Gone are the days when restaurants could serve whatever they wanted to their clients. Today’s consumer is much more conscious of issues that have to do with the environmental impact of the food that they are eating. They want to know whether the raw materials used are environmentally sustainable, whether the shipping is eco-friendly, and some much more. In essence, restaurant owners need to be up-to-date with sustainability issues. It’s one of the factors that can easily hinder the growth of your restaurant. To ensure that your restaurant stays ahead of the curve, here are 4 ways you can be eco-friendly as a restaurant owner.
- Use eco-friendly packaging
Most restaurants now don’t rely on walk-ins. Online orders are now common practice for most restaurants, and it’s a great way to drive revenues. It’s also one of the best ways to demonstrate the eco-friendliness of your restaurant. So, how can you use online food delivery, as a tool to become more environmentally friendly? 1 way should include take away packaging that is biodegradable. Not only does such packaging help in taking better care of the environment, but it can also significantly improve the image of your restaurant. That’s because, for consumers that are conscious about the environment, it’s a message that you care. Besides, such packaging is affordable and easily accessible. A company like Foodbizsupply has some nicely designed eco-friendly packages at affordable prices.
- Partner with environmentally conscious producers
A restaurant’s eco-friendliness goes beyond the restaurant walls. It also directly involves the supply chain. That’s why partnering with eco-friendly producers is the best way to go about it. Vet all your producers, and make sure that they produce in a manner that is in line with global environmental sustainability goals. Some of the things you can look out for include: The use of organic fertilizer, environmentally-friendly pesticides among others. If you get it right on the supply-chain, your restaurant will have achieved a lot in terms of running operations in an eco-friendly manner.
- Partner with a recycling company
Restaurants produce lots of waste, both in left-over food and other wastes. Rather than just dumping this waste, you can partner with a recycling company that can use it to recycle, and cut on wastage. It could be used in producing energy and play a small role in reducing the global reliance on fossil fuels for energy. You can also partner with local charities and use the leftovers to feed the needy, instead of throwing it away.
- Use energy-efficient equipment
A restaurant, especially one in a busy location, consumes lots of energy. To turn into an eco-friendly facility, buy energy-efficient equipment such as rice cookers, freezers among others. You may even go a notch higher and start using renewable energy sources such as solar. By doing this, you achieve two goals. The first one is that you can cut on your cost of energy, and by extension your overall operational costs. The second one is that, you get to play a role in keeping our planet green, and more sustainable for current and future generations.
