9
Winter 2014 Issue
S U S T A I
N A B I
L I
T Y
Becoming an eco-conscious restaurant
often happens gradually as the staff
purposefully thinks and acts sustainably
by following an actionable strategy. Its
primary goal is to use smaller amounts
of natural resources—both renewable
and non-renewable—and producing less
waste at every link in the supply and
consumption chain.
As it turns out, consumers appreciate
what’s become an obvious effort by
restaurants to reduce waste. According
to the NRA’s “2013 Restaurant Trends
Survey,” operators believe customers in
every segment are sincerely interested in
eco-friendly food production. In family
dining, 71 percent of operators believe
their customers care about it, and that
figure jumps to 82 percent in fine dining.
Whether chains or independents, the
sentiment is the same: When operators
care enough to do it, customers notice
and support it.
Here’s a bit of good news: Sustainability
is marketable as an attractive operational
attribute, especially with eco-conscious
Millennials. No demographic is better
educated on the cause-and-effect
relationship of production, consumption
and byproduct. No less than Starbucks
and Dunkin’ Donuts have reaped the
rewards of an organized sustainability
effort that they’ve crafted into a message
customers understand, accept and support
with their dollars. Such chain giants have
also taken leadership roles within the
broader industry to work in tandem with
producers, suppliers and waste haulers to
strive for common sustainability goals.
While such green aims are applied
differently based on operational and
purchasing scale, restaurant companies
of any size can seek the same aims to
reduce waste at every point along the
line. Learn how you can do just that by
reading the following series of stories
explaining how to help your restaurant
become green while still allowing you to
earn some green.
By Steve Coomes
Contributing Writer
