Summit Hospitality Group Launches Farm-to-Table-to-Farm Food Waste Reduction Initiative in Partnership with Regional Growers
CHICAGO, Nov. 26, 2025 — Summit Hospitality Group announced today the launch of a comprehensive food-waste reduction trial program across its 12 Midwest properties, establishing direct partnerships with eight local farms to create a closed-loop system that converts kitchen waste into agricultural resources. The initiative, which begins December 1, targets the diversion of more than 500,000 pounds of organic waste annually from municipal landfills while generating cost savings and supporting regional food producers.
The program establishes bi-weekly collection routes from Summit’s hotel restaurants and catering facilities to participating farms within a 100-mile radius of Chicago. Organic waste—including vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, eggshells, and post-consumer food scraps—will be processed through industrial composting systems and anaerobic digestion facilities co-located on farm properties. This approach mirrors federal priorities for food waste infrastructure development, as highlighted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent investment of $11.5 million in 38 cooperative agreements supporting community composting and food waste reduction projects nationwide. These USDA investments prioritize collaborations that demonstrate economic benefits and make compost accessible to farmers, directly aligning with Summit’s farm-partnership model.
Food waste represents a critical financial and environmental challenge for the hospitality sector. Research from WRAP indicates that food waste costs the hospitality and food service industry £3.2 billion annually, equivalent to approximately $4 billion USD, with hotels exhibiting the highest per-establishment waste levels. The hospitality industry generates roughly 31.3 million tons of food waste in the United States alone, with 59.8% ending in landfills where it contributes to methane emissions. According to EPA data, food service operations account for approximately 14.6% of total U.S. food waste, making targeted reduction strategies essential for climate mitigation efforts.
Summit’s initiative incorporates AI-driven waste tracking technology from Winnow Solutions, enabling kitchen staff to photograph and categorize discarded food in real-time. Data analytics identify specific waste sources—such as overproduction, spoilage, or plate waste—allowing executive chefs to adjust purchasing, portion sizes, and menu engineering. Properties participating in similar technology deployments have achieved waste reductions between 17% and 38%, according to World Wildlife Fund hotel kitchen pilot data. Summit projects a 25% decrease in pre-consumer waste within the first six months through precision forecasting and dynamic menu adjustments.
The program extends beyond composting to include a secondary channel for prepared but unserved food. Surplus meals meeting food safety standards will be redirected through partnerships with Feeding America affiliates, with Summit targeting 50,000 meal donations annually. Remaining food waste unsuitable for donation will be converted into animal feed supplement for partner farms’ livestock operations, following USDA guidelines for food waste diversion. This multi-tiered approach addresses the full EPA food waste hierarchy, prioritizing prevention, donation, and recycling over landfill disposal.
“The future of sustainable hospitality lies in recognizing that waste is simply a resource in the wrong place,” said Jennifer Martinez, CEO of Summit Hospitality Group. “By embedding our properties within the regional agricultural ecosystem, we’re not only cutting operational costs and reducing our carbon footprint—we’re actively investing in soil health, supporting family farms, and building a supply chain that respects both the food we serve and the communities that grow it. This isn’t corporate responsibility; it’s good business and environmental necessity converging.”
The initiative includes a research component in collaboration with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, which will track program metrics across economic, Hospitality Group Trials Food-Waste Reduction Program With Local Farms environmental, and social impact dimensions. Preliminary modeling suggests the program will reduce Summit’s Scope 3 emissions by approximately 420 metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually while generating $180,000 in combined savings from waste-hauling fee reductions and discounted produce procurement from partner farms. Farms participating in the program estimate a 30% reduction in commercial fertilizer costs through compost utilization.
Summit Hospitality Group plans to expand the program to its full portfolio of 28 properties by 2027 if pilot metrics meet targets. The company is also developing a supplier code of conduct that will require produce distributors to adopt “whole crop” purchasing models, reducing upstream farm-level waste.
About Summit Hospitality Group
Summit Hospitality Group owns and operates 12 full-service hotels and conference centers across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, comprising 2,400 guest rooms and 180,000 square feet of event space. The company has committed to the U.S. Food Waste Pact’s “Target, Measure, Act” framework and maintains a science-based target to reduce overall waste-to-landfill by 50% by 2030. Summit’s Travel with Purpose sustainability initiative integrates circular economy principles across operations, from energy management to supply chain decarbonization.
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