Downstream Food Waste in Restaurant Supply Chains: Behavioural Drivers and Implications for Sustainable Logistics in a Mediterranean Context

Background: Food waste at the consumption stage creates inefficiencies in food supply chains, with restaurants acting as downstream nodes where consumer behaviour affects operations. This study examines the behavioural drivers of plate waste in restaurants in Greece, within a Mediterranean context, and considers their implications for sustainable logistics. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 228 restaurant consumers in Greece. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, and one-way ANOVA to examine associations between behavioural factors, restaurant type, socio-demographic characteristics, and self-reported food waste frequency. Results: Environmental awareness, intention to reduce food waste, and likelihood of taking leftovers home were negatively associated with self-reported food waste frequency. Perceiving food waste as a serious societal problem was not significantly associated with waste behaviour. Restaurant type had no significant effect, while socio-demographic effects were limited. Conclusions: Consumer-level behavioural factors explain restaurant food waste more consistently than structural restaurant characteristics. Behaviourally informed interventions, including portion flexibility and facilitated leftover retention, may improve both food waste reduction and restaurant efficiency.