Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 62 (2025) 1–13

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Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhtm

‘Wasting food is normal!’: How food waste can become the (new) norm in
casual dining restaurants
Jarotwan Koiwanit a , Viachaslau Filimonau b,*
a
Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand
b
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, Stag Hill, Guildford, GU2 7XH, UK

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Food waste is a major societal challenge, and hospitality and foodservice organisations make a significant
Food waste contribution to its occurrence. Although research on food waste in these organisations is emerging, there remains
Catering a limited understanding of the underlying reasons behind managerial inaction on its mitigation. This mixed
Sociological factors
methods study employs neutralization theory, specifically the concept of normalization of deviance, to examine
Deviant behaviour
Organisational culture
the sociological impediments of effective food waste mitigation among managers of casual dining restaurants in
Casual dining restaurant Bangkok, Thailand (n = 17). The findings delineate the process of how food waste can become perceived by
managers as a norm and outline the factors contributing to this normalization, namely repeated personal ob­
servations of food waste generation, peer reports and media influence. By understanding the determinants of
managerial disengagement with food waste mitigation, the study outlines potential interventions exemplified by
the design of educational campaigns, regular food waste audits, set-up of corporate goals on food waste reduction
and changes to how food waste is presented in the media.

1. Introduction undernourishment (Amicarelli & Bux, 2021). All this highlights the need
for empirical research to examine why hospitality and foodservice or­
Food waste represents a global societal challenge, and the United ganisations waste food and how this wastage can be effectively miti­
Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 12.3 calls to halve its gated (Filimonau & Delysia, 2019).
occurrence at the retail and consumer levels by 2030 (One Planet Food waste is defined as the decrease in the quantity or quality of
Network, 2024). Hospitality and foodservice provision, defined as or­ edible food due to decisions and actions by food providers and con­
ganisations providing accommodation and catering services, contributes sumers (FAO 2024). In hospitality and foodservice provision, food waste
at least 26% to consumer-generated food waste (UNEP, 2021). Food is occurs in the kitchen due to spoilage, but also in the process of food
wasted in different segments of hospitality and foodservice provision, preparation, cooking and plating (Ashton et al. 2024). Food waste is also
including hospitals (Bux et al. 2023), hotels (Lagioia et al. 2024), res­ generated by customers because of such factors as perceived (large)
taurants (Long et al. 2024), cruise ships (Li & Wang, 2020) and coffee portion size and personal taste preferences (Wang et al. 2024). In the
shops (Filimonau, Krivcova, & Pettit, 2019). In 2022, all these organi­ kitchen, most food waste is represented by surplus/unused ingredients
sations operating in the EU wasted circa 15 kg of food per capita, which and overproduced meals (McAdams et al. 2019). At the customer level,
made hospitality and foodservice provision the third largest contributor most food waste occurs in the form of unfinished meals and returned
to food waste in Europe after households and food manufacturing in­ orders (Coşkun & Özbük, 2020).
dustries (EuroStat, 2022). Such disproportionate wastage holds Due to the significant environmental, economic and social implica­
numerous, negative implications for (1) the environment, such as tions of food waste generated in the global hospitality and foodservice
greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production and food sector, studies concerned with this topic are gradually emerging; see, for
waste disposal (Beretta & Hellweg, 2019); (2) economy, such as reduced example, a recent systematic literature review by Munir (2022). The
business profitability (Amicarelli et al. 2022); and (3) society, such as research agenda has been concerned with food waste quantification and
the paradox of wasting food in presence of hunger and characterisation (Abdulredha et al. 2018; Eriksson et al. 2019;

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (J. Koiwanit), [email protected] (V. Filimonau).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.12.006
Received 14 July 2024; Received in revised form 5 December 2024; Accepted 7 December 2024
Available online 11 December 2024
1447-6770/© 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
J. Koiwanit and V. Filimonau Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 62 (2025) 1–13

Filimonau & Ermolaev, 2021), and identification of food waste drivers exemplified by managers’ disengagement in food waste mitigation oc­
in various segments of the global hospitality and foodservice market curs and evolves to become normalized. The study provides useful in­
alongside different types of hospitality and foodservice organisations sights into how this deviance can be counteracted to minimize its
(Alsuwaidi et al. 2022; Kasavan et al. 2019; Papargyropoulou et al. occurrence, thus leading to more effective food waste management in
2016). Studies have also considered the scope for management in­ the global hospitality and foodservice sector in pursuit of UNSDG 12.3.
terventions to effectively mitigate food waste occurrence in the key The following section expands upon the theoretical background to the
areas of hospitality and foodservice operations (Filimonau et al. 2021; study.
Luu, 2020; Martin-Rios et al. 2018). This latter line of research has
attempted to scrutinise the role of general managers (Principato et al. 2. Theoretical background
2018), supervisors (Filimonau, Matute, et al., 2024) and chefs
(Hennchen, 2019) in minimizing food waste generated in the kitchen 2.1. Theoretical underpinning of food waste research among hospitality
and by customers. For instance, studies have considered the importance and foodservice managers
of managerial decisions on such crucial elements of hospitality and
foodservice provision from the viewpoint of food waste management as Research on the determinants of (in)effective food waste manage­
portion size control (Principato et al. 2021), menu (re-)design ment in hospitality and foodservice organisations has been underpinned
(Filimonau et al. 2017) and ‘fitness for purpose’ of kitchen equipment by various theories. These theories consider the phenomenon of food
(Martin-Rios et al. 2018). waste generation and mitigation at different analytical levels and from
Despite growing trajectory of research on the phenomenon of food the perspective of various stakeholders (Fig. 1). The first level of analysis
waste in the global hospitality and foodservice sector, a critical knowl­ is represented by organisational theories, such as the multiple theories of
edge gap remains in understanding the drivers of food waste as it con­ corporate social responsibility and institutional theory. For example, Ng
tinues to occur despite its well-established, multiple organisational and and Sia (2023) show how various institutional pressures can prompt the
societal disbenefits (Charlebois et al. 2015). For instance, Dhir et al. adoption of food waste management in hospitality and foodservice en­
(2020) suggest that, despite the recognition by the United Nations as a terprises. Likewise, drawing upon the stakeholder theory, De
major societal challenge, and contrarily to the call for its urgent miti­ Visser-Amundson (2022) demonstrates how multistakeholder collabo­
gation, food waste in the global hospitality and foodservice sector has ration can facilitate food waste management in hospitality and food­
recently grown by 12% rather than reduced. This requires an under­ service organisations. Lastly, the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm
standing of why hospitality and foodservice managers do not mitigate theory has offered an interesting perspective on why hospitality and
food waste effectively (Filimonau & Uddin, 2021). foodservice organisations choose to mitigate food waste in their opera­
Empirical research is necessitated to explain the drivers of hospitality tions (Ioannidis et al. 2021).
and foodservice stakeholders’ disengagement in environmental conser­ Although organisational theories are instrumental in building an
vation, such as food waste mitigation (Demetriou, 2022). This research understanding of corporate commitment to food waste mitigation, their
should be grounded on theoretical perspectives as theories are funda­ disadvantage is that they consider a hospitality and foodservice orga­
mental for explaining human behaviour (Taylor & Noë, 2021). The need nisation as a unit of analysis. As Goh et al. (2022) argue, the success of
for more theory-driven research is justified by the fact that the theo­ food waste mitigation in hospitality and foodservice organisations is
risation of the drivers and inhibitors of pro-environmental behaviour often dependent on personal attitudes and behaviours of managers and
among hospitality and foodservice stakeholders remains limited other employees with managerial responsibilities, such as chefs. For
(Dolnicar & Demeter, 2024). Investigations are, therefore, warranted to example, if a manager commits to food waste mitigation, then this
demonstrate how various organisational, psychological and sociological commitment will be reflected in specific mitigation actions applied
theories can be harnessed to explain the antecedents and consequences throughout their organisation (Filimonau, Sezerel, et al., 2024). Another
of (un)sustainable behaviour of hospitality and foodservice stakeholders disadvantage of research underpinned by organisational theories is their
(Han, 2021). These investigations should target hospitality and food­ focus on the determinants of effective food waste management. Fewer
service managers as this stakeholder holds prime responsibility for the studies have been concerned with identifying factors preventing effective
design and implementation of business strategies and operations in their mitigation, thus leading to increased food waste occurrence (Filimonau,
organisations (Ng & Sia, 2023). Theory-driven research can bridge Coşkun, et al., 2022).
theory to practice when designing stakeholder focussed interventions Psychological and behavioural theories have been applied to
for food waste mitigation to enable the hospitality and foodservice examine the extent of managerial (dis)engagement in food waste miti­
sector’s progress towards UNSDG 12.3 (Dolnicar, 2021). gation. For example, Goh and Jie (2019) and Chawla et al. (2022) have
This study is set against the backdrop of the limited understanding of used the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explore how the hospi­
why food waste continues to be generated in the global hospitality and tality workforce opts to mitigate food waste. Individual
foodservice sector despite the need for urgent actions to reduce its pro-environmental values (or a lack of thereof) among hospitality and
occurrence. The study is also set to respond to the call for more theory- foodservice managers can guide their behaviour towards environmental
driven research on how hospitality and foodservice stakeholders can be sustainability. For instance, Charlebois et al. (2015) and Vizzoto et al.
more effectively engaged in sustainability interventions, such as food (2020) demonstrate how limited personal concern about food waste
waste management. To this end, this study will explore why managers of prompts managers to disengage with food waste mitigation. Contrarily,
hospitality and foodservice organisations disengage with food waste Goh et al. (2022) and Principato et al. (2018) showcase how individual
mitigation despite this act being seen as undesirable or even unaccept­ norms and attitudes of managers towards food waste correlate with their
able and, therefore, deviant by many national governments, industry intention to manage it more effectively. Although psychological and
associations, consumers, and the wider society. Normalization of devi­ behavioural theories can reveal some of the determinants of managerial
ance (Vaughan, 1996) will be used as a theoretical foundation for this (in)action upon food waste mitigation, they assume the rationality of
investigation to shed light on the determinants of deviant behaviour human behaviour (Dolnicar & Demeter, 2024.). This may not however
among hospitality and foodservice managers. be the case for such complex and dynamic study context as food waste
From a theoretical perspective, the study unveils a novel theoretical management in hospitality and foodservice operations (Filimonau &
lens through which the phenomenon of food waste in hospitality and Delysia, 2019).
foodservice organisations can be examined, especially from the view­ By shifting the focus of analysis from individuals to their actions,
point of the industry disengagement in food waste mitigation. From a practice theory, resting at the interplay of sociology and anthropology,
practical perspective, the study highlights how deviant behaviour provides a valuable perspective on how managers of hospitality and

