Restaurant waste regulations...

[Am_staff]

Food waste is huge from all sources, suppliers to restaurants to grocery stores. The reason is liability. It’s easier to toss than get sued. Most of the big corps make it mandatory that goods are thrown out. But, I have seen the Gospel Mission truck loading goods from Quality Greens. Who knows if that’s day old donations, or they are picking up their purchases.

[Bpeep]

Maybe the complainant instead should whine about all the fruit that's culled and dropped in the orchards coz it's the wrong size or color to sell to those who want their fruit to look like it came out of an injection molding machine.
At least the culled fruit is healthy.

[gman313]

Maybe the complainant instead should whine about all the fruit that's culled and dropped in the orchards coz it's the wrong size or color to sell to those who want their fruit to look like it came out of an injection molding machine.
At least the culled fruit is healthy.

good call

and there is a volunteer organization that will come harvest it for you even. You literally just need to make a phone call if you don't want your fruit.

[the truth]

Just what the homeless need more medical issues by eating donuts/pure sugar i.e teeth & type 2

i was just going to say that; first off people donuts are not food , and they will come with more medical issues if these people are going to eat these things for free every day, the last thing they need is to eat this free sugar filled poison everyday,
i for one say keep to your policy tim's and throw it out https://www.rodalewellness.com/health/sugar-toxic

[tripleoh]

I presently work for a Tim Hortons. And have worked for other restaurants with the same policy over the years. I agree that the amount of food we toss out is ridiculous. Unfortuneately we live in a society that is so health conscious that all of this stuff is now heavily regulated. Its time we relaxed those rules for the sake of our homeless and less fortunate people. Why should anyone go hungry when all this food is being tossed out globally.

[the truth]

Yeah, and then one homeless person gets sick from an old muffin, and sues Tim Hortons for negligence.

Also, please stop calling crap Timmies sell "food". It's not. It's sugary bread in many forms, not good for anybody.

exactly,,,,,,,,,,,and you know they will

[TylerM4]

Many folks don't understand the reasoning and just want to vilify big corporations.

I managed a McDonalds. Not even employees were allowed to have leftover food. Accidently put onions on that burger ordered "without onions"? It goes in the trash even tho it never left the kitchen and the employee would be happy to eat it on his/her break.

There are reasons for this folks.
- Most stores don't want to attract a bunch of homeless people to them. They cause problems and scare off the other customers while spending nothing.
- Employees would be tempted to "accidently" make the burger wrong or cook extra food so they could have it at end of day. Min wage workers looking to save a few bucks. How do you monitor/police this?
- Liability concerns. What if someone gets sick. What if the food is resold?

Long story short - doing this is bad for business. Very few restaurants give away food for this reason - don't just pick on Timmies. It's a bigger problem that needs to be discussed/fought on another level.

[Jflem1983]

Maybe she should go home. Empty out her cupboards and fridge. Give it away. Why not. I bet she gets more facebook likes .

Better still. She could give her credit card .

[alanjh595]

Better yet, give it to the pig, chicken, goat, beef farmers, it will sweeten the meat.

[the truth]

Maybe the complainant instead should whine about all the fruit that's culled and dropped in the orchards coz it's the wrong size or color to sell to those who want their fruit to look like it came out of an injection molding machine.
At least the culled fruit is healthy.

winner winner chicken dinner

[spooker]

Long story short - doing this is bad for business. Very few restaurants give away food for this reason - don't just pick on Timmies. It's a bigger problem that needs to be discussed/fought on another level.

I understand your reasons, but none of them are insurmountable ...

There are organisations in the UK and AU that collect out-of-date, unsold, accidental food and redistribute it ... no more homeless collecting around your doorstep to frighten off customers who don't want to acknowledge the lower classes exist even in Canada

Employees wouldn't benefit directly ... worst that could happen is a charity plants someone in the business to screw up orders to generate more castoffs ... but that person would reasonably get fired pretty quickly so it's not likely ...

With the correct processes in place the possibility of someone getting sickened by discarded food is minimal ...

Why is it that some businesses can donate their older food but not all? Wouldn't all of them see the same risks that you outline?

[AlienSoldier]

Many folks don't understand the reasoning and just want to vilify big corporations.

