Denver Restaurant Food Waste Challenge

Denver Food Matters Restaurant Challenge

Cut waste. Feed community. Strengthen your business.

40% of the U.S. food supply goes uneaten each year

This takes a significant environmental toll on U.S. water, energy, transportation, and labor resources that go to waste when food is discarded. At the same time, too many Denver residents are food insecure. By repurposing food that would otherwise be discarded, Denver restaurants can tackle this challenge head-on, ensuring that every bite counts: playing a vital role in meeting our community’s food insecurity challenge and increasing the efficiency of the entire food system.

Take on the Challenge!

In the Denver Department of Public Health’s Food Matters Restaurant Challenge, restaurants become part of the solution. Restaurants will join one of two 12-week cohorts (Summer or Fall 2025) focused on food waste prevention, reduction, and donation strategies — all based on the EPA Wasted Food Scale.

Collective Learning

The challenge will provide unique opportunities to learn from peers and leaders in food waste prevention, creating relationships that last beyond the challenge.

Hyper Local

To remove barriers to resource sharing, efforts are made to recruit participants in the same commercial complex, street, or other small geographic area.

Inclusive Incentives

The challenge will seek to engage a range of staff at each participating restaurant and provide opportunities for recognition at all levels.

Collective and Individual Commitment

Participants are committing to a broader collective points goal with their cohort members.

Our Secret Ingredient: Community-Based Social Marketing

Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) is at the heart of the Denver Restaurant Food Waste Challenge. Unlike waste bans or complicated compliance programs, CBSM focuses on real-world behavior change by:

Engaging directly with restaurant staff and community members

Identifying and removing barriers to sustainable practices

Testing strategies in small settings before expanding

Why It Works?

CBSM helps build lasting habits and strong peer connections. By making food waste reduction fun, practical, and community-driven, we create an environment where restaurants feel supported in trying new things — and inspired to keep doing them.
This approach transforms the challenge into more than just a checklist — it becomes a movement.

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How the Challenge Works

Game plan

Participating restaurants will follow a strategic “menu” of food waste reduction actions—each worth a different number of points. By selecting and implementing the strategies that work best for their operation, restaurants will earn points throughout the 12-week Challenge.

The goal?

Maximize your impact and your points. The restaurant with the highest total at the end of the Challenge takes the win—along with bragging rights, recognition, and a powerful story of sustainability.

Commitment

Each participating restaurant will commit to a 12-week journey of action, learning, and measurable change.

Here’s what that looks like:

Kick Things Off: Send 1–2 team members to a half-day (3.5-hour) training and kickoff event. Ideal participants are staff in leadership or decision-making roles.

Establish a Baseline: Complete an initial 2-day waste audit and receive a site visit from CET waste reduction experts to assess current practices.

Plan Your Strategy: Review customized recommendations and select food waste reduction strategies. Each restaurant sets its own points goal based on what’s realistic and impactful.

Take Action: Spend 8 weeks implementing your chosen strategies. A mid-point waste audit and survey will help identify what’s working and what needs tweaking—with plenty of support from the City and CET along the way.

Measure and Reflect: Wrap up the Challenge with a final waste audit and results report, followed by a feedback survey to capture learnings and successes.

Best of all?

Participation is completely free, thanks to USDA funding for the Denver Department of Public Health. Restaurants receive tailored assistance, staff training, implementation support, and well-deserved recognition.

Note: Some strategies may have associated costs (like organics collection), but CET will help you find the most cost-effective options for your operation.

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Timeline

The timeline for this 12-week Challenge guides restaurants through training, action, and celebration as they work to reduce food waste. Each phase builds on the last, with support from CET every step of the way.

Week 0 · Onboarding & Training

Selected participants will receive introductory materials and attend an initial training and kick-off event. During this kick-off, participants will set a preliminary collective goal for the cumulative points achieved by all restaurants over the Challenge.

Week 1-2 · Establishing a baseline

Each restaurant will complete an initial waste audit and complete a site visit with CET and/or the local consultant. CET will offer recommendations and information to inform participant goals.

Week 3 · Committing to action

Based on CET recommendations and their own goals, participants will choose which food waste reduction strategies they will pursue, and set their own individual points goal for the Challenge.

Week 4-10 · Implementing strategies

Participants will spend 8 weeks actively implementing their chosen strategies with the support of CET and the local recruiter. A mid-point waste audit and survey will help restaurants uncover and address challenges as they arise.

Week 11 · Measuring impact

All participants will complete a final waste audit, report on the results of their implemented changes, and complete a feedback survey. CET will compile these results to determine the overall Challenge winner, collective points achieved, and select superlative awards.

Week 12 · Celebrating and sharing success

Participants will celebrate their achievements at a closing event, and will cooperate with CET to share stories and successes for a media campaign

Get started today

Go to resources

Explore the Resource Library

Access a curated collection of local policies, research, tools, and partner insights designed to support Denver restaurants in reducing food waste.

An initiative from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment encompassing a variety of programs, including the Denver Food Matters Restaurant Challenge, that promotes the reduction of food waste and the advancement of food systems.

A non-profit that delivers resilient climate solutions for people and businesses through innovative pilot programs and production-scale services. CET will be managing the Challenge and providing technical assistance to the Challenge participants.

A leading food recovery organization in Colorado whose mission is to increase food access and protect the planet. We Don’t Waste will work with the Challenge participants to reduce hunger and food waste by recovering their quality, unused food and delivering it to nonprofit partners.

The US Department of Agriculture provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences. The USDA is funding delivery of this Challenge through an award from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

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