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J. Koiwanit and V. Filimonau Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 62 (2025) 1–13

Fig. 1. Theoretical foundations of food waste management research in hospitality and foodservice provision. See explanations in the main text.

foodservice organisations tackle food waste (Munir, 2022). For example, exemplified by their non-compliance with the expectations of owners/
Hennchen (2019) showcases the role of chefs’ practices in preventing investors, employees and customers. For instance, Zailani et al. (2011)
food waste in professional kitchens. Likewise, Chawla et al. (2020) examine the reasons for managerial non-compliance with halal re­
highlight how specific elements of kitchen practices can affect food quirements. This study shows a limited understanding of halal certifi­
waste management. Despite its advantages, the evidence of application cation alongside its laborious and costly process as the drivers of limited
of practice theory in food waste research within the hospitality and managerial engagement with halal provision in hospitality and food­
foodservice sector remains limited (Sezerel & Filimonau, 2023). service organisations. Likewise, Robina-Ramírez et al. (2021) investi­
Although some studies have been concerned with food waste manage­ gate the causes of non-compliance with corporate standards on
ment practices of chefs, the perspective of hospitality and foodservice corruption among hospitality and foodservice managers revealing that
business managers has been largely overlooked (Okumus, 2020). Yet, the lack of accountability can prompt managers to deny liability for
this perspective is important to examine because such managerial misconduct. Lastly, Bohle et al. (2017) demonstrate how the stressful
practices as supply chain management, demand forecasting, and menu nature of hospitality employment can determine managerial
design determine how much food is wasted in hospitality and foodser­ non-compliance with the ethical standards of manager-employee re­
vice organisations (Filimonau & Krivcova, 2017). Limited research on lationships resulting in bullying behaviour.
managerial practices is a major drawback given that managers develop Food waste generation in hospitality and foodservice organisations
strategies and hold responsibility for operations within hospitality and can be considered unethical, illegitimate and, therefore, deviant,
foodservice organisations (Principato et al. 2018). because of several reasons. First, from the policymaking perspective, the
Sociological theories can thus offer a stimulating perspective on food United Nations and many national governments have recognised the
waste and its management (Evans et al. 2012) because human behaviour detriment of food waste for the environment and society, thus implying
cannot be fully understood without recognizing the effect of specific its undesirability (Dolnicar, 2021). Second, from the industry perspec­
social contexts in which it occurs (Bandura & Walters, 1977). For tive, food waste is unfavourable as it erodes business profitability and
example, Filimonau, Mika, et al. (2022) demonstrate how food waste damages reputation (Amicarelli et al. 2022). Third, from the consumer
attitudes of hospitality and foodservice consumers are shaped by their perspective, there is growing evidence that hospitality and foodservice
socio-cultural background, namely family upbringing. Likewise, Liu customers tend to patronise organisations mitigating food waste, thus
et al. (2022) indicate how the special social context of food consumption considering food waste unwanted (Sharma et al. 2023). All this suggests
outside home, particularly in large groups, can partially explain why that the neutralization theory can aid in explaining why and how hos­
food waste occurs. However, sociological theories have predominantly pitality and foodservice managers justify their inaction in food waste
been applied to examine food waste mitigation in households and mitigation.
among hospitality and foodservice customers (Reynolds et al. 2020). Although the neutralization theory can aid in understanding the
The application of sociological theories to managers of hospitality and determinants of ineffective food waste management, the evidence of its
foodservice organisations is limited (Sutinen, 2022). application in the hospitality and foodservice sector is limited. Coşkun
and Filimonau (2021) and Juvan and Dolnicar (2021) employ the the­
2.2. Deviance, its neutralization and normalization ories of neutralization and delinquency to explain the environmentally
damaging behaviour of hospitality consumers, including their inaction
Within an array of sociological theories, the theories of deviance and, on food waste mitigation. These studies do not however deal with
more specifically, the neutralization theory (Fritsche, 2005), can aid in managers. Filimonau, Coşkun, et al. (2022) use the neutralization theory
explaining the ineffective food waste mitigation by hospitality and to explore why hospitality and foodservice managers in Spain disengage
foodservice managers. This theory is concerned with identifying the with food waste mitigation. The study has established various ‘neutral­
reasonings used by individuals to neutralize the acts which can be seen izers’ used by managers when justifying their inaction. To our knowl­
as illegitimate and, therefore, deviant (Sykes & Matza, 2017). For edge, no other studies have operationalized the neutralization theory or
instance, from the perspective of a service firm’s employees, deviance is any other theory of deviant behaviour to examine the phenomenon of
exemplified by workplace theft which can be neutralized by the argu­ food waste management in hospitality and foodservice.
ment that the damage from this theft is minor, and the firm can afford it It is argued that another, yet closely related, theory of deviant
(Alias et al. 2013). Likewise, from the viewpoint of a service firm’s behaviour, namely the theory of normalization of deviance, can aid in
customers, deviance can be represented by shoplifting and the same explaining why hospitality and foodservice managers disengage with
neutralization can be used to justify its occurrence (Fombelle et al. food waste mitigation. The term ‘normalization of deviance’ was
2020). Examples of deviant behaviour in the hospitality and foodservice introduced by the sociologist Diane Vaughan when studying the causes
context can be found in the review by Lugosi (2019) who examines it of unsafe industry practices (Vaughan, 1996). According to Kramer
among such stakeholders as staff, suppliers, customers and externals. (2010, p. 3), normalization of deviance occurs when ‘actors in an orga­
However, the review does not consider deviant behaviour among nizational setting […] come to define their deviant acts as normal and
managers. acceptable because they fit with and conform to the cultural norms of the
Deviant behaviour of hospitality and foodservice managers can be organization within which they work’. Despite actors’ recognition that

