Restaurants could end food waste with technology

AN INNOVATIVE software system is offering restaurant owners the chance to put an end to costly food wastages.

Food tech start-up firm ePOS Hybrid’s pioneering system is able to record all food wastage across a whole food outlet, from chefs and waiters, through to general staff.

New research from Zero Waste Scotland has claimed that food waste is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics, with the government body urging people to reduce the amount of food they put in the bin.

Through comprehensive stock control and management functionality, ePOS Hybrid’s system automatically tracks stock usage and generates an extensive report for managers which highlights wastage patterns and allows them to take appropriate action which helps save money and protect the environment.

Bhas Kalangi, Founder of ePOS Hybrid, said: “It’s clear that Scotland’s food waste is a major problem for society and has a terrible impact on the environment.

“Helping to reduce food waste was one of my major considerations when developing our software as the difficulty in easily monitoring this was something that came up time and again from managers during my research.

“It’s simply too hard to track food wastage for many businesses so they end up bulk buying products so they don’t run out during service.

“However, our software enables them to measure the amount of food they’re using in fine detail and therefore tweak their orders accordingly and manage their business more efficiently.”

Zero Waste Scotland’s research discovered that 456,000 tonnes of food waste was collected in Scotland in 2016, opposed to 224,000 tonne of plastic.

ePOS Hybrid’s cloud-based point of sale terminals, and related self-ordering and smart table technology, allow operators to improve their business operations and capitalise on emerging industry trends, such as the growing demand for unique and experiential dining.

The Android-based system can automate every aspect of a food and drink outlet’s operation – from stock management to staff training and rotas.

Once adopted by an organisation, it’s easy to understand what food products are being consistently wasted from the reports ePOS Hybrid generates, which can be easily shared across the whole team.

Bhas added: “It’s so simple to add in your food stock levels to our system and it can be easily updated should menus change and other food need to be ordered.

“The information can be accessed anywhere at anytime, so a manager can be on the beach and still in touch with what food is being used and what’s being wasted.”

Since it was founded in 2016, ePOS Hybrid has grown quickly and now has 28 staff, with ambitious plans to scale aggressively via further funding rounds while rolling out the system to hospitality businesses across the UK and beyond.

Although only officially launched in March, ePOS Hybrid is already generating substantial momentum in key business areas including product development, marketing and sales. 

It has continued to establish itself within the UK market, scaled its monthly customer sign ups and begun on-boarding international customers.  

With ever-evolving features, new partner integrations and now a growing team, ePOS Hybrid looks forward to scaling the business and revolutionising the hospitality industry.