I managed a McDonalds. Not even employees were allowed to have leftover food. Accidently put onions on that burger ordered "without onions"? It goes in the trash even tho it never left the kitchen and the employee would be happy to eat it on his/her break.

There are reasons for this folks.
- Most stores don't want to attract a bunch of homeless people to them. They cause problems and scare off the other customers while spending nothing.
- Employees would be tempted to "accidently" make the burger wrong or cook extra food so they could have it at end of day. Min wage workers looking to save a few bucks. How do you monitor/police this?
- Liability concerns. What if someone gets sick. What if the food is resold?

Long story short - doing this is bad for business. Very few restaurants give away food for this reason - don't just pick on Timmies. It's a bigger problem that needs to be discussed/fought on another level.

This all makes sense until a creative entrepreneur comes in and realise he can add value to his brand and also control these costs and issues such as Panera did. All of their locations give food away at the end of the day and employees are encouraged to try and develop new recipe's and such. They seem to be doing fine, in fact they are expanding faster than most franchises and have a year over year sales for stores open more than 1 year.

These companies also benefit from reduced waste and wastage fees as less garbage bins and pick ups are needed. Increased brand power and ability to attract new customers with what was once an expense. Everyone keeps saying "homeless, or poor people". There are many people who have homes and seem well-off that benefit from food banks and drives. As their situation changes they remember who was there to support them.

[TylerM4]

I understand your reasons, but none of them are insurmountable ...

There are organisations in the UK and AU that collect out-of-date, unsold, accidental food and redistribute it ... no more homeless collecting around your doorstep to frighten off customers who don't want to acknowledge the lower classes exist even in Canada

Employees wouldn't benefit directly ... worst that could happen is a charity plants someone in the business to screw up orders to generate more castoffs ... but that person would reasonably get fired pretty quickly so it's not likely ...

With the correct processes in place the possibility of someone getting sickened by discarded food is minimal ...

Why is it that some businesses can donate their older food but not all? Wouldn't all of them see the same risks that you outline?

It's all so easy.

So you somehow think that because a 3rd party distributes the food that somehow Timmies is absolved of all risk and liability? Not in North America. Regardless - I already stated that it needs to be resolved at a higher level (like creating such an organization) - don't blame Timmies.

You've no idea what it's like to work in a fast paced kitchen. Knowing a legitimate employee mistake from a purposeful mistake isn't so black and white. At McDonalds for example - dozens of mistakes are made in a day. It's not always the employee's fault - could be the customer said "Oh - and no onions on that" after the fact. Could be the cashier not hearing the order correctly. It would be nearly impossible to police.

Yes, some businesses can and do donate. They assume the risks and it costs them money. They almost all deliver the extra food vs letting homeless people come to them. You'll also find it's almost all "Mom and Pop" places that do it. Big franchises have studied the crap out of this, it's not a new topic. They've all come to the conclusion that "The extra cost/liability isn't worth it". Franchisees are run by shareholders - shareholders care about profit above everything else....

[Hmmm]

Why don't ya just drop off some chicken skins and lobster shells!!! lololololololo

[TylerM4]

This all makes sense until a creative entrepreneur comes in and realise he can add value to his brand and also control these costs and issues such as Panera did. All of their locations give food away at the end of the day and employees are encouraged to try and develop new recipe's and such. They seem to be doing fine, in fact they are expanding faster than most franchises and have a year over year sales for stores open more than 1 year.

These companies also benefit from reduced waste and wastage fees as less garbage bins and pick ups are needed. Increased brand power and ability to attract new customers with what was once an expense. Everyone keeps saying "homeless, or poor people". There are many people who have homes and seem well-off that benefit from food banks and drives. As their situation changes they remember who was there to support them.

You think the likes of McDonalds, Tim Hortons, etc hasn't considered this already? CEO's making millions of dollars a year professionally trained in this field - yet you're the only one who has thought of it?

I'm sorry but the reality is they've considered this. Many times over the decades. They've studied the matter, they've done pilot projects and trials, they've done market studies, etc. They know far more than you do on the topic. And EVERY ONE OF THEM has come to the same conclusion - it's not worth the cost. The positive publicity (and lack of negative) does not offset the costs and risks associated.