Hilton has partnered with Open Kitchens to help double the amount of community meals which the social enterprise can make from surplus food.
The hotel group has opened up its kitchens at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Hilton London Metropole, Hilton East Midlands Airport, Hilton Nottingham and Hampton by Hilton Sheffield, to accept deliveries of up to ten tonnes of surplus food per week.
Hilton said the amount of surplus food being made available to foodbanks and charities has increased “exponentially” due to falling demand from restaurants and caterers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The group said Open Kitchens had been having to turn down “huge quantities of food due to lack of storage capacity”, but much of it can now be accepted and stored in Hilton’s “high-capacity hotel kitchens, which usually cater for large-scale conferences and events”.
This in turn has enabled Open Kitchens to double its output, and provide 50,000 additional meals per month for those in need. For more information on the Open Kitchens initiative – which has so far partnered with 37 kitchens and provided over 120,000 free meals, visit openkitchens.co.uk.
The Hilton London Metropole will also serve as a community kitchen, with chefs preparing 1,000 meals per week to be distributed via The Felix Project. There are also plans for community kitchens to added at further Hilton properties in the coming weeks.
Commenting on the initiative Russell Impiazzi, executive head chef at the Hilton London Metropole said:
“We’ve always been passionate about using our culinary skills to support our local community and tackle food waste, so when we get the opportunity to both – and for such an important cause – it’s something the whole team is genuinely excited about. Hospitality has an incredible ability to bring people together and above all else, to do the right thing and put people first. That’s what we will continue to try and do.
“In committing to provide over 12,000 meals in the coming weeks, we have the fun challenge of working with the amazing suppliers, producers, charities and foodbanks trying hard to find homes for the vast amounts of surplus that would otherwise go to waste, and using it to create something delicious for those who desperately need it.”
Last month Hilton partnered with American Express to donate up to one million hotel rooms across the United States to frontline medical staff.
Hilton and American Express donate one million US rooms to medical staff