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their acts may not be aligned with the industry standards or wider so­
cietal expectations, thus being considered deviant, they nevertheless
engage in these acts because of organisational culture of the company in
which they work (Price & Williams, 2018). In other words, actors use
other factors, especially organisational culture, as an excuse to deviate
from the practices which are commonly accepted as ‘normal’ (Courtois
& Gendron, 2017). For example, in healthcare, at busy times, hospital
staff may skip some minor, laborious and repetitive, tasks when
checking new patients in even though such tasks need to be fulfilled by
industry standards (O’Hara et al. 2018). When translated to the hospi­
tality and foodservice context, a chef may skip hand washing when
returning to their workplace in the kitchen from the bathroom during a
busy shift as customer orders need to be prepared urgently. This rep­
resents an example of normalized deviance whereby certain factors,
such as the values of organisational culture (i.e., the need to prioritize
customers), are used to justify deviant behaviour (i.e., no hand
washing).
The important requirement for normalization of deviance to occur is
the absence of perceived harm after prolonged repetition of deviant
practices (Sedlar et al. 2023). Referring back to the example of a chef Fig. 2. The process of formation of the ‘new’ normal following multiple in­
who skipped hand washing, if no complaints were received from cus­ stances of deviant behaviour occurrence. See explanations in the main text.
tomers and/or a kitchen manager about the quality of food cooked, Source: Adopted from Hajikazemi et al. (2020).
deviance will become increasingly accepted by the chef and, eventually,
normalized. The important element of normalization of deviance is its to understand not only why individuals disengage with ethical acts, but
desensitization whereby the repetition of a deviant practice supresses an also how this disengagement reoccurs with time to become normalized
emotional response to the deviance, such as regret or guilt (Ashforth & (Emerson, 2012). In other words, while Bandura’s theory of moral
Anand, 2003). This, again, normalizes the deviant practice and facili­ disengagement explains the mechanisms behind an individual’s uneth­
tates its integration in day-to-day acts of this practice’s performer, such ical behaviour which may only occur once, the theory of normalization
as, in the case of the above example, a chef. of deviance aims to determine the temporal factors solidifying this
Being perceived as ‘normal’, the deviant practice will gradually be disengagement so that it becomes considered ‘normal’ (Hajikazemi et al.
tolerated in all subsequent instances of its occurrence (Price & Williams, 2020). Second, while Bandura’s theory focuses on moral mechanisms of
2018). It will become routinized and, consequently, established as a new disengagement with ethical acts (Bandura, 1990), the theory of
norm which an actor will follow (Hajikazemi et al. 2020). Actors will normalization of deviance acknowledges the role of various sociocul­
become so accustomed to deviant behaviour that they will no longer tural and, in particular, organisational factors in normalizing this
consider it deviance, but a norm (Vaughan, 1996). As Pinto (2014) de­ disengagement. For example, as Entwistle and Doering (2024) demon­
scribes: the unexpected becomes the expected, which [then] becomes the strate, such organisational characteristics as the bottom line mentality,
accepted (p.382). If this new norm is not externally challenged, it will the diffusion of responsibility, and loyalty, can prevent managers from
become so strongly embedded into day-to-day practices that it may be acting ethically.
considered integral and even ‘natural’ to the context in which it occurs The theory of normalization of deviance has been applied extensively
(Sedlar et al. 2023). The external challenge which can disrupt normal­ in research on high-risk industries, such as healthcare (O’Hara et al.
ized deviance can be represented by customer complaints, supervisory 2018), project management (Pinto, 2014), construction and
audits or corporate changes in operational standards and procedures manufacturing (Sedlar et al. 2023), predominantly from the perspective
(O’Hara et al. 2018). For example, if a chef who did not wash their hands of the impact of deviant behaviour among employees on patient and
was caught by the kitchen manager and penalized, the deviance of consumer safety. To our knowledge, the theory of normalization of
hands’ non-washing could stop at this stage. Likewise, if a restaurant deviance has never been considered in the context of food waste man­
implements a new procedure which does not allow chefs for entering the agement in hospitality and foodservice organisations even though it may
cooking area without hands’ disinfection, deviance is likely to cease. offer interesting insights to understand why managers do not act upon
Fig. 2 illustrates how deviant behaviour becomes normalized over food waste mitigation, or why they act upon it insufficiently well, thus
time. It shows that, when deviance from the (old) normal occurs first, if increasing wastage within the sector. The indirect evidence that food
it gets unnoticed by the external actors, a proto-new normal will form. waste may be normalized in hospitality and foodservice operations can
This proto-new normal is weak and can dissolve if subsequent instances be found in Derqui et al. (2018) who show how foodservice managers in
of deviance are detected. However, if the subsequent deviant behaviour Spain perceive food waste generation as something occurring commonly
remains ignored, as time goes by, the proto-new normal will be across the hospitality and foodservice sector, thus prompting passive
increasingly reinforced until it becomes perceived as the new normal. interventions or even inaction to minimize its occurrence. Similar con­
This new normal will now be practiced replacing the old normal. The clusions are drawn by Vizzoto et al. (2020) indicating that hospitality
new normal can be dispersed if it becomes detected and corrective and foodservice managers in Italy do not recognize the food waste
measures are applied to return the old normal. challenge as something that needs to be prioritised in their interventions
It is important to note that the theory of normalization of deviance is because of the significant scope of the food waste problem occurring
closely aligned with Bandura’s theory of moral disengagement (Bandura across the sector. Lastly, normalization of deviance is indirectly high­
et al. 1996). This latter theory explains the psychosocial mechanisms by lighted by Filimonau, Todorova, et al. (2020) in the hospitality and
which individuals choose to selectively disengage their moral values foodservice sectors of the UK and the Netherlands. Here, managers fail
from their harmful behaviour (Bandura, 2002). Literature acknowledges to mitigate food waste despite acknowledging its significance and
that the difference between the theory of normalization of deviance and recognizing its detrimental effect on profitability and reputation. Given
Bandura’s theory is attenuated (Entwistle & Doering, 2024), but it can that the evidence pointing at the occurrence of normalization of devi­
be observed in two key areas. First, normalization of deviance takes a ance in the hospitality and foodservice sector is indirect and fragmented,
step further in explaining the dynamics of deviant behaviour as it strives

