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When sophomore Marketing major Julia Knies stepped in to lead the Saxbys Temple University Liacouras Walk cafe as the Fall 2024 Student CEO, she knew she\u2019d be making a lot of decisions that impacted her team\u2019s development and her cafe\u2019s profitability. But it wasn\u2019t until she began winding down her inventory in preparation for winter break that Julia began to understand how these day-to-day decisions had broader implications for her cafe\u2019s overall efficiency\u2013and its commitments to sustainability. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In partnership with the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN), Saxbys launched its inaugural Food Saver Inventory Wind-Down Challenge in November 2024. Last year, SBN launched it’s first <\/span>Food Saver Challenge<\/span><\/a> to reduce waste in food businesses throughout Philadelphia, where food waste comprises 25% of the city\u2019s overall waste stream. Saxbys\u2019 version of the Challenge extended this mission to its entire network of Experiential Learning Platform (E.L.P.) cafes, and tasked Student CEOs with logging detailed inventory management decisions in the weeks leading up to winter break. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Challenge\u2019s goal was to maintain product availability\u2013including key Saxbys menu ingredients, like smoothies, breakfast burritos, and grilled cheese\u2013during the final weeks of the semester. At the same time, Student CEOs needed to minimize waste, as any perishable items at risk of expiring over break would need to be thrown away. Teams earned points for all decisions made, both in terms of their weekly ordering decisions from Saxbys suppliers, and their production decisions to prepare perishable menu items, or keep the bakery case stocked. After tracking performance across 8 Philadelphia-area cafes, Saxbys Student CEOs saved 96% of the food that could have otherwise been wasted. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Julia and the Temple Liacouras Walk team claimed victory at the end of the Food Saver Inventory Wind-Down Challenge, in large part due to Julia\u2019s attention to both ordering and production decisions. Saxbys uses Periodic Automatic Replacement (PAR) as its inventory management method, and Julia noted that the Challenge helped her learn to manage her inventory in real time \u201cAt the beginning of my Student CEO term, I understood how PARs were supposed to work in theory, but it took me some time to understand how to put them into practice\u2026.By the time the challenge came around at the end of my term, I was really confident in knowing how much we needed to order and prep because I was in the cafe every day and had a better sense of what to expect,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While she was primarily responsible for logging the inventory decisions each week, Julia noted that the Challenge victory was very much a team effort. \u201cWhen the challenge was first announced, that was coincidentally right around the time that I held one of my team meetings. I decided to sit with my Team Leads first to discuss as a group about the best way to approach the challenge. Then, at the team meeting, I was able to make sure everyone was aware of the challenge expectations,\u201d she said. Julia also took the Challenge as an opportunity to retrain her team on waste reduction best practices, including the \u201cFirst In, First Out\u201d (FIFO) process. FIFO ensures that items with the closest expiration date are used or sold first, so that they are not wasted unnecessarily. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In partnering with Saxbys for the Challenge, SBN saw an opportunity not only to raise awareness around food waste reduction, but to train young leaders to be change agents for sustainability. \u201cSaxbys has been an ideal partner to extend the goals of the Food Saver Challenge because of their student-run cafe model. By applying the Challenge to their cafes, they have the ability to improve food saving practices not only in Philadelphia, but in all of the areas in which their cafes operate,\u201d said Devi Ramkissoon, Executive Director of SBN. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ramkissoon was especially impressed by how the Saxbys Student CEOs displayed their critical thinking skills in logging inventory decisions to adjust orders and minimize waste. \u201cThis is exactly the kind of shift in thinking that we were hoping to encourage,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Food Saver Inventory Wind-Down Challenge will run again in April 2025 as Saxbys cafes prepare for summer break. By combining Saxbys\u2019 and SBN\u2019s shared commitments to sustainability, Ramkissoon noted, \u201cWe have the ability to inspire a new generation of business leaders to adhere to sustainable practices.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Saxbys is an education company disguised as a coffee company: a one-of-a-kind hospitality platform delivering coveted, career-launching outcomes for students and higher education partners. In 2015, Saxbys pioneered The Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform (The Saxbys E.L.P.), a network of cafes entirely designed for and run by college students. The Saxbys E.L.P. emboldens the next generation of changemakers by providing undergraduates with entrepreneurial opportunities, complementing classroom learning with tangible real-world experience. Founded in 2005 by Nick Bayer and headquartered in Philadelphia, Saxbys operates 30 cafes across nine states; 26 of which are part of The Saxbys E.L.P. network, and include Boston University, Georgia State University, Drexel University, Bowie State University, and an array of other incredible partners.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find the Saxbys location nearest you at hellosaxbys.com<\/a> or follow @saxbys on Instagram<\/a>.You can also stay updated on SBN\u2019s food waste reduction efforts by joining the organization<\/a>, subscribing to its newsletter, and following it on social media @sbngreaterphiladelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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