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The costs can be as low as $300 per year to become a Certified Green Restaurant®, depending upon term of contract, restaurant size, and how many locations sign up. For more in-depth services, such as environmental assessments, environmental consulting, and communications support, the fees are higher. Contact outreach@dinegreen.com to learn more about the GRA and its associated fees.
No. The GRA can certify any foodservice operation, from university dining halls, bakeries, and bars to catering kitchens, events and corporate cafeterias.
Please see Six Reasons to Go Green
Being a non-profit allows the GRA to provide services at a rate that is lower than market prices. Certification programs, including green building standards and organic standards, all charge fees. This allows there to be the proper infrastucture and followup, so that the certification is a real indication of what a restaurant is doing and not just a stamp.
That varies. For many restaurants , it is actually more costly to make NO environmental changes. Some mid-size and larger restaurants can yield a couple thousand dollars in net savings per year. A smaller restaurant can yield $1,000 in net savings per year by making some simple environmental changes. Some restaurants break-even, and others don’t report a savings. Waste reduction, energy and water conservation, and recycling are the areas in which most restaurants save the most money and see a return on their investment.
The GRA provides a suite of services, including an environmental assessment, environmental consulting, certification, PR, and marketing. ›Learn about our services.
No. The GRA works with restaurants that start at all levels. Some restaurants start at an already advanced level, and others are just beginning. GRA’s environmental consultants determine your starting level through our environmental assessment process and proceed from there.
For the vast majority of restaurants, an on-site assessment is not necessary. The Green Restaurant Association services restaurants all across the United States and Canada. We have a sophisticated system that involves an environmental assessment survey, a phone interview, and an analysis of the restaurant’s various bills and invoices. This allows the GRA staff to perform a full assessment and give your restaurant a high quality of service without expending the environmental resources to fly around the world to do it.
Yes. In addition to servicing restaurants across the United States, the GRA services restaurants in Canada. At this time, the GRA does not service restaurants outside of these two countries.
It takes an average of three months. The process can happen in as quick as a few weeks or it can take up to one year.
If the GRA determines through its environmental assessment, that your restaurant has a minimum of 100 points and meets the other Green Restaurant® 4.0 standards, then yes, it can become certified.
The Consultant will work with you to understand your priorities to determine the best route toward certification in relationship to cost, environmental impact, employees, and public relations. Your GRA Consultant will then provide solutions that allow you to reach your goals.
There are many “environmental” products on the web, some of which are legitimate green products and solutions… some of which are not. Our environmental consultants save you the time and hassle of finding the right solutions. The GRA has the world's largest database of environmental solutions for the restaurant industry and has been helping restaurants go green longer than any other organization on the planet.
Our GRA consultants do the research, and you can know that the solutions you will be receiving aren't just the result of a manufacturer's good marketing claims.
In addition, our education, public relations, and certification services have yielded great press, good employee morale, and positive customer feedback that more than justifies the cost.
The GRA does not require you to change distributors. The GRA has been very successful in helping restaurants make environmental changes in a way that is convenient and cost-effective, while improving public image and employee morale. Many of the Certified Green Restaurants® save thousands per year in net savings due to their GRA changes.
Since 1990, the GRA has been helping restaurants make changes in a convenient way, which means we work with your distributors, when possible, to carry the better products. The majority of the GRA’s work is interfacing with your landlords, property managers, waste haulers, lighting vendors, distributors, utilities, and other vendors to implement the necessaryenvironmental changes. We have a sophisticated system that allows you to run your restaurant well, while we work on greening your restaurant.
The GRA not only works with restaurants that have been in business for many years but it also works with new builds and renovations. This provides the greatest opportunity for environmental changes and makes it easier for a restaurant to open as a SustainaBuild™ Certified Green Restaurant®.
The Green Restaurant Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization providing services for a fee. You will have to contact your accountant to make that determination.
