To waste or not to waste: Exploring motivational factors of Generation Z hospitality employees towards food wastage in the hospitality industry

Hotel employees are in the eye of the storm witnessing food wastage on a daily basis. The appetite for more food often results in more leftovers. Only a paucity of studies have investigated hospitality employees’ motivations towards food wastage in the hospitality industry. Understanding this research gap of food wastage is imperative given the social, financial, environmental and ethical implications in this dynamic industry. This paper engaged the Theory of Planned Behaviour as the theoretical framework to elicit underlying motivations of Generation Z hotel workers in food and beverage outlets (n = 52) towards their food wastage behaviour in the hospitality sector. Results suggest hotel workers face ethical dilemmas between using fresher ingredients to achieve better customer satisfaction and throwajing food away. Majority of respondents reported the feeling of guilt as a negative attitude towards food wastage, influenced by peer pressure from friends and colleagues, and lack of control over portion sizes.