Produce less waste, donate excess food to those in need and recycle or compost what remains. These three steps can seem so simple. Yet restaurant operators big and small say such moves can be incredibly challenging—especially for companies with a large footprint navigating often vastly different markets. ANOTHER THING TO WORRY ABOUT Last year, the nonprofit think tank ReFED and the World Wildlife Fund asked U.S. businesses to sign onto a national Food Waste Pact with cer- tain commitments and goals, and to share best practices. Signatories include retailers like Walmart, Aldi, Whole Foods and even onsite food- service manager Sodexo. But only one restaurant chain has joined: Chick-fil-A. It’s understandable to see some resistance, especially when so many restaurants are still struggling to re- cover from the Covid years, and face rising costs and rapid technological change, said
Michael Cimarusti's Los Angeles restaurant Providence has earned a Michelin green star for its sustainability efforts, on top of two culinary stars.
Henry Rich, managing partner of The Oberon Group, based in New York City, which op- erates seven sus- tainably focused
restaurants and a zero-waste cater- ing company.
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JANUARY 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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