4. To what extent do they perform behaviors known to increase or decrease waste?

5. What retail and restaurant industry actions to reduce consumer-level food waste are supported by consumers?

6. What is the level of empathy among consumers, and what appetite do they have to help feed the less fortunate?

7. What are the best practices used in other countries to reduce food waste?

Some technology-based solutions have been developed to reduce food waste; however, no currently existing app or technology solution specifically targets reducing food waste in restaurants, as far as this researcher is aware. Meeting the need for additional technology-based solutions to support restaurant food waste reduction is a priority of this research, which investigates three areas: the restaurant industry, non-profit organizations, and consumer behavior. 

 The first research area brings focus to the restaurant industry, collecting operational and managerial facts from restaurants and managers. The restaurant research includes three categories—corporate, franchise, and independent restaurants—to determine the percentage of waste in each category. This researcher uses multiple methods to identify reasons for the high quantity of waste in restaurants, which may include portion sizes, consumer behavior, perishable tracking systems used, percentages of food discarded before use, and financial aspects of the industry. Collaboration with restaurants is a possibility, with the development of a plan to implement the solution in the future if successful collaborations arise from this study. 

The second research area comprises non-profit organizations willing to accept food donations from restaurants. Non-profits need to consider food logistics, proper handling and management of the donations, and how to make the donations useful to the people who need them. Since the Dallas area is a priority for this study, it draws statistics about people in need from local organizations such as the North Texas Food Bank.  

The third research area concerns consumer behavior and the psychology of eating, which includes portion sizes and why Americans seem to eat larger portions than other people. Some researchers call this behavior the “ecology of eating” and study cultural facts associated with it. Understanding consumer behavior and psychology is essential to successful completion of the study since it aims to create awareness and a call to action for consumers to help people in need and reduce the waste created by restaurants by donating a plate.