40-80/month✅ Fix: Drip trays emptied properly. Staff care during busy periods. Non-slip mats.
Calculate Your Beer Wastage:
- Count kegs delivered this month
- Count pints sold (from EPOS)
- Expected pints = Kegs × 88 (for 11-gallon keg)
- Wastage = Expected pints - Sold pints
- Wastage % = (Wastage ÷ Expected) × 100
Target: Under 5% wastage. 8-10% is poor. Over 12% indicates serious issues (theft, poor cellar management, or leaking equipment).
Food Waste Reduction
Conclusion
Wastage is controllable. Every £1 saved on waste is £1 straight to profit. Monitor daily, train staff, maintain equipment properly, and enforce procedures. Reducing wastage from 10% to 5% typically saves £400-800 monthly—money you currently throw away.
Control All Your Costs
Wastage costs money. So do high card processing fees. Save on both.
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