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a dedicated investigation on this topic in the context of food waste associated with the use of more structured methodological approaches,
management is warranted. such as questionnaires (Thomas, 2006). Inductive research was appro­
priate as it enabled the research team to draw general conclusions from
2.3. Food waste in the hospitality and foodservice sector of Thailand individual observations (O’Kane et al. 2021).
As limited research has examined normalization of deviance by
According to UNEP (2021), Thai hospitality and foodservice orga­ managers of hospitality and foodservice organisations in the context of
nisations waste 1.92 Mt of food per year which puts Thailand in the 17th food waste mitigation, the study employed mixed research methods for
position in the world. Statista (2024) estimates that, in 2020, there were data triangulation. The design of mixed methods was explanatory
around 530000 restaurants operating in Thailand. This implies that one sequential (Ivankova et al. 2006). Quantitative data were collected first,
Thai restaurant may have generated, on average, 3.63 tonnes of food and subsequent collection of qualitative data enabled the research team
waste per year. Concurrently, UNEP (2021) have categorized the quality to verify quantitative datasets and enhance the rigour of analysis.
of data available on food waste in the hospitality and foodservice sector Quantitative data were collected by the method of in-situ food waste
of Thailand as insufficient. This hinders the design of policy and man­ measurements. Qualitative data were collected by the method of
agement interventions for food waste mitigation (Koiwanit & Filimonau, managerial interviews.
2021). Semi-structured managerial interviews were used as they could aid
To aid in decision-making, research has attempted to characterise in examining complex research contexts with multiple personal in­
food waste in Thai organisations of hospitality and foodservice terpretations where detailed explanations were required to answer the
(Thamagasorn & Pharino, 2019) and examine approaches to mitigation questions ‘why [is food waste not managed effectively in hospitality and
(Kattiyapornpong et al. 2023). The results of this research suggest that, foodservice organisations]’ and ‘how [the ineffective management of
although the exact magnitude of food waste is difficult to establish, up to food waste in hospitality and foodservice organisations occurs]’
48% of wasted food in Thai restaurants is represented by vegetables (Hennink et al. 2020). Food waste represents a sensitive issue to discuss
(Thamagasorn & Pharino, 2019). Further, research suggests that food with managers of hospitality and foodservice organisations (Filimonau
waste recycling in Thailand is under-developed, especially in Bangkok, et al. 2021), and the method of interviews is best suited to examine
where 98% of collected food waste is disposed of by the method of managerial perceptions and attitudes in addition to requiring smaller
landfilling, thus contributing to soil erosion, water contamination and study samples. Lastly, interviews were used due to their design flexi­
carbon footprint (Kasikorn, 2024). bility and ability to investigate in-depth the phenomena emerging from
Studies have highlighted multiple drivers of food waste generation in the participants’ personal accounts on food waste management in the
the hospitality and foodservice sector of Thailand, including irrespon­ hospitality and foodservice sector (Galletta, 2013).
sible consumer behaviour (Srijuntrapun et al. 2022); the lack of
multi-stakeholder involvement in its mitigation (Satchapappichit et al. 3.3. Participant selection and recruitment
2023); and food preparation, cooking and plating techniques
(Junkrachang et al. 2024). Extant studies have emphasized the need for Participants were selected in three stages (Fig. 3). Stage 1 took place
more empirical investigations on how food waste in Thai hospitality and in November–December 2021 when the research team visited 76 hos­
foodservice organisations can be more effectively managed (Jitto & pitality and foodservice organisations operating in the research site.
Nakbanpote, 2023) as this can enable transition of the sector towards its Each hospitality and foodservice organisation was visited two times to
sustainable development goals (Nguyen et al. 2023). understand the nature of business operations and observe the amounts
of plate waste generated. The study visits took place after 17:00 i.e.,
3. Materials and methods prime time for evening meals.
The hospitality and foodservice organisations observed were all for-
3.1. Research site profit, casual dining restaurants specialising in Thai, Western or Fusion
cuisines. Casual dining restaurants were defined in the current study as
The study took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The choice of Bangkok organisations serving moderately priced food in a comfortable, sit-down
was deliberate because it was the most populous city in Thailand with a atmosphere (Filimonau, Zhang, & Wang, 2020). The focus on casual
very well-developed sector of hospitality and foodservice provision dining was deliberate as it accounted for 80% of Thai hospitality and
(Satchapappichit et al. 2023). Concurrently, Bangkok suffered from the foodservice market (Statista, 2024). The focus on Thai/Western/Fusion
problem of food waste, the management of which was ineffective cuisines was because these accounted for 90% of restaurant specialisms
(Kasikorn, 2024), thus calling for urgent measures to mitigate its in Thailand (Statista, 2024).
occurrence. Full-scale restaurants, defined as catering establishments offering
In Bangkok, the study took place in its central areas, namely the full-table, a la carte, service with food delivered directly to customers
Bangkok Old Town and the Bangkok Riverside. These areas were chosen (Filimonau, Zhang, & Wang, 2020), with the seating capacity of 25–100
as a research site because they hosted large clusters of hospitality and tables were observed. The minimum seating capacity criteria were
foodservice organisations. These organisations catered to local resi­ applied to exclude smaller hospitality and foodservice organisations,
dents, but also tourists due to the proximity of the study area to the main such as local cafes and street food vendors, from analysis as these were
tourist attractions of Bangkok, including Asiatique the Riverfront and anticipated to generate significantly less food waste due to their limited
the Golden Buddha. operational scale. The maximum seating capacity criteria were used to
exclude larger hospitality and foodservice organisations, such as big
3.2. Research methods hotels and public dining halls, as these were expected to generate
disproportionate amounts of food waste due to their extensive size.
The study was inductive (Bingham & Witkowsky, 2021) beginning
with an observation of how Thai hospitality and foodservice managers Stage 1 made the research team familiar with the dynamics of
failed to engage with food waste mitigation. This was followed up with restaurant operations in Bangkok and provided an initial account of
an interpretation of why this disengagement might have occurred. This customer-driven food waste. Field observations enabled the research
enabled the research team to identify and select a theory which could aid team to short list 46 restaurants that could represent suitable study
in explaining managerial disengagement i.e., the theory of normaliza­ objects or, what Suri (2011) called, ‘information-rich cases’. These
tion of deviance. In inductive research findings emerge from the domi­ cases were defined on the basis of the following criteria: (1) restau­
nant themes inherent in raw data, without the confirmatory restrictions rants meeting the minimum and maximum seating capacity, as per

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Fig. 3. The process of data collection.

