The purpose of this study was to investigate food waste reduction strategies at the consumption stage in restaurants and addresses United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3. Interviews with Thai restaurant managers found that managers attributed much of the problem to business competitiveness and cultural traditions of Thai diners which included being wasteful and holding beliefs about food abundance. A 2 ×2 between subjects’ field experiment was then conducted with 178 diners at a casual-dining restaurant. The two intervention treatments were based on symbolic consumption and communication message theories. The cultural norm of presenting gourmet carved vegetables for the side dish had a strong effect on actual plate waste (measured in grams). In contrast, a specific zero waste sustainability message had a moderate effect on plate waste. The findings have implications for the casual-dining restaurant sector worldwide, together with industry associations, event planners, hotel managers and university educators.

中文翻译：

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调查客人对减少盘子浪费策略的反应：在休闲餐厅进行的现场实验


本研究的目的是调查餐馆消费阶段减少食物浪费的策略，并解决联合国可持续发展目标 (SDG) 12.3。对泰国餐厅经理的采访发现，经理们将问题很大程度上归因于商业竞争力和泰国食客的文化传统，其中包括浪费和对食物丰富的信念。然后在一家休闲餐厅对 178 名食客进行了 2 × 2 受试者现场实验。这两种干预治疗均基于符号消费和传播信息理论。将精美切好的蔬菜作为配菜的文化规范对实际的盘子浪费（以克为单位）有很大影响。相比之下，特定的零浪费可持续发展信息对盘子浪费有中等影响。研究结果对全球休闲餐厅行业以及行业协会、活动策划者、酒店经理和大学教育工作者都有影响。