Using AI to calculate portion control is just one of innovations which has been presented at the hospitality industry’s annual trade fair Horecava as a way of cutting both waste and costs.

One in seven entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector is still struggling with debts incurred during the coronavirus crisis and 40% of businesses may not survive the next year because of high staff and energy costs, industry officials say.

Serving smaller portions  – and consequently throwing away less food – is among the cost-cutting exercises the sector is now turning to.

“On the one hand it is more sustainable and on the other it’s saving money,” Marijke Vuik from industry body KHN told the AD. “To achieve that, we need reliable data about how much and what kind of food is being thrown out at the end of the day.”

To do this restaurants can use equipment that weighs leftover food and cameras that monitor what is being thrown away so owners know which dishes would benefit from smaller portions.

Over half of restaurants already offer different-sized portions and one in eight offers a choice of side dishes.

Waste in the drinks department is another way of limiting costs, said entrepreneur Jasper Sonneveld who is presenting an automatic beer tap at the fair. “Beer is more expensive than petrol, and every drop counts. Our taps stop automatically after each beer,” he said.

Among the other cost-cutting innovations at the fair is a robot which transports dirty dishes to the kitchen, or delivers room service.

The Dutch hospitality sector currently employs some half a million people at 43,000 hospitality outlets. The sector booked total turnover of €32.5 billion in 2024, some 5% more than the year before.

“I think we’re doing fine overall,” Vuik said. “The terraces and restaurants are still full and it is still not easy to reserve a table on a Friday night.”