Warung Tegal sebagai bagian dari sektor informal kuliner tradisional di Indonesia berpotensi menyumbang timbulan food waste yang bersumber dari perilaku operasional pengelola, karyawan, dan konsumen pada tahap pembelian, persiapan, penyimpanan, penyajian, hingga konsumsi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi gambaran perilaku food waste di Warung Tegal X, Y, dan Z. Penelitian ini melalui pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain fenomenologi dan analisis tematik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa food waste didominasi saat tahap persiapan dan penyajian, terutama pada bahan sayuran yang mudah rusak dan tidak segar, sementara lauk pauk cenderung diolah kembali untuk dijual di hari berikutnya. Ketiga warung menunjukkan sikap positif terhadap dampak lingkungan dari food waste, namun belum konsisten dalam praktik pemilahan sampah. Norma subjektif terbentuk melalui adaptasi peran pengelola dan karyawan Warung Tegal dalam mengelola makanan agar tidak terbuang. Warung Tegal X memiliki kontrol perilaku yang lebih baik dalam pemilahan, sementara Y dan Z masih rendah. Pengetahuan dasar mengenai jenis sampah makanan telah dimiliki pada setiap Warung Tegal, namun pengelolaan sampah makanan masih terbatas karena minimnya fasilitas lingkungan, akses terhadap program 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), pengolahan sampah dengan maggot, sosialisasi dampak food waste, serta kurangnya dukungan dari pemerintah dan komunitas dalam mendorong perilaku ramah lingkungan.

Warung Tegal, an informal traditional culinary sector in Indonesia, has the potential to contribute to food waste caused by the operational behavior of managers, employees, and consumers during the stages of purchasing, preparation, storage, serving, and consumption. This study aimed to identify food waste behavior at Warung Tegal X, Y, and Z. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design and thematic analysis was used in this study. The results of this study indicate that food waste most frequently occurs during the preparation and serving stages, particularly with vegetables that are prone to spoilage and are no longer fresh, while side dishes are often recycled for sale the following day. All three Warung Tegal restaurants demonstrated a positive attitude toward the environmental impact of food waste, but were inconsistent in their waste sorting practices. Subjective norms emerged through role adjustments between managers and employees of Warung Tegal restaurants in managing food waste. Warung Tegal X had better behavioral control in sorting, while Y and Z were still low. Basic knowledge about types of food waste exists in every Warung Tegal, but food waste management remains limited due to insufficient environmental facilities, lack of access to 3R programs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), waste management using maggots, awareness of food waste impacts, and insufficient support from the government and community in promoting sustainable behavior.