Chicago restaurants have noticed a recent trend of diners increasingly not taking home their leftovers. NBC Chicago’s Regina Waldroup has more on the impact.
Did you take your leftovers home with you the last time you ate out at a restaurant? More people are leaving them behind, according to some restaurant owners.
At Café El Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant on Chicago's North Side, owner Mauricio Para said he's noticed a surprising shift in diners' behavior.
"In the last few years, with people changing their habits of dining and going out afterwards – or simply sharing plates, that has played factor when it comes to taking their food to-go at the end of the night,” Para said. "The younger generation is like, 'I’m just going to get something completely different; today, Mexican - tomorrow, sushi.'"
A "leftovers" shift appears to be happening, according to Dana Gunders, president of ReFED, a non-profit working to reduce food waste around the country.
Gunders said a number of reasons could explain the shift, from logistics to portion sizes to more people in weight loss medications to some people simply not liking what they ordered.
“It's crazy to be leaving food on our plates and at restaurants where it's so expensive,” said Gunders.
On average an American leaves 53 pounds, or $330 worth of food, on the plate at restaurants every year, ReFED says.
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"Over the next few months, we will be looking into both leftovers and people," Gunders said. "How they're using them or not, as well as portion sizes."
She said the next time you go out to eat, consider sharing a meal and saying no to appetizers.
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"Across the country, about a third of our food goes to waste," Gunders said. "It's over $380 billion worth of food, and that is happening at a time when food prices are rising."
