Global food systems are estimated to be responsible for over one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Given this shocking statistic, it seems likely that the restaurant industry plays a sizable role in these carbon emissions. With the race against climate change becoming more urgent each year, sustainability in restaurants is proving more important than ever.
Restaurant owners or food-service managers should aim to cut their carbon emissions and minimize the environmental impact of their restaurants. If you’re looking for sustainability initiatives to help make your restaurant operations more sustainable, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together some handy tips and tricks to help you reduce your carbon footprint and enact more sustainable practices in your restaurant business.
Let’s work to make sustainability in restaurants the norm!
Improving your restaurant’s sustainability efforts has the obvious benefit of reducing carbon emissions and waste. But improving sustainability in your restaurant could also help you attract eco-conscious customers, widening your target market.
Bringing in energy-saving measures could even help you reduce the cost of your monthly or quarterly energy bills. Cutting down your expenses can help you improve your profit margins and boost your bottom line.
Improving sustainability in a restaurant could save you money — and help save the planet. It’s a win-win.
Now that you know why sustainability in restaurants is so important, you’re probably wondering what changes you could make to your restaurant operations. Here are a few simple restaurant sustainability practices to help you.
One of the simplest ways to reduce waste and be more sustainable in your restaurant is to set up a better waste management system.
Your main goal should be to keep all recyclable material out of the landfill. Set up a recycling station, and ensure that all recyclable packaging is disposed of correctly. Check your local regulations to find out what you’ll need to separate and how you’ll need to prepare it.
Remember to include a compost bin for food waste. Search for initiatives in your area. You might be able to supply local community farms or food cooperatives with your compost to help grow organic fruits and vegetables.
Replacing single-use plastics and disposable items with more sustainable packaging or items you can reuse is another fantastic way to boost sustainability in your restaurant.
Let’s say you currently use styrofoam takeout containers, paper napkins, and plastic cutlery and straws. Encouraging customers to bring their own reusable food containers would be a great way to reduce the amount of waste you produce. You could also provide reusable straws, cutlery, and napkins to ensure you’re not throwing anything away.
The meat and dairy industry is responsible for high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s estimated that meat causes as much as 60% of food production greenhouse gases.
Replacing a few menu items with vegan or vegetarian options is another great way to improve your restaurant’s sustainability credentials. Meatless menu options can also attract plant-based diners, meaning you could bring in new customers who might not otherwise have visited.
Another essential way to improve sustainability in restaurants is food waste reduction. If you notice a lot of uneaten food arriving in the back of house after your customers have eaten, you might want to try serving slightly smaller portion sizes.
If you have surplus ingredients about to go bad, you could donate them to a local food bank to ensure nothing is thrown away.
Seasonal food is usually more sustainable food — since food that’s in season in your local area doesn’t have to travel as far. Perishable produce (like fresh fruits and vegetables) must travel by air to ensure they reach their destination before they go bad. Choosing seasonal ingredients grown in your area (or at least closer to you) can reduce the need for this air travel and let you enjoy a more environmentally friendly menu.
To become a more sustainable restaurant, look at localizing your supply chain and swapping to more seasonal dishes.
Setting up a self-service kiosk with an app like KioskBuddy in your restaurant can help you improve sustainability. KioskBuddy lets customers place and pay for their own orders in a few simple taps. The orders automatically appear on your kitchen display screen (KDS), reducing the need for paper tickets.
A self-service device can also lead to fewer wrong orders. The customer chooses their own food and drink; this appears precisely as ordered on the KDS, so there’s no chance of miscommunication with a server. What’s more, a paper ticket can be hard to read and is easily lost or damaged, but a KDS system means this isn’t an issue.
Having fewer wrong orders means you’ll produce less food waste.
Many cleaning products contain dangerous chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Swapping your cleaning products to eco-friendly options made with natural ingredients can significantly impact your restaurant’s sustainability.
Citrus-based solvents can be highly effective, and you can boil clean utensils to ensure they’re sterile instead of using harsh chemicals. Just ensure you abide by any local health regulations.
Monitor your restaurant’s energy usage over a month, then make small monthly changes to reduce that number.
LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than fluorescent or incandescent lightbulbs, so swapping out your bulbs is an easy fix. You could also install faucets with a motion sensor to prevent water wastage. Installing energy-efficient appliances in your kitchen can play a significant role in cutting your emissions, too.
It’s also worth looking at your energy provider. If you can, switching to a provider that uses a renewable energy source can make an enormous difference to your emissions.
Keeping an eye on your inventory and sales data can also help your restaurant business become more sustainable.
An effective inventory management system can automatically track your inventory and place orders for you when you’re running low on stock. It simplifies your stock-taking and ensures you only order what you need when you need it, helping you reduce food waste by eliminating surplus.
Keeping an eye on your sales data with a good point-of-sale system can also help with sustainability in a restaurant. You’ll have a clearer idea of which menu items are selling well and which aren’t so popular. Eliminate unpopular menu options, and you could see fewer wasted ingredients.
Improving sustainability in restaurants plays a crucial role in cutting global greenhouse gas emissions and making the world a safe place for our children and grandchildren. From reducing water usage to composting, there are so many easy changes to help restaurant owners make sustainability a reality.
With KioskBuddy, you can eliminate paper tickets and improve order accuracy in your restaurant, helping reduce food waste and taking you one step closer to restaurant sustainability. It’s easy to set up and simple to use.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today, and get a 30-day free trial.