Overview:

The Princeton University dining program entered the 2025–2026 year with a mandate to reduce ground beef consumption by 6% versus the prior year. Many dining halls were already serving a house-made 70/30 beef-mushroom burger, limiting obvious next steps. 

Working with the culinary team, Spare identified a higher-impact operational solution: improved yield and lower shrink allowed the school to move from a 5.33 oz patty to a 4 oz Spare Burger patty without materially changing finished cooked weight or requiring a new bun. 

The Result:

Princeton Dining converted 100% of its burger and ground beef purchasing to Spare, achieving immediate culinary, financial, and sustainability gains including a projected 40% reduction in beef consumption year-over-year plus nearly $0.60 saved per patty.