With the increasing concern over global warming and climate change, restaurants now have a responsibility to follow more sustainable practices.
Becoming eco-friendlier not only benefits the planet but also boosts the success of a restaurant. Consumers are now more likely to eat at a restaurant that is making an effort to become more environmentally friendly.
Many customers say that they’d be happy to pay more for sustainable dining. They want their money to go towards great-tasting food and restaurant sustainability.
The question is, how can you make your restaurant more sustainable without disrupting your usual business operations or spending a lot of money? Keep reading to find out!
How to Make Your Restaurant More Sustainable
Restaurant sustainability involves minimizing your impact on the environment. Reducing your carbon footprint, eliminating food waste, and choosing ethically sourced products, such as those offered by US Soy, are all key ways to address environmental concerns.
Here are some great ways to make your business more sustainable as a restaurant owner.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
All of the ingredients and packaging that you use in your restaurant contribute to your carbon footprint. They all need to be transported to your restaurant from elsewhere.
While you may not be able to eliminate your carbon footprint altogether, you can take steps to reduce it. Get your ingredients from local farmers and source sustainable, recycled packaging. Local foods are also fresher and higher in quality, so it’s a win-win for you and the environment. In such a way, your restaurant will become more sustainable.
Recycle Your Waste
Your main aim should be to minimize your waste as much as possible but it’s almost impossible to completely avoid waste production. However, to be more sustainable, you can recycle the food, cardboard, and plastic waste that you produce.
Make sure to use the appropriate recycling bins and separate your waste accordingly to make your restaurant more sustainable. Try and find a local recycling facility to keep your carbon footprint low.
Offer More Vegan and Vegetarian Dishes
Livestock farming can be unsustainable and detrimental to the environment, as it requires mass deforestation and causes high greenhouse gas emissions.
Plant-based foods are better for the environment than animal-based products because they require fewer resources to process and don’t impact global warming as much.
With more people choosing to follow plant-based diets nowadays, you can cater to a wider audience by offering more vegan and vegetarian dishes on your menu. You can also encourage meat-eaters to choose more sustainable dishes.
Use Eco-Friendly Packaging
Take a look at the food storage boxes, packaging, and takeaway tubs that you have in your restaurant if you want to make it sustainable. Are they made from sustainably-sourced materials, and are they recyclable?
If not, consider switching to reusable and sustainable food packaging that has been made from recycled plastics or paper. Use recyclable takeaway tubs and make sure your customers know that they can throw their waste into the recycling bin when they’re finished with their meals.