above; (2) restaurants where large amounts of plate leftovers were (2018); and Vizzoto et al. (2020)). More specifically, interview
visually observed during field visits; (3) restaurants where informal questions aimed at establishing how managers perceived the issue of
conversations held with waiting staff revealed substantial wastage of food waste in their organisations alongside the hospitality and
food, either from customer plates or generated in the kitchen; (4) foodservice sector of Thailand as a whole. Interview questions also
restaurants where at least three large-capacity (1100 L) garbage bins strove to identify managerial approaches, if any, used to mitigate the
full of food waste were visually observed at the end of a working day food waste occurrence alongside any barriers preventing the imple­
(these were placed outside for subsequent collection by waste mentation of these approaches. Lastly, interview questions set to
disposal services in the morning). understand how/if managers justified and, potentially, neutralized
Stage 2 took place in January–May 2022 when the research team their inaction on food waste mitigation alongside the factors
approached managers of the short-listed restaurants explaining the contributing to this justification and potential neutralization.
purpose of the study and requesting a permission to measure food
waste in-situ. To avoid social desirability bias which had a well-
3.4. Interviewing
known effect on restaurant managers’ unwillingness to participate
in academic research on food waste (Vizzoto et al. 2020), when
The interview schedule was designed in English and back translated
explaining the study’s purpose, only the dynamics of food waste
in Thai. For face and content validity, it was pretested by three aca­
generation and approaches to its management were mentioned as the
demics majoring in hospitality management, food waste research and
study’s primary aims i.e., without highlighting the phenomenon of
psychology. The interview schedule was additionally piloted with two
normalization of deviance.
restaurants managers.
To avoid interruptions, interviews were conducted in quiet locations,
Restaurants were approached in no particular order. If no permission
such as offices of the study participants. To reduce the negative effect of
for in-situ measurements was granted by the manager of the first
social desirability bias, before interviews commenced, participants were
restaurant on the short list, then the following organisation was
reassured in their complete confidentiality and anonymity of the data
approached, and the process was repeated until a willing manager was
collected. Interviewing was conducted by two members of the research
found. When a permission to research was granted, in-situ food waste
team who coordinated their actions and shared findings with one
measurements were undertaken using the method of direct weighting
another on a continuous basis. As recommended by Jiménez and Orozco
(Wang et al. 2018). In total, managers of 19 restaurants granted
(2021), during interviews, prompts were used to gain in-depth insights
permission to measure food waste. Once a permission was granted,
into the subject matter under scrutiny. While some of these prompts
measurements were made each day at the end of a working shift to
were derived from the literature review, some emerged during in­
quantify food waste generated per day of business operations. The
terviews following answers provided by the study participants to the
fieldwork lasted two consecutive weeks to account for the potential ef­
main interview questions.
fect of variable demand throughout a week and a month (Filimonau
Data saturation (Fusch Ph D and Ness, 2015) was used to determine
et al. 2021).
the number of interviews. Data were first noticed to have become
saturated following completion of 14 interviews. However, three addi­
Stage 2 enabled the research team to establish if the amounts of food
tional interviews were conducted to reconfirm that saturation was
waste generated by the case study restaurants were significant
reached. The final sample was, therefore, represented by 17 datapoints.
compared to the industry average i.e., 3.63 tonnes of food waste
This is aligned with sample sizes reported in prior research on food
generated per year (see section 2.3). Food waste measurements
waste management in restaurants underpinned by the method of
revealed that the case study restaurants generated between 3.2 and
managerial interviews: for example, Filimonau, Fidan, et al. (2019)
6.2 tonnes of food waste per year (sample mean = 4.6), thus being
interviewed 14 managers; Wu and Teng (2022) interviewed 15 man­
(almost) equal or considerably exceeding the industry average figure
agers; and Chawla et al. (2021) interviewed 22 managers from two
for Thailand. This presented the case study restaurants as suitable
countries where 12 came from the UK and 10 from Germany. As the
subjects for the current study.
method of interviewing does not aim at producing generalizable con­
Stage 3 took place in June–July 2022 when restaurant managers
clusions but providing an initial outlook on novel, previously
were invited to interviews. The interview schedule (Appendix 1) was
under-studied topics, smaller sample size is deemed appropriate for such
designed around the topic of food waste and its management,
exploratory investigations (Bertaux, 1981). Further, according to
focusing on the challenges of food waste mitigation as reported in the
Thomson (2010 cited by Marshall et al. 2013), in qualitative studies,
literature (for example, in studies by Charlebois et al. (2015); Fili­
data saturation is normally achieved with 10–30 interviews. The sample
monau, Coşkun, et al. (2022); Goh et al. (2022); Principato et al.
of 17 fits into this recommended range of datapoints. Table 1 lists the

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Table 1
Study participants (n = 17).
Interview ID Gender Age Managerial work experience Restaurant size (seats) Restaurant specialism (cuisine) Affiliation

P1 Female In their 40s 8 years 30 Fusion Independent

P2 Male In their 40s 12 years 42 Thai Independent
P3 Female In their 30s 6 years 35 Thai Independent
P4 Female In their 30s 5 years 30 Western Independent
P5 Female In their 50s 22 years 50 Fusion Independent
P6 Female In their 40s 7 years 56 Thai Independent
P7 Male In their 50s 15 years 60 Fusion Independent
P8 Male In their 40s 6 years 50 Fusion Chain-affiliated
P9 Female In their 30s 6 years 36 Western Independent
P10 Female In their 40s 10 years 40 Thai Independent
P11 Male In their 30s 7 years 44 Western Independent
P12 Male In their 30s 5 years 58 Western Independent
P13 Male In their 40s 11 years 30 Thai Independent
P14 Female In their 50s 14 years 50 Western Chain-affiliated
P15 Male In their 50s 16 years 70 Fusion Independent
P16 Male In their 40s 6 years 80 Fusion Chain-affiliated
P17 Male In their 50s 12 years 50 Western Chain-affiliated

study participants. interpretations were discussed within the team until a consensus was
Interviews generated a total of 1117 min of recordings and each reached. In the case of extreme disagreement, another member of the
interview lasted, on average, 53 min with a range of 41–74 min. In­ research team was involved to provide an independent evaluation of the
terviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and professionally trans­ meanings, thus harmonizing the data analysis. Campbell et al. (2013)
lated in English. Interview transcripts had a total word count of 28683 recommend a minimum of 80% of inter-coder reliability when coding
words. No incentives were offered for participation. transcripts of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Inter-coder reli­
ability was 86% in the current study which exceeded this recommended
threshold.
3.5. Data analysis NVivo 13, a software for qualitative data analysis, was used to
visualize the relationships between the main codes and themes (see
Data were subjected to the six-step iterative process of the Clarke and Appendix 2). Fig. 4 outlines the main codes and themes emerged
Braun (2017)’s framework of thematic analysis. Aligned with this pro­ through thematic analysis. The next section presents the study’s findings
cess, data were analysed as follows: in step 1 researchers familiarised and positions these in the body of literature.
themselves with raw data by carefully reading and re-reading interview
transcripts. Extensive noting was made in this step to draft initial codes.
4. Findings and discussion
Step 2 was the coding step whereby the drafts of initial codes were either
reconfirmed and turned into the final codes or rejected following further
Fig. 5 presents the word cloud made from interview transcripts. It
careful re-read of interview transcripts. In step 3 initial themes were
demonstrates the most frequently mentioned words by the study par­
derived from the list of codes. These initial themes were subsequently
ticipants, namely ‘large’ (254 times), ‘customers’ (211 times), ‘food’
reviewed in step 4 and either refined or dispersed. Step 5 enabled the
(207), ‘plate’ (196 times) and ‘binning’ (182). Together with the word
development of a definitive list of themes. These themes were written up
‘bin’ (164), ‘binning’ represents the most popular combination of words.
using exemplary quotes extracted from interview transcripts. The pro­
cess was reiterated until researchers considered thematic analysis
complete. 4.1. Food waste quantity and drivers
To ensure trustworthiness in the interpretation of meanings, as rec­
ommended by Nowell et al. (2017), data were coded independently by The initial interview questions sought to understand the food waste
two members of the research team. Any disagreements emerging in the dynamics in the study participants’ restaurants, including its magnitude

Fig. 4. The data coding structure.

