Castanet

TylerM4 wrote: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....

TylerM4 wrote:

AlienSoldier wrote: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.

TylerM4 wrote: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.

JLives wrote:

TylerM4 wrote: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.

I just don't see any of those as acceptable reasons not to feed people food that is otherwise going in the garbage. Who cares if an employee eats a mismade burger? If you see it happening too often, then deal with the issue. Heaven forbid a person making food all day for low wages gets to eat some. And don't give the food to the homeless who need it AT the restaurant. Have someone from a social agency be responsible for picking it up, problem solved and the homeless get a meal in their belly. Liability is a swear word to me, I'm so sick of it and it's responsible for our "Nerf the World" mentality. Make a law that they can't be held liable, problem solved. That's way better than people digging it out of the garbage and eating don't you think?

the truth wrote:i think everything should be free ,so the junkies can live happily ever after

Jflem1983 wrote:

the truth wrote:i think everything should be free ,so the junkies can live happily ever after

Lets just give em the grand hotel and a million dollars each. One time payment. Get it over with now. The benefits will be immediate. Every drug dealer in town will be ballin out . Think of all the cars and boats that could be sold.

twofingers wrote:Might anyone know how much unexpired food is disposed at the end of the week by the Kelowna Food Bank to people who pick it up in their BMWs and F250s? Probably hardly need it.

GordonH wrote:As asked why the pet food is not donated, company policy on returned food has to be discarded into the trash.

alanjh595 wrote:It's "today's" society that is causing the problems for society. If someone trips and falls on a cracked sidewalk, they can sue the city/taxpayers for their damages. If a lady puts a coffee in between her legs at a drive-thru and gets burned because she hit a bump and spilled that coffee that "was too hot", she sues.
If someone gets sick from eating food from a restaurant, even though it was discarded, they can sue, and so can everyone else that he/she shares that dozen discarded honey dips, and doesn't matter if they paid for it or got it for free..
Businesses are not willing to take those chances anymore because "No good dead goes unpunished", and there was no waiver of liability signed and witnessed.