Outing Waste

Friday, I got a hot tip that a nearby Noodles & Company had closed due to a power outage. I zoomed over to see whether there’d be widespread food waste panic, but they’d reopened by the time I arrived.

photo by Anthony Pranata (via Creative Commons)The woman behind the counter said that they’d thrown out a few things, but not much. Apparently, they kept the walk-in ‘fridge closed and put other perishables on ice.

Next door at Chipotle, they put everything back in the walk-in, which presumably remained under the magic 40-degree mark and out of the Danger Zone (the bacteria one, not the other kind.)

Fortunately, the power was only out for two hours. Crisis averted. Yet, what happens when the electricity remains off even longer?

I was surprised to learn that the complex (with four other restaurant chains), doesn’t have a backup generator. I know that some supermarkets, even with their abundance of frozen and refrigerated foods, don’t invest in generators.

Many of you have probably had to throw away food after a prolonged power outage–unless it’s during the winter or you act quickly with ice and a cooler. Yet, has anyone witnessed a supermarket or restaurant tossing food due to a lack of electricity?

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