How CPIsight Works
AI-powered cameras at the dish return track plate waste automatically, delivering deep analytics and consumer insights on what diners leave behind without adding to your team's workload.
Three steps. No manual logging. No staff training. Just actionable data.
Hardware
Inside the Hardware
Explore the CPIsight V2 unit — click any part to learn what it does.
Install. Track. Act.
CPIsight automates data collection at the point of disposal. Here's how it works from day one.
Install
Mount at the dish return with zero disruption
Click to learn moreInstall
CPIsight is a compact camera system that mounts directly above your dish return station. No construction, no IT integration, no changes to your tray line. Installation takes less than a day and your team keeps working as normal.
- Mounts above existing dish return with no renovation needed
- Works independently of your POS and kitchen systems
- No staff training required to operate
- Installs in under a day with zero service disruption
Track
AI automatically identifies what gets wasted
Click to learn moreTrack
Computer vision watches every plate that comes back. It identifies the food, estimates the weight, and logs exactly what was wasted, when, and how much. No manual logging. No clipboards. Every meal, every day.
- Computer vision identifies food items on returned plates
- Estimates weight and categorizes waste by food type
- Continuous logging across every meal period
- Weight data structured for sustainability reporting
Act
See what gets eaten — and what gets trashed
Click to learn moreAct
Your dashboard shows which menu items drive the most waste, which meal periods produce the highest volume, and where portion sizes miss. See what diners actually eat — then adjust menus and portions to match.
- Real-time dashboard shows waste by item, meal period, and day
- Identifies top wasted items so you can adjust menus and portions
- Tracks trends over time to measure the impact of changes
- Export-ready reports for STARS, AASHE, and CSR frameworks
Data you can act on
The PlateLogic dashboard turns raw waste data into deep analytics and consumer insights your team can use immediately.
Built for the 66% everyone else ignores
Most food waste solutions stop at the kitchen. CPIsight is purpose-built for the other side — plate waste, consumer behavior, and the analytics that connect what was served to what came back.
| Capability | CPIsight | Others |
|---|---|---|
Plate waste analytics Post-consumer waste — 66% of the problem | ||
“CPIsight identifies that 40% of Tuesday’s salmon went uneaten — data competitors can’t capture because they only track kitchen bins.” | ||
Kitchen / production waste Pre-consumer waste — 34% of the problem | ||
“We’re focused on what matters most: the 66% of waste that happens after food is served. Kitchen tracking is on our roadmap.” | ||
Automatic data collection No manual logging or staff intervention | ||
“Our depth-sensing cameras capture every tray automatically — no staff scanning, no manual entry, no workflow disruption.” | ||
Edge-first processing On-device inference — no cloud dependency | ||
“All AI inference runs locally on the Jetson device at 134 FPS. No images leave the facility, no per-image cloud costs.” | ||
Consumer behavior change Engage diners, not just kitchen staff | ||
“Digital signage and tray-line nudges show diners real-time waste data.” | ||
Serving ↔ disposal correlation Link what was served to what came back | ||
“CPIsight links Tuesday’s menu to Tuesday’s waste — showing exactly which dishes had the highest discard rates.” | ||
Automated CSR / STARS reporting One-click sustainability compliance | ||
“One-click export generates STARS-compliant sustainability reports with verified waste data — no manual spreadsheets.” | ||
Privacy-first architecture No facial recognition, no identity linkage | ||
“The camera points down at the tray return, never at faces — zero facial recognition, and waste data is never linked to an individual student or diner. Tray imagery is stored in your institution’s access-controlled environment, supporting FERPA-readiness for K-12 (formal privacy verification in progress).” | ||
Install in under a day Single mounting point, no kitchen retrofit | ||
“CPIsight mounts at the tray return with a single bracket and power connection — no kitchen equipment, no plumbing, no construction. Most sites are fully operational within hours.” | ||
Real results from real institutions
Across 1,200 business sites studied by WRI and Champions 12.3, nearly every one that invested in cutting food waste earned a positive return. When you can see what's wasted, you can fix it.
Sources: 14:1 — WRI / Champions 12.3, The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste (2017). 99.9% — CPIsight Seneca Valley Phase 1 pilot. 2-8% — no research source; a category benchmark claimed across waste-analytics platforms.
From our bench to your dish return
We design, print, assemble and install CPIsight ourselves.
Stage 1
Fabrication
We design and 3D-print the enclosures in-house.
Printed CPIsight enclosures on the cutting mat, March 2026 Stage 2
Bench
Prototype boards are hand-soldered, and units are assembled and powered up on our bench.
CPIsight units powered up on our bench, March 2026 Hand-soldering a prototype board (R&D), July 2026 Stage 3
Field
We mount it at the dish return and run it in service.
Mounting CPIsight on the dish-return wall at Seneca Valley School District, March 2026 CPIsight units and the hub on the dish-return rail at Seneca Valley, March 2026
In the Field
Built for Real Cafeterias, Not Just Labs
CPIsight was designed, tested, and deployed in live K-12 cafeterias serving thousands of students daily. Every feature exists because a real dining operation needed it.
See the Seneca Valley case studyAcross 1,200 business sites in 17 countries that invested in reducing food waste, nearly every site earned a positive return — half saw a benefit-cost ratio of 14:1 or better.
CPIsight automates this proven methodology, providing continuous visibility and deep analytics — not just periodic snapshots.
Calculate Your Savings
Try Our ROI Calculator
Estimate what CPIsight could save your operation in under 2 minutes — before you book a demo.
Ready to see where your food waste goes?
Start with a pilot. We'll install CPIsight, establish your baseline, and show you exactly what you're wasting — and what you could save.