Article

How restaurateurs' decisions, actions will affect Earth's future

Restaurants can showcase sustainability efforts to entice customers.

September 20, 2013

By Daniel Campbell, research and development assistant, Food IQ

There are numerous ways limited-service restaurants can increase sustainability, not only on a local, per store basis, but also across franchises, corporate locations, and the industry as a whole. But what is sustainability? What matters to consumers? What matters to restaurant owners and operators? There are a lot of questions on how sustainability affects communities, countries, and the world as a whole, but there are not always answers. And the answers that are available may not always be the easiest to execute or make sense financially. Let's take a moment to figure out what may work for you.

What exactly is sustainability as it relates to the restaurant?

Being able to offer food, products, and services that don't jeopardize the extinction of resources sums up sustainability. So what are those resources? Well, there are animals (both farm raised and wild), fish, water (fresh and salt), fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, fossil fuels, land, and oxygen, all currently found on this world. But, what happens if one of these items runs out? Are man-made alternatives any better? Or should we develop plans today that will ensure the continued use of our resources through generations to come? Food2053, a sustainability conference being held in October 2013, will start a conversation on how we, as a world, are going to feed 9 billion people in 2053.

According to Doug Austin, Conversation Leader for the Food2053 conference, "Seven billion people [are] on the planet today. If we were to try to feed them with 1960's yields, it would have required an additional land mass the size of Russia to accomplish that." We haven't been able to locate that new piece of land, yet we were able to feed the majority of the world. We still have some issues, but every little change that is made locally could affect the supply and demand worldwide, and help to ensure that an adequate food supply is manageable now and in the future.

What matters to consumers?

Some restaurants have the ability to make changes and showcase their sustainability in a way that entices the customer. At the very least, it's a great bragging point for them. A good example is BurgerFi, a fast casual concept based out of Florida. According to its website, it goes beyond the grass-fed, never frozen, all-beef patty. Each location "is built according to environmentally sustainable best practices, and includes earth-friendly elements, like chairs that are made from recycled Coke bottles, tables made out of compressed recycled wood, and large fans that use 66 percent less electricity."

BurgerFi maintains a low carbon footprint, and maintains strict recycling programs for oil, cardboard, bottles and cans." Consumers that eat here can feel good knowing that they are not only getting a good, sustainable burger, but that everything surrounding them is aiding BugerFi in reducing the amount of energy they need to operate. But does a restaurant need to go through all this just to get a bit or recognition from their consumers? No. Steps like ensuring the fish you serve is sustainably caught would work. Sound familiar?

According to a press release from McDonald's on January 24, 2013, "Sustainable fish sourcing is part of McDonald's broader commitment to sustainable sourcing and 100 percent of all fish sold in its US restaurants has been certified sustainable." Large chains that serve more than 60 million people a day, as well as up-and-coming fast casual concepts have been able to gain their consumers' attention by offering sustainability in their restaurants.

What matters to restaurant owners and operators?

Normally, the No. 1 goal of any restaurant is to make money. To do that, sometimes the less-expensive alternatives are a better option, but is that always the case? There may be a cheaper paper towel, but will you have to use twice as many sheets? Inexpensive chemicals may lead to more labor time. A higher-quality chair for FOH may never have to be replaced. Sometimes the little things will make a huge difference, and here are some suggestions that are not only steps to sustainability, but steps to saving some money in the process:

Training: Training could be the No. 1 way to becoming more sustainable (and to increase profits). Teaching employees simple things like when to change the dish machine's water can help you cut down on chemicals and cheapen your water bills.

Are employees getting customers' orders correct the first time? Answering this question can help decrease the amount of waste product going into landfills and makes for a happy customer.

Portion control is another tip to consider. This can allow you to make a profit and it prevents excess use of food.

How many plastic cups do you go through? Purchasing reusable employee drink cups with lids that can be kept in the break room, refilled on breaks and washed at the end of the night can help save money. If you have 10 employees on a shift, and each person gets a new drink cup every 4 hours, an 8 hour shift produces 20 cups. That's 40 cups a day or 14,600 cups a year! And how many of those are going to the landfill and how many are being recycled?

More questions to ask yourself include:

• Can lighting be adjusted both inside and outside your building?
• Can ceiling fans be added to decrease use of air conditioning or a heater?
• How many napkins, plastic silverware and condiments are going out with catering or to-go orders?
• And are they correct amounts? Was the customer even asked if they needed those products?

Along with helping the environment, these little changes add up at the end of the month. A penny saved is a penny that goes directly to your bottom line.

Does each restaurant in the world need to do a complete make-over and re-evaluate every activity or product that is brought into or going out the door? It would be nice, but it won't happen. Instead, taking baby steps can create waves that may not be noticed today, tomorrow, or even next month, but maybe in 2053, it will be noticed.

That cardboard you recycle each day could be the missing link that prevents another forest from being cut down in 10 years. Or, that extra half ounce of beef you prevent from being over-portioned on each order could mean one less factory farm in the future. Think about what you can do today to affect tomorrow. Maybe you can help Food2053 and create an actionable solve for the world, or maybe you can only think of solves for your store. Either way, every change helps.

Read more about sustainability.