Easy

Drinking Water-on-Request Only

• Offer chilled water carafes only when guests ask, rather than automatically placing a bottle or glass at every setting. 

• If water is left over in bottles, collect it and use for watering plants. 

Partial Table Setup

• On slower shifts, set only the seats you anticipate filling. Fewer place settings means less crockery to clear (and wash) if guests don’t arrive.

Spot-Clean Linens

• For minor spills, train staff to immediately blot with a damp cloth (or water-saving spray cleaner) instead of stripping and sending the entire tablecloth or napkin to laundry.

Medium

Right-Sizing Linens

• Swap full-size tablecloths for table mats or runners that cover only the eating area. They require far less water per wash and dry faster.

Modular Place Settings

• Move to a two-piece setting (plate + minimal cutlery) and add extra items only when ordered (e.g. salad forks or steak knives). Fewer unused items reduce needless washing.

Menu Adjustments

• Food production for hotel restaurants and buffets requires significant amounts of water, producing just one kilogram of cheese can use up to 3,100 litres.

• While kitchen teams can explore different cooking methods, the food and beverage teams can support kitchen efforts to reduce water and food waste by sharing insights about guest preferences and plate waste.

• This kind of feedback supports more targeted production, reduces over-preparation, and helps avoid unnecessary water use in cooking and washing and prevent the unnecessary loss of embedded water.

• You can find out more about the water footprint of food and drinks in the embodied water section by clicking here.

Long Term

High-Performance Linens

• Invest in quick-dry, low-water-absorbency fabrics (e.g. low-to-medium GSM cotton blends or performance knits) for tablecloths and napkins so they require shorter wash cycles and less water.