Enjoyment with Responsibility: How Sustainability Is Redefining Our Breakfast

In this interview, our Head of Sustainable Development, Constanze Kunz, takes a closer look at how sustainability is put into practice in the hotel’s day-to-day operations. She discusses the specific changes that have been made to the breakfast buffet and the role that innovative technologies play in this.

What does sustainability in the hotel’s day-to-day operations mean to you personally?

I see aspects of sustainability everywhere, spread across the three pillars of sustainability. At the moment, it’s summer, and like many other Platzl employees, I cycle to work and walk into the office, which is cooled by a district cooling system. Together with my colleagues, I am revamping our guest feedback forms to centralise all guest feedback. This will provide us with even better insights, enable us to enhance our quality and save me time, which I can then dedicate to sustainable initiatives such as reducing food waste. After work, I look forward to the free Platzl yoga class at the hotel.

How has breakfast become more sustainable recently?

The kitchen team examined the packaging of the items on the buffet. Nutella, margarine and honey were still available in single-use packets. These have now all been replaced. Nut butter is freshly pressed on the buffet using a machine. The honey comes from a local beekeeper in large jars, which we return for refilling once empty. The margarine is no longer supplied in individual packages either. This helps reduce waste and makes the buffet look much nicer.

But what happens to the leftover food?

Any food taken from the buffet and placed on plates or in bowls but not eaten must, of course, be disposed of. Various items left on the buffet are also considered 'no longer verifiably hygienic'. Ideally, therefore, no large quantities should remain on the buffet by the end of the breakfast service. This poses a major challenge, particularly for guests who don't get to enjoy the full buffet experience until near the end of the service. Good communication from our service staff is therefore essential.

In what ways can guests help to prevent food waste?

Firstly, it helps us if guests book breakfast in advance. This makes planning easier for us. Secondly, simply enjoy the buffet and its selection consciously. Feel free to go back for seconds, but please finish everything on your plate.

How are we reducing food waste?

Unfortunately, too much edible food currently ends up in the bin. We want to change that. To this end, we have purchased an AI camera system with a scale that has been tracking the waste generated in the kitchen and returned from plates since the beginning of June. The system categorises waste as either avoidable or unavoidable, providing critical data to help us adjust kitchen operations. We now know what ends up in the bin, how much, and when, and we are developing measures to counteract this.

What insights do we hope to gain from this project?

Firstly, it will enable us to identify which products end up in the bin more often or in larger quantities because they are not as popular with our guests. We can also compare the amount of waste produced with the number of guests and draw interesting conclusions from that comparison. Additionally, we’ll gain insights into how much of the wrong items or excess items we’re purchasing and preparing. These are all areas that we will be fine-tuning over the next few months. Our goal is to reduce food waste by 20–30%.

Finally, it’s worth noting: Together with our guests and our team, we’re taking another step every day towards providing an experience that tastes good and feels good, for us and for the future.