Managing food wastage in hotels: discrepancies between injunctive and descriptive norms amongst hotel food and beverage managers

Purpose The purpose of the present research is to examine the underlying motivations of food and beverage (F&B) hotel managers towards their intentions to implement food wastage initiatives in the Indonesian hotel sector. Design/methodology/approach Using in-depth personal interviews with 26 F&B managers, this study employed the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explain F&B managers' intentions towards implementing food wastage initiatives. Findings The study findings revealed prevailing constraints (such as lack of resources and rigid menu design) preventing them from carrying out their food wastage plan. There was evidence of disparity between who the F&B managers perceive about as important (injunctive norms) and supportive about their food wastage initiatives as compared to the perceived actual behaviour (descriptive norms) of these important reference groups. One such discrepancy is where respondents believe that senior management is important and would support their food wastage initiatives, but the senior management themselves do not allocate resources to combat food wastage. Practical implications The findings have important implications for hoteliers to rethink and motivate hotel employees to carry out food wastage initiatives effectively with a more synchronized approach between different management levels. Originality/value This is the first paper to examine the discrepancy between injunctive and descriptive norms between middle and senior management in hotels. A key theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge is the fractionation of injunctive and descriptive norms to understand subjective norms in TPB elicitation research.