Note: Blue boxes indicate the main themes; violet boxes indicate the main codes.

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findings by Derqui et al. (2016) who have also established the ‘customer
is irresponsible’ attitude dominated in managers’ discourse on the food
waste origin. When asked to clarify why their customers wasted food,
the majority referred to the issues of personal taste and preference.
Besides customers, some managers elaborated on potential cooking er­
rors, explaining how kitchen staff, especially junior chefs, could have
made mistakes, leading to wastage, particularly when working under
pressure during busy night shifts:
‘We get a lot of plate waste. Probably because the portions are too big,
maybe because the food is too spicy, and people don’t get it when placing
orders’ (P3)
‘Most of our food waste comes from customers. They don’t value food,
they don’t value the work of our staff. Pity, really, but we get it across the
board here’ (P10)
‘Kitchen staff are prone to mistakes, especially the new, junior ones who
Fig. 5. The word cloud of interview transcripts. often lack skill and can mess up with dishes resulting in returned orders’
Note: The larger font size, the more often a word was mentioned by the study (P17)
participants. Only the words mentioned at least 100 times across all interview
At this point, the managers were shown the food waste audit figures
transcripts are presented.
and explained that, in most cases, these exceeded the industry average
amounts of food waste generated in the hospitality and foodservice
and the sources of occurrence. Importantly, these questions were pre­ sector of Thailand. Interestingly, when going through the figures, the
sented before the results of food waste measurements were revealed to majority of the study participants did not look surprised because, when
the managers. This was to ensure that the study participants would not asked about their reaction, they explained that they suspected they
be influenced by the results of in-situ food waste audit. might had wasted considerable amounts of food. The following ques­
Most participants did not know exactly how much food waste their tions, therefore, aimed to examine the extent to which measures to
restaurants generated per day, per week or per year. This is aligned with mitigate food waste were (not) applied in the case study restaurants.
the literature which has long established that hospitality and foodser­
vice managers rarely possess accurate statistics on food waste generated 4.2. Food waste management
in their business (Gómez-Talal et al. 2024). However, many study par­
ticipants admitted that food waste, albeit being not measured accu­ When speaking about food waste management, the majority of
rately, could have been significant. Few managers provided rough managers admitted that they did little to minimize the food waste
estimates, calculating food waste as the number of bins filled per occurrence. Most study participants gave surplus meals to staff which
day/shift, mostly because their payments for waste disposal were linked reflected this popular approach to food waste mitigation practiced
to the number of bins collected. Such ‘rough’ estimates linked to the elsewhere (Amicarelli et al. 2022). However, this approach is often
waste disposal fees are again aligned with what literature has reported labelled as ‘passive’ because it is positioned at the bottom of the food
(Filimonau & Sulyok, 2021). This showcased food waste being consid­ waste management hierarchy (Papargyropoulou et al. 2016). The reuse
ered as a business cost which did not however prompt managerial action of surplus ingredients was also cited albeit less frequently. Lastly,
to measure it accurately: composting was mentioned by a few managers, predominantly in the
‘We only measure food waste by eye tracking here. What I mean, I come context of used coffee grounds which were given to an external collector.
and see if the garbage bin in the kitchen is full, and, if it is, I know how When prompted on more ‘proactive’, preventative approaches to
much I’ll pay to the waste collector by counting the number of bins to be food waste management in the hospitality and foodservice sector
taken out’ (P4) (Papargyropoulou et al. 2016), such as demand forecasting, menu
design and portion size control, the majority claimed they did not apply
‘I don’t know how much food we waste, to be honest, but I’d think quite a these measures. The explanations given included perceived difficulties
bit’ (P14) in predicting demand, thus leading to the challenges in controlling food
‘I can try and guess … May be 3–4 bins per shift, is that right? I don’t waste. Another explanation was a fear of customer dissatisfaction with
know how much it’s in kilograms though, sorry!’ (P16) the subsequent lost loyalty (for example, in the case of reduced portion
size) as reported in literature (Alsuwaidi et al. 2022). Many managers
The follow-up questions concerned the reasons for not auditing food argued that food waste was a ‘lasting’ (P13) issue in any hospitality and
waste. The study participants admitted logistical challenges in food foodservice organisation with the more active attempts to control it
waste measurements, such as the lack of time and staff. The unpleasant being prone to failure. This explained why passive disposal, especially
nature of undertaking a food waste audit was also recognised, such as by binning wasted food, as discussed earlier, was prevalent across the
bad odour. This was the reason why bins were often placed in the study sample of hospitality and foodservice managers. The ‘binning’
furthest corner of the kitchen, or even outside, thus conforming to the method was considered the easiest to implement as it did not require the
‘out of sight, out of mind’ principle previously identified in literature study participants to separate the organic fraction of leftovers generated
(Filimonau & Delysia, 2019): in their restaurants from other fractions. Although such separation may
‘We’re so busy that there is no time to deal with this rubbish matter. become necessary in the future following legal reinforcement of this
Literally! [laughter] We have someone allocated to take the bins out, but action (Rotthong et al. 2022), at the moment, it is only performed by a
this is not the most enjoyable job as you can imagine. Usually, our juniors very limited number of hospitality and foodservice organisations in
are asked to do it’ (P1) Thailand, mostly in those regions where separated fractions of solid
waste can be sold to external organisations for profit (Koiwanit & Fili­
When prompted on the main food waste drivers, many study par­ monau, 2023):
ticipants blamed customers highlighting, often in a lot of detail, the large
amounts of food waste occurring on customer plates. This aligns with the

