The Influence of Managerial and Operational Characteristics on Food Waste Reduction Practices Among the Restaurants Along the Andaman Coast of Thailand

The food service sector plays a substantial role in the food waste creation. Restaurants in Thailand, driven by tourist demand, substantially contribute to food waste. This study analyzes the managerial and operational attributes influencing restaurants' practices for reducing food waste in Thailand's Andaman coastal region. This quantitative research uses the Waste Hierarchy framework to investigate restaurants' food waste practices. Independent variables are divided into two categories: 1) Manager Characteristics, and 2) Restaurant Characteristics. In total, 353 questionnaires were distributed using proportional allocation. The data were collected via simple random sampling and analyzed using logistic regression. The results indicate that restaurants demonstrated a high level of compliance with prevention practices; however, they showed substantially lower adoption of reuse and recycling practices. The logistic regression models revealed that personal factors (education, age, interest in food waste reduction, and restaurant experience), along with the number of meals served at the restaurant, significantly influence food waste practices. The multiple logistic regression model showed a good fit (model chi-square = 72.78, df = 6, p < .0001) and explained 25.2% of the variance. This study offers valuable insights and practical implications by highlighting that manager characteristics, rather than operational attributes, are important in shaping food waste reduction. This insightful information can be used to design and implement policies on human capacity development related to food waste reduction.