2019 Green Resolutions for Restaurants

Did you know that the U.S. restaurant industry produces about 100 billion pounds of trash a year and consumes 1/3rd of all the electricity in the retail sector? The impact that restaurants have on our planet is significant, but there are a variety of ways that restaurateurs can promote sustainable practices at their restaurant.

The GRA has created a list of some Green Resolutions that restaurants can implement in 2019. What is your green resolution for the year? We’d love to hear!

Some ideas for restaurants…

• Tell one fellow restaurateur about the GRA

• Replace conventional light bulbs with LEDs in restrooms

• Choose to replace one conventional food item with a sustainable alternative, highlight it on the menu, and see if it impacts customers’ choices

• Request more sustainable food options and more transparency from distributors

• Set a waste diversion goal (compost all produce, request a waste audit from your hauler, consider food donations)

• Quarterly recycling/composting staff education sessions

• Install a bike rack on-site to encourage alternate forms of transportation

• Install lighting or HVAC motion sensors

• Create incentives for customers to use reusable take-out containers, mugs, etc.

• Incorporate a “Head-to-Tail” goal when creating menu items – try to utilize all parts of your food products on the menu

• Add one vegetarian main dish to your menu

• Educate customers on your environmental steps with a focus on transparency

• Eliminate one disposable or single use product

• Phase out bottled water

• Remove chemical sanitizer if you have a dual-temp dishwasher

• Swap out spray valves for a higher efficiency models

• Fix leaky pipes, faucets, and toilets

• Incentivize carpool/bike/public transit for staff

We hope you have a wonderful and green New Year! Have any other ideas? Feel free to share in the comments section below.

#restaurants #greenresolution #sustainability