The restaurant business is becoming greener and greener and restaurants as well are embracing the eco-friendly trend. The truth is that we are all becoming more aware of how our actions affect the environment and the price that the nature has to pay so that restaurants can have full tables. Customers play a significant role in this change. The clientele today demands that businesses demonstrate a commitment towards the environment, and they choose restaurants who do so. But how can we define a restaurant sustainable and eco-friendly?
First of all, in addition to providing food and generating a profit, it prioritizes its social impact. It does this by taking steps to lessen its environmental impact and encourage more environmentally friendly, sustainable consumption.
Eco-friendly restaurants prepare seasonal dishes using fresh, natural ingredients coming from local suppliers. Their menus are generally built around the seasonality of the products that the zero-kilometer suppliers can provide in a specific time of the year. Working in synergy with the suppliers, they should be able also to make timely shipments to reduce fuel emissions and make sure that their vendors are fair trade. Eco-friendly restaurants are equipped with water-saving and energy-efficient equipments and use only chemical-free products for cleaning and sustainable furniture and utensils. In addition, their cooking techniques should be implemented with traditional, artisan processes like smoking, pickling, marinating or fermenting.
Furthermore, sustainable restaurants are very focused on how to reduce waste. They not only serve quantities of food according to customers’ actual consumption levels, but they also show their commitment donating leftover food and making partnerships with local organizations that distribute these leftovers. Finally, these restaurants actively participate in environmentally friendly activities. They share their experiences with other local companies who support greener business practices, and participate in the solutions they suggest.