Abstract:

Food waste in the hospitality sector is a growing sustainability concern, particularly in all-inclusive hotels, where unrestricted access to food and buffet-based service systems may foster overconsumption. Existing research has largely focused on either operational or behavioural determinants of food waste, with limited integration of both perspectives.

This paper proposes a conceptual framework explaining consumer food waste behaviour by combining structural factors, such as participation in all-inclusive tourism and buffet exposure, with psychological determinants, including value-for-money orientation, variety-seeking, awareness, and social norms. The model also incorporates behavioural interventions, specifically portion control strategies, as mechanisms for reducing waste without negatively affecting customer satisfaction. A quantitative research design is outlined, combining a CAWI survey with a scenario-based experiment. The study contributes by integrating structural and behavioural perspectives and offers practical implications for designing more sustainable hospitality services.