RESTAURANTS
6 EASY WAYS TO GO GREEN
From zero-waste operators with their own farms to fast-food chains putting vegan options on the menu for the first time, sustainable businesses are on a sliding scale.
JOANNA FANTOZZI, SENIOR EDITOR, NATION'S RESTAURANT NEWS
M ost operators today are preoccupied with boosting traffic num - bers, as consumers be- come choosier spend- ers. In an inflationary environment, operators can respond by offering dis- counts or filling a robust LTO calendar, but there may be another option that appeals to potential guests. Restaurants can invest in sustain- ability practices. According to the National Restau- rant Association, sustainability and local sourcing is the No. 1 consumer macrotrend heading into 2025. An op - erator that practices eco-friendly oper- ations could attract more consumers especially in the younger Gen Z or mil- lennial demographics. For many operators, however, go- ing green gets pushed down the prior- ity list, because of fears of added ex-
penses. While it’s true that eco-friendly alternatives to plastic straws and packaging cost more up front, and or- ganic food is not exactly cheap, these are not the only sustainable steps an operator can take. “If I tell a restaurant, ‘Don't do any - thing with energy, water, and waste; just invest in organic ingredients and [sustainable] packaging,’ then there's a good chance it's going to cost more,” said Michael Oshman, CEO of the Green Restaurant Association. “But if we take a holistic, comprehensive approach, then restaurants can ab- solutely save money, and they do. Restaurants that make bad business decisions don't survive. … If you look at the restaurant that's doing nothing [environmentally] and his neighbor is using less energy, less water, and sav- ing on his waste bills, then the second one is winning.”
“The problem is with restaurants that say, ‘come to our carbon- neutral restaurant,’
and meanwhile there’s nothing
sustainable on the menu, no energy or water efficiency,” —MICHAEL OSHMAN, CEO OF THE GREEN RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
SUSTAINABILITY OUTLOOK 2025 10
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