Questions
What kitchens usually ask before they start. Tap a question to open it.
Getting started
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Half Pan is free and has no ads. The only thing to buy is a kitchen scale, which runs about $30.
What do we need?
A digital scale that reads to 0.05 lb and holds about 30 lb, a bin with a lid next to it, and any phone with a browser. There's nothing to download.
How long does setup take?
About a minute to set up the kitchen online, and about fifteen minutes to set up the scale spot and tape the crew link next to it.
Do we need accounts or email addresses?
No. You get a site code and an owner key. The crew signs in with the site code and a shared PIN.
On the line
Will it slow the line down?
A log takes about ten seconds. If a shift throws food out five times, that's under a minute of logging for the whole shift.
What if someone forgets to log?
Log it late. A late log is better than a missed one. Missed logs show up as hollow squares, so a gap never looks like zero waste.
What if the kitchen has no signal?
Logs save on the phone and send when it finds signal.
What if our menu is big?
Each kitchen has its own item list, started from a list for its kind of kitchen. The crew sees pinned and most-used items first and can search the rest. If food is weighed in a pan, the crew picks the pan and the app takes its weight off. Things sold by the piece, like muffins, can be counted instead.
What languages does it come in?
English, Spanish, and Telugu, for the crew screens, the huddle, and the training. The Spanish and Telugu are drafts until native speakers check them.
Numbers and privacy
Who can see our numbers?
Only people with your site code and PIN, unless the owner turns on publishing. Public pages never show notes, photos, sales, or names.
Does it name or rank anyone?
No. The app never asks for names, and every number belongs to the whole shift.
Can we delete our data?
Yes. With the owner key, you can download every log or delete the whole kitchen from the Site tab.
Can we count food we donate?
Yes. Pick Donated when you log it, and it counts as rescued instead of thrown out. The funding page lists who picks up food around Birmingham and the federal law that protects donors.
When will we see a difference?
The first two weeks are only weighing, to set a baseline. From day 22, the kitchen's page compares each week with it. In the Champions 12.3 study, restaurants cut kitchen food waste 26% on average within a year.
Beyond restaurants
We cook at a temple, gurdwara, church, or mosque. How does it fit?
Pick Faith or community kitchen when you set up. The owner can turn on faith settings: the name of your meal, gentler words like "left over" instead of "wasted," which foods are blessed, and where blessed food may go. The cook-to number suggests how many to cook for next Sunday from what you served before, and turns it into a prep list from your own quantity sheet.
Does it work for a food pantry or soup kitchen?
Yes. A pantry logs deliveries by source, sees what to hand out first, and checks whether past-date or dented food can still go out. A daily temperature log covers each fridge and freezer. The owner can download monthly drafts of the loss log, meals served, and temperature chart to copy onto the food bank's own forms.
Can a school track tray waste without weighing every tray?
Yes. Score a sample of trays by eye in quarters, a method that agreed closely with weighing for 87% of foods in a school study. The scorecard shows which items come back most and one fix to try. Audit day walks through a sort-and-weigh audit, and the share table tool keeps the time and temperature records Alabama asks for.
Can we donate leftovers from a buffet or event?
Sometimes. Food that never went out, or stayed hot or cold behind a sneeze guard with temperatures checked, can usually go to a partner. Self-serve food, food held on time alone, and anything from plates can't. The serving line tool times each pan, gives a verdict when it comes off, and prints a label. Call your health department before your first donation.
What does Event mode do?
It keeps the guest count, counts people at the door, sweeps leftover pans at close (full, 3/4, half, or 1/4 of a pan), counts bags for a diversion rate, and makes a one-page report for the client or committee. Next time, it suggests how many to cook for from your own show-up rate.
Is the food safety advice official?
No. The tools follow the FDA Food Code that Alabama enforces, USDA rules, and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama's guidelines, and every source is listed. Your health department has the final say, so check with them before you donate or reuse food.
About Half Pan
Why is it free?
Because the point is less food in the trash. Sai Vajaha started it for his family's restaurant and wants any kitchen to be able to use it.
How is it different from Leanpath or Winnow?
Those are paid systems with smart scales or cameras, built for big operations like hotels, hospitals, and chains. Half Pan is free and runs on a regular scale and the phones a crew already has, so it fits small kitchens.
Is it only for restaurants?
No. When you set up, you pick your kind of kitchen, from Mexican, pizza, and Indian restaurants to school cafeterias, soup kitchens, food pantries, faith kitchens, hospitals, senior meal programs, event kitchens, and concession stands. Each one starts with its own list of foods and the tools that fit it, and you can change all of it.
Is there an AI assistant?
Yes. Ask Half Pan, in the corner of every page, answers questions about the app, donating food, and funding around Birmingham. In the crew app it can also answer questions about your own kitchen's numbers, like which item costs you the most.
Who's behind it?
Sai Vajaha, in Hoover, Alabama.