ClearCOGS Named 2026 Citizens Awards Finalist for Helping Restaurants Prevent Food Waste

U.S. Chambe of Comme ce Fou datio ames estau a t decisio i tellige ce compa y a fi alist fo Best Sustai ability P og am

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswi e / Octobe 23, 2026 / Clea COGS, a decisio i tellige ce compa y that tu s estau a t data i to daily ope ati g guida ce, has bee amed a fi alist fo Best Sustai ability P og am i the U.S. Chambe of Comme ce Fou datio ‘s 2026 Citize s Awa ds. The ecog itio highlights Clea COGS’s wo k to p eve t food waste by helpi g estau a t teams decide what to p epa e, how much to make a d whe to make it.

Clea COGS is o e of fou fi alists i the catego y, alo gside Allagash B ewi g Compa y, Netafim No th Ame ica, a d U-Haul I te atio al. Wi e s will be a ou ced du i g the Busi ess Solves co fe e ce, Octobe 27-28 i Washi gto , D.C., acco di g to the Fou datio ‘s a ou ceme t.

Fo estau a t ope ato s, food waste ofte sta ts with a decisio made hou s befo e a guest a ives: how much b ead to bake, meat to smoke, o p oduce to p epa e. Maki g too much ties up labo a d i g edie ts i food that may eve sell. Maki g too little isks sho tages a d disappoi ted guests.

Clea COGS’s decisio i tellige ce platfo m combi es data f om estau a ts’ existi g systems with AI-powe ed fo ecasts a d estau a t-specific ope ati g equi eme ts. Its outputs i clude daily p ep sheets, o de guides a d labo pla s.

“Th owi g away food hu ts twice. You lose the i g edie ts a d the time you team spe t p epa i g them,” said Matt Wample , cofou de a d CEO of Clea COGS. “We help ope ato s make those decisio s ea lie , with a clea e pictu e of what they’ll eed. Reduci g waste becomes pa t of u i g a mo e p ofitable estau a t, somethi g the team ca act o eve y day.”

I a fi stha d accou t published i Ma ch 2026, Do W. B adley, a Ma hatta Bagel f a chise ow e a d autho of Do B F om the Dish Pit, desc ibed usi g Clea COGS to pla p oductio fo a p oduct that takes oughly 24 hou s to make. He epo ted educi g bagel waste a d savi g about $4,000 pe mo th i labo costs elated to ove p oductio afte tighte i g p oductio qua tities a d adjusti g baki g shifts.

A 2024 epo t by McKe zie Hu eke, completed du i g a E vi o me tal Defe se Fu d Climate Co ps fellowship at Clea COGS, estimated that food waste p eve tio with Clea COGS ca avoid 2.90 to 4.48 to s of CO2-equivale t emissio s pe estau a t locatio each mo th, depe di g o i g edie t types. The study also epo ted ave age mo thly food waste p eve tio of 380 pou ds pe locatio ac oss the custome s a alyzed. The estimates d aw o custome data a d emissio s facto s f om ReFED, WRAP a d Hestia, a d i clude both impleme tatio esults a d modeled sce a ios.

The Citize s Awa ds ecog ize busi esses add essi g challe ges faci g commu ities. The Fou datio ‘s fi alist a ou ceme t highlights the compa y’s app oach to p eve ti g waste at the fo ecasti g a d p epa atio stage.

About Clea COGS

Clea COGS is a decisio i tellige ce compa y se vi g estau a t ope ato s. Its platfo m co ve ts ope atio al data i to p epa atio , o de i g a d staffi g guida ce. Website: clea cogs.com.

Media Co tactMatt Wample Cofou de a d CEO, Clea COGSmatt@clea cogs.com

SOURCE: Clea COGS

Related Docume ts:

• Clea COGS-Citize s-Awa ds-Impact-Fact-Sheet

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