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‘We tried to play with the demand management in the past, but we failed. they’ve paid for it already. Waste disposal is affordable, I cannot’
It doesn’t work out at all as food gets wasted at all times anyway’ (P8) complain. As long as there is no penalty for excessive wastage, I think it’s
acceptable to waste as much as we do … ’ (P17)
‘To my knowledge, food waste is a major issue across the sector. It doesn’t
matter how much you try, it’ll still exist, so why bother?’ (P11) The above quotes indicated that, if food waste were unnoticed, in this
case by a regulator, such as government, who could penalize restaurants
‘Wasting food is normal. Sorry, I didn’t put it right. What I mean is, in
for wastage, it would continue to be generated, with no measures
food services, food waste occurs all the time, it’s difficult to control it
applied actively to stop it. This signified one of the conditions for
because of the busy nature of a restaurant business. What we’re doing
normalization of deviance to occur, namely if it were not detected, it
currently to manage it, it’s just enough, one cannot be more effective than
would continue. To encourage food waste mitigation in restaurants, a
that … ’ (P15)
regulator should regularly monitor the amounts of food wasted by
The above quotes demonstrated that food waste was considered by hospitality and foodservice organisations and issue penalties if these
the study participants as something existential, something that was amounts were found to exceed certain standards, such as the industry
happening universally within the hospitality and foodservice sector of average. In this case, the new normal where food waste was considered
Bangkok/Thailand. This signified the potential effect of normalization of occurring universally, thus being expected and accepted (Pinto, 2014),
deviance whereby the lack of action to mitigate food waste was justified would cease to exist and managers might potentially return to the ‘old’
by other factors, including those related to organisational values, such as normal where food waste was seen as something in need of mitigation.
prioritisation of customer satisfaction. This also signalled the important
‘I don’t know how to describe it, but something needs to happen to change
role of the context in which restaurants operated in explaining why the
what we have now. I agree we’re tolerating wastage as no one points to us
study participants did not act upon food waste reduction. As fine dining
that it’s bad. No one pushes us to reduce it. If there were someone to look
restaurants prioritize customer experience (Charlebois et al. 2015) and
at our waste and say, hey, it’s unacceptable, pay a fine, I feel it could
casual dining restaurants focus on the utility of foodservice provision
make our practices change … ’ (P2)
(Vizzoto et al. 2020), these strategic goals may be considered the key
organisational norms. These norms may come into conflict with the
(operational) norm of food waste reduction, especially if the latter is not
4.4. How normalization of deviance occurs
encouraged or reinforced by such stakeholders as business owners,
policymakers and consumers. The following questions were set to
Fig. 6 revisits the process of normalization of deviance and highlights
explore in more detail the factors preventing managers from engaging in
the main (f)actors contributing to its occurrence among hospitality and
food waste mitigation more effectively.
foodservice managers. It shows that a manager starts considering food
waste as something to expect after they have witnessed its occurrence on
4.3. The determinants of managerial inaction on food waste mitigation a repeated basis in their own organisation. This is when the ‘old’ normal
of not wasting food starts gradually adjusting to become a proto- ‘new’
It was confirmed that, for many managers, the ‘everyone has it’ (P7) normal where food waste is seen as happening at all times despite the
attitude to food waste served a strong rationale for disengaging in food potential mitigation measures applied. If not detected at this stage, the
waste mitigation. By observing that often considerable amounts of food proto-new normal will grow increasingly stronger although it may not
were wasted in their own restaurants on a regular basis, the study par­ yet get transformed into the ‘new’ normal. Importantly, this is where
ticipants first recognised the significant scale of the issue. Further, when desensitization also starts occurring as food waste is no longer associated
communicating with peers, either formally or informally, when the topic with the feeling of personal regret or guilt among hospitality and
of food waste was discussed, the managers would become even more foodservice managers (Ashforth & Anand, 2003).
convinced that the food waste issue was prevalent not only in their The proto-new normal can be further reinforced if a manager dis­
restaurants, but also in other restaurants in the locality. This would cusses food waste with their peers and concludes that it represents a
prompt the study participants to conclude that food waste was dominant major challenge in other hospitality and foodservice organisations. This
across the hospitality and foodservice sector and led them to believe in will reconfirm the manager’s perception of food waste as being ‘uni­
its ‘universal’ nature. versal’, thus prompting them to move further away from the old normal
What is more, when seeing food waste being featured in mass media,
such as newspapers, the managers were further reinforced in their belief
that food waste was out of their control because of the permanent and
significant nature of its occurrence. In the result, the study participants
stopped investing their time and effort in food waste mitigation, using
passive approaches to food waste management, such as binning and
provision of surplus meals to staff, as the only interventions directed to
minimize food waste generation in their restaurants. These ineffective
practices of food waste mitigation were seen by the study participants as
‘just OK’ (P1) and aligned with the organisational standards and ex­
pectations of the restaurants which they managed. This signified
normalization of deviance as food waste had become so embedded in the
individual perception of the managers and integrated in the organisa­
tional culture of their restaurants that it was no longer perceived as
abnormal:
‘I sense that food waste occurs everywhere in our business, in a way it’s
become acceptable. Therefore, I see little point in trying and mitigating it.
As a restaurant manager, I am busy enough, and I have many other
important things to do rather than to manage unmanageable … ’ (P10)
‘As long as it doesn’t hurt me much, I see it’s OK to waste some food. I Fig. 6. The determinants of how food waste becomes normalized in hospitality
mean most of food waste in my restaurant is from customer plates, so and foodservice organisations.

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of not wasting food. Again, if not detected and stopped at this stage, for the sociological theory of normalization of deviance could at least
instance, by exposing a manager to a restaurant where food waste is partially aid in understanding why hospitality and foodservice managers
minimal by demonstrating the economic benefits of food waste mitiga­ failed to minimize food waste in their organisations. Perceiving food
tion, or by bringing food waste to the attention of a restaurant’s owner waste as something that happens across the sector, managers may come
with a subsequent requirement to minimize it urgently, the proto-new to the point whereby they start considering it acceptable, and the
normal practice of wasting food will strengthen further. This is when a managerial inaction on food waste mitigation may have become,
proto-new normal practice may already transform into the new normal therefore, normal. Driven by organisational values, such as prioritisa­
practice whereby food waste is seen as acceptable. In the result of this tion of customer satisfaction, this new normal may become increasingly
acceptability, food waste occurrence may be considered part of organ­ embedded in managerial practices so that it becomes viewed as ordi­
isational culture and managers may assign themselves an emotional nary. If undetected, this new normal practice may continue for a long
indulgence (i.e., a pardon) to waste food, thus leading to no proactive time, thus driving food waste generation in the hospitality and food­
intervention to mitigate food waste. service sector.
Lastly, if a proto-new normal practice has not yet transformed into To our knowledge, this was the first time when normalization of
the new normal practice, a manager can be exposed to the effect of mass deviance was applied to hospitality and foodservice in general, and to
media portraying food waste in the hospitality and foodservice sector as better understand the complex dynamics of food waste and its man­
occurring at all times. This will add further reassurance to the manager’s agement within this sector in particular. By introducing this theory to
perception of food waste’s expectability and its subsequent acceptability the hospitality and foodservice scholarship, this study revealed the
as coined by Pinto (2014). This effect can be the ‘last straw’ in the scope for its subsequent application to such complex and related subjects
occurrence of the new normal where food waste is not mitigated because as environmental sustainability and the drivers of stakeholder (dis)
it is perceived as being extremely difficult or even impossible to miti­ engagement with it. This theory can also be useful if applied to the study
gate. If this deviance remains undetected, the new normal can be contexts where deviance occurs among various hospitality and food­
considered to have been shaped. service stakeholders, such as in the case of anti-brand consumer
Importantly, the new normal can still be dissolved. For this to behaviour or theft among employees.
happen, the deviant behaviour exemplified by excessive wastage should The study advanced the theory of normalization of deviance by
be noticed as soon as possible. This will force a manager to abandon the identifying factors that could prompt hospitality and foodservice man­
new normal practice of wasting food to revert to the ‘old new’ practice of agers to normalise such major societal challenge as food waste. These
generating no food waste or, at least, trying to mitigate its occurrence. factors are represented by (1) prolonged observation of extensive food
Penalties can subsequently be applied if a tendency is detected among wastage occurring on premises of hospitality and foodservice organisa­
managers to move back to food waste generation after some time. These tions; (2) repeated reports of extensive food waste occurrence by fellow
penalties can be instrumental for prompting managers to abort inaction managers; and (3) recurrent occasions of food wastage featured in the
on food waste mitigation, thus increasing the chances for food waste to media. These factors can aid in understanding how deviance is
be more effectively managed in the hospitality and foodservice sector. normalized by hospitality and foodservice managers when justifying
These findings complement the results of the study by Filimonau, their disengagement with food waste, but also other pressing sustain­
Coşkun, et al. (2022) who have established various neutralizers used by ability issues within the sector, such as carbon footprint and staff turn­
hospitality and foodservice managers to explain why they do not miti­ over. These factors can also be considered when examining the
gate food waste, thus engaging in deviant behaviour. To this end, this determinants of normalized deviant behaviour among other hospitality
current study deepens an understanding of how this neutralization oc­ and foodservice stakeholders, such as employees and customers. For
curs and how it evolves by showcasing how managerial deviance be­ example, recurrent media reports emphasizing low staff retention in
comes normalized with time. In other words, this current study adds the restaurants may convince restaurant staff that loyalty to a specific
‘time’ dimension to the analysis of neutralizers used by hospitality and organisation is not something that occurs often, thus prompting them to
foodservice managers to justify their disengagement with food waste leave their current employer. The role of these factors in encouraging
mitigation. It also outlines the main factors contributing to normaliza­ normalization of deviance among various stakeholders of hospitality
tion of managerial deviance, such as large quantities of food waste seen and foodservice organisations requires a nuanced examination.
being regularly generated on premises of a hospitality and foodservice
organisation which they manage, extensive food waste reported by their 5.2. Practical implications
peers and seen as being continuously highlighted on media.
From a practical perspective, this study outlined the opportunities to
5. Conclusions counteract managerial deviance exemplified by their inaction on food
waste mitigation. First, the study shown that measures would be
This study explored why hospitality and foodservice managers dis­ necessitated to detect, as soon as possible, the first instances of the
engaged with food waste mitigation. Normalization of deviance was deviant behaviour’s occurrence. These measures can be exemplified by
employed as a theoretical foundation to partially explain managerial regular food waste audits commissioned by business owners and
inaction on the major societal challenge of food waste. By analysing a directed to establish the accurate magnitude of food waste generation
sample of restaurant managers in Bangkok, Thailand, the study and compare it with that in other restaurants of similar size and
demonstrated how normalization of deviance in the form of managers’ specialism. If the amounts of food waste are found to be significant,
disengagement with food waste mitigation first occurred. The study also urgent mitigation measures should then be demanded. This will elimi­
outlined the (f)actors leading to the reinforcement of this deviant nate the probability for deviant behaviour among managers to reoccur
behaviour and how this deviance evolved from being perceived as ex­ and, consequently, this will eradicate the new normal where food waste
pected (=a proto-new normal) to accepted (= the new normal). is considered acceptable. Technology can be harnessed to aid in auding
food waste, thus establishing its exact magnitude and drivers and visu­
5.1. Theoretical implications alising its occurrence to managers. For instance, such technological so­
lutions as Winnow and KITRO can become instrumental for increasing
From a theoretical perspective, the study responded to the call for the visibility of food waste and recommending mitigation actions
more theory-driven research on how hospitality and foodservice stake­ (Martin-Rios et al. 2020), thus reducing the likelihood of food waste
holders i.e., managers of casual dining restaurants, could be more normalization among managers.
effectively engaged in food waste mitigation. The study indicated that Second, the study suggested that national governments should play a

