There’s a very different kind of Restaurant Week happening in NYC with more than 20 of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants teaming up with Mill, a trademark of Mill Industries, Inc., to commit to zero food waste for the week and to showcase innovative no-waste cooking. Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week runs  from September 29th to October 5. 

Mill’s mission is to keep food out of landfills, and chefs deeply understand the value of food and efficiency in their kitchens. This unique Restaurant Week galvanizes the most exciting voices in the city’s restaurant community to showcase a new way to think about our food and our own routines at home in the kitchen. 

Mill is a waste prevention technology company, and was founded in 2020 by Matt Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum, who worked together at Nest, building the iconic Nest Learning Thermostat and other smart home products. The lessons they learned about encouraging new habits at home that are good for people and the planet were applied in creating Mill to change our perception of waste, starting in the kitchen. 

This is the second year of the event with twice as many restaurant partners. It features Michelin-starred restaurants, James Beard Award winners, and beloved neighborhood classics, all making the commitment to zero food waste for the week with the help of Mill in their kitchens.  Making it clean and easy for even the busiest kitchens to prevent food waste, Mill recycles food scraps automatically into nutrient-rich grounds that can be used at home, put in a curbside organics bin, or sent back to Mill to feed farms. 

During the Restaurant Week, Mill is proudly partnering with Reclaimed Organics to offer food scraps collection to participating restaurants. Food scraps and grounds processed by Mill food recyclers will be transported to a local community garden in downtown Manhattan to be processed into compost that is used at the garden and on street trees throughout the city.

“Restaurants are the soul of a city, and chefs inspire how we all think about food,” said Harry Tannenbaum, Cofounder and President, Mill. Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week brings together incredible talent to show how a shared commitment to a more sustainable food system can spark creativity and raise awareness about how we can all treat food as the valuable resource it is.” 

Here’s a list of eateries where you can make reservations to dine and participate in Mill’s Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week.  Additionally, the chefs from each restaurant will be offering a special dish or cocktail on the menu that embodies their unique perspective on no-waste cooking. The participating spots include Agi’s Counter, Bangkok Supper Club,  Cafe Mado, Confidant, Corima, Dept of Culture, Family Meal at Blue Hill, HAGS, JR & Son, June, Laliko, Nami Nori, NARO, Ops, Pitt’s,  Place des Fêtes, Postcard Bakery, Raf’s, Rhodora Wine Bar, Smithereens, and The Musket Room.

With mounting environmental concerns, the management of food waste is essential and diners can feel good about participating in the Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week.

 Mill is a trademark of Mill Industries Inc. You can follow Mill on Instagram.

Top photo: Bigstock