Waste Watcher Profile - December 2009

Jennifer Bargisen, Executive Chef - Banquets

MGM Grand Conference Center, Las Vegas, NV

Chef Jennifer Bargisen has been with the MGM Grand for the past four years and has 17 years experience working in the US and internationally. She has dedicated the past eight years primarily to large volume and 5-diamond operations. Chef Jennifer is actively engaged in sustainable operational practices focusing heavily on consumption habits and patterns.

Chef Jennifer's overall impression of automated food waste tracking (using LeanPath's ValuWaste System) is that it has been "integral in quantifying consumption and waste patterns." Identifying these patterns leads to "decreased usage, production, waste, and overall inefficiencies." At the same time, it has "truly allowed [her] to have data to support ordering patterns and guest consumption expectancies"

The ValuWaste System has been in place at the MGM Grand Conference Center for the past four years. Her initial expectations have been “exceeded because LeanPath has been instrumental in understanding our specifications and individual requirements.”

The MGM Grand Conference Center has been able to reduce food cost due to their use of ValuWaste. Chef Jennifer reports the highlight of waste tracking is getting "solid data" that shows "what customers are consuming" that supports "calculated ordering adjustments."

Her advice for new managers starting waste tracking: "Embrace the idea of placing dollar values on the waste produced in order to improve on your inefficiencies."