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more active role in detecting deviant behaviour on food waste mitiga­ abnormality of food waste acceptance and tolerance. Likewise, if (re-)
tion among hospitality and foodservice managers. Regular food waste trained kitchen employees express interest in wasteless cooking, this can
audits can be commissioned by government officers or local environ­ lead managers to rethink their current practices and encourage the
mental authorities to identify the scale of food waste generation. Food adoption of new norms, such as resourcefulness, creativity and brico­
waste standards or, at least, aspirational goals can be set, and financial lage, in their kitchens.
penalties can be introduced to monitor and discipline the non-
compliance. This measure can detect the early warning signs of
deviant behaviour to occur and prompt hospitality and foodservice 5.3. Limitations and future research
managers to return to the old normal where food waste is not considered
acceptable. For example, in the UK, the Guardians of Grub initiative This study was limited to the data collected by the method of in­
enables hospitality and foodservice providers to see the savings they can terviews from a small number of hospitality and foodservice managers
achieve by mitigating food waste (Guardians of Grub, 2024). This representing a single hospitality and foodservice market in Thailand i.e.,
initiative also provides aspirational targets on food waste reduction and Bangkok. Future research should extend the scope of investigation to
offers resources on how food waste can be audited and managed. Such cover other hospitality and foodservice markets in Thailand and beyond
initiatives, if deployed in other countries, including Thailand, can and use other methods for data collection and analysis, such as mana­
prompt managers to measure food waste and adopt a more pro-active gerial surveys. Future research can also be concerned with exploring the
approach to its mitigation. views of other hospitality and foodservice stakeholders, such as kitchen
Third, the study demonstrated that mass media could be instru­ staff and customers, on normalization of deviance. Such research can
mental in building the managerial perception of food waste as occurring provide an ‘external’ perspective on how/if the challenge of food waste
and recurring across the sector. Potentially, this finding pinpoints the is normalized by hospitality and foodservice managers. Further,
need for a different approach to the design of public awareness raising although normalization of deviance can explain why managers of hos­
campaigns on food waste. Currently, many of these campaigns are pitality and foodservice organisations disengage with food waste miti­
designed to highlight the significant magnitude of food waste hoping gation, other (organisational, occupational, cultural, and psychological)
that this can encourage the stakeholders to act upon its mitigation. For factors may also play a role. Future research should aim at identifying
instance, the main slogan used by the United Nations World Food Pro­ the influence exerted by these factors using relevant theories to guide
gramme (2019) reads as ‘One third of all food produced globally goes to empirical inquiries. Further, this study’s sample was dominated by in­
waste’. This current study suggests that such design/wording may lead to dependent restaurants (see Table 1), and their food waste mitigation
the opposite effect by creating an impression of hopelessness and help­ practices may have been less advanced compared to large, chain-
lessness among stakeholders i.e., the food waste challenge is too large to affiliated restaurants, due to limited resources. Future research should
tackle, and it is, therefore, uncontrollable. This may result in the engage study participants representing hospitality and foodservice or­
stakeholder inaction on food waste mitigation as they will view it as ganisations of different affiliation, specialism and size. Lastly, this study
occurring universally, thus being not worthy of intervention. was underpinned by the theory of normalization of deviance. Given the
The designers of public awareness raising campaigns on food waste synergy between this theory and Bandura’s theory of moral disengage­
may, therefore, consider changing the key message. Instead of empha­ ment, future research should consider exploring the challenge of food
sizing the significant amount of food waste being generated in the waste and its management in hospitality and foodservice operations
hospitality and foodservice sector (or any other sector, such as house­ through the latter theoretical lens.
holds), the campaigns should highlight how much effort the stake­
holders have already invested into food waste mitigation. For example, CRediT authorship contribution statement
the wording can be changed to read as follows: ‘Although food waste
remains to be a challenge, significant actions are already being applied for its Jarotwan Koiwanit: Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisi­
mitigation. Join the global action to make the world a place without food tion, Data curation, Conceptualization. Viachaslau Filimonau: Writing
waste’ or similar. To strengthen their message, public awareness raising – original draft, Formal analysis, Conceptualization.
campaigns should also feature the examples of ‘best practices’ and case
studies in effective food waste management, such as those applied by
Acknowledgement
specific hospitality and foodservice organisations. Again, in the UK,
Guardians of Grub (2024) provide case studies explaining the benefits of
This study was supported financially by the King Mongkut’s Institute
food waste mitigation and encouraging managerial involvement. This is
of Technology Ladkrabang (Bangkok, Thailand) Research Project
to avoid building an erroneous impression among hospitality and
[KREF206504]
foodservice managers and other stakeholders that the food waste
problem is existential and that it cannot, therefore, be effectively
mitigated. Appendix A. Supplementary data
Lastly, the study underscored the need for fundamental, systemic
changes to be designed and implemented in Thailand and beyond to Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
ensure that food waste is not normalized by managers of hospitality and org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.12.006.
foodservice organisations. These changes should be concerned with the
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