Investigation of the relationship among restaurant customers' perception, behaviors and plate waste

Restaurants are one of the institutions that produce the most food waste. Food waste can occur in almost all stages such as supply, storage, preparation, production, service and consumption. A significant part of the food waste that occur in restaurants are consumer waste which are expressed as plate waste. Plate waste can provide important information about both the efficient use of business resources and the customers' considerations about food. In this context, the aim of the study is to determine the amount of plate waste in restaurants, to reveal the characteristics of customers and restaurants related to the amount of waste, and to determine the relationship among the waste quantity and customers' perceptions and behaviors. The research data was collected through online questionnaire applied in April 2020. By using snowball and convenience sampling method together, a total of 565 valid questionnaires have been reached. According to the results of the research, more plate waste were left in pastry products compared to meat and vegetable products. However, it has been determined that the amount of food left on the plate varies depending on the gender and age of the customers. In addition, pastry food waste also vary depending on the type of restaurant and who goes to the restaurant. On the other hand, it has been found that the perception of food quality and customer satisfaction affect the plate waste, and the plate waste also has an effect on the behavioral intentions of the customers, even at a low level. These results show that plate waste quantity is an important variable that can be used in understanding and evaluating customers' perceptions and behaviors. Keywords: Food waste, plate waste, food quality, customer satisfaction, behavioral intention, restaurants