Lisbon Marriott Cuts Food Waste by 50%

How Lisbon Marriott Cut Food Waste by 50% While Boosting Guest Satisfaction

The Lisbon Marriott Hotel offers a blend of productivity and relaxation, making it a prime destination for conferences, events, and leisure stays. With 577 rooms and over 900 daily covers, it is one of the city’s largest hotels.

In 2024, the hotel set a goal to reduce food waste by 30%. Aligned with Marriott International’s sustainability ambitions, including net zero emissions, the team viewed food waste as a key impact area — and ultimately surpassed their goal, achieving a 50% reduction in just nine months.

The Challenge

Buffet operations, while efficient for large groups, led to significant food waste. Despite manually tracking waste before using Winnow, the data lacked clarity and detail for actionable change.

“We were measuring things manually, but we weren’t doing anything with that data. It was being collected but not being used to steer change.”
— Steve Horvath | General Manager

Making the Change

General Manager Steve Horvath brings nearly two decades of experience with Marriott, across Canada, the UK, and Europe. With a strong background in revenue management and operations, he identified food waste reduction as a strategic priority from day one.

With Marriott’s sustainability goals and clients increasingly prioritizing eco-friendly venues, the Lisbon team saw food waste as a clear opportunity for impact.

Actions Taken

1. Buffet Adjustments

Insights from Winnow revealed that most waste occurred at the end of breakfast service.

“We were initially wasting 50 kilos of eggs a week — nearly €10,000 a year, just in scrambled eggs. That’s enough to make a three-egg omelette every day for 30 years.”
— Dominic Smart | Executive Chef

By producing 70% of forecasted demand and cooking small top-up batches in real time, the team cut scrambled egg waste by 65%.

Dominic also questioned long-standing prep routines:

“Do we really need to peel potatoes for Bacalhau? The skins add flavor, nutrients, and save two kilos of waste every two days.”
— Dominic Smart

2. Zero-Waste Dishes

The kitchen leaned into traditional Portuguese recipes that reuse ingredients:

Migas: a rustic side made from leftover bread, garlic, and coriander.
Salt cod offcuts: from Bacalhau are steamed, hand-picked, and reused in new dishes.

“We’ve grown satisfaction in a very significant way while also reducing our waste by 50%. It’s been really instrumental.”
— Steve Horvath | General Manager

Waste Reduction Results
50% reduction in food waste as a percentage of sales
€31,000 annual savings in food costs
16.9 tons of CO₂e saved
10,000 meals saved per year

Elevated Presentation

A key change involved transitioning from bulk pastry baskets to elegant, local-style displays.

The result? A 94% reduction in bread and pastry waste through more thoughtful, aesthetic setups that encouraged consumption and minimized leftovers.

“We’re actually putting out less, but it looks better. It elevated the experience and helped drive down waste. That’s the kind of win-win we were looking for.”
— Steve Horvath

Zero-Waste Staff Canteen

The team launched “Zero Bin Day” in the staff canteen — removing waste bins to encourage finishing all food taken. Initially monthly, the initiative is now bi-weekly and widely supported.

Guest Satisfaction

By shifting from overfilled buffets to curated platters, the hotel created a visually appealing and culturally rich dining experience. Bilingual signage and thoughtful layouts improved clarity and atmosphere, leading to an 11.5-point increase in guest satisfaction.

“If it looks appetizing, people are more likely to enjoy it and less likely to leave it behind. We put less out but made it look better.”
— Steve Horvath

Financial Benefits

7% improvement in food and beverage profit margins
Reduced overproduction without compromising quality

Advice to Industry Peers

“There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit. Once you start asking why things are done a certain way, you’ll find easy wins. Even a 30% reduction will look good on your P&L—and make your team feel great.”
— Steve Horvath | General Manager

About Winnow

Winnow develops Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that help chefs in hotels, contract catering, casinos, and cruise ships run profitable and sustainable kitchens by cutting food waste in half.

Up to 20% of purchased food goes to waste in commercial kitchens.

Winnow’s analytics and reporting suite pinpoints waste to drive large-scale reductions.

Kitchens using Winnow typically cut food waste by 50%, saving 3–8% in purchasing costs.

Winnow operates in over 90 countries with offices in London, Dubai, Singapore, Cluj, and Chicago.