The process of turning your restaurant into an eco-friendly business may sound like a daunting process due to the number of changes you will likely need to take at your foodservice establishment. However, changing your day-to-day operations for more sustainable practices will not only help with the environment but allows you to attract and build connections with eco-conscious customers. Here are several ways to consider starting your process and changing your restaurant into an eco-friendlier establishment.
1. Use Eco-Friendly Disposable
There are many great eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastic disposables. Such as plastic utensils and containers that are easily replaceable by using biodegradable or compostable options that are made out of renewable materials such as sugarcane, bamboo, or PLA plastic.
If your business also provides drinks for take-out, eco-friendly straws that are biodegradable are a must-have. Even though paper straws are the first that comes to mind when replacing plastic straws due to its low cost and easy accessibility. However, customers' experience is being greatly impacted, many people complain about how they are unable to enjoy their beverage like they used to while their straws turn soggy and mushy in the middle of their drinks. Luckily there is more than just paper material in the market. Several plant-based materials that are available include bamboo, sugarcane, agave, and cornstarch. Let’s look further into the limitation of paper straws and benefits of plant-based straws.
THE LIMITATIONS OF PAPER STRAWS
- Tend to lose shape and get soggy
- Leave a poor taste in mouth, often from the glue used in producing the straws
- May not be environmentally friendly due to the used of wax and film coating that prolong their decomposing time
- Require extra energy and resources to manufacture than plastic straws
BENEFITS OF PLANT-BASED MATERIAL
- Commercially compostable and biodegradable
- Water-resistant
- Better customer experience
- Excellent functional strength
- Suitable for cold and warm drinks
- Various options, including straight(standard), flexible, cocktail, bubble tea, and cut-tip and obtainable multiple sizes
2. Choose Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Cleaning Products is one of the many things that is required when running your business. However, when restaurant owners are attempting to make an eco-friendlier change, these products are usually always overlooked. This may be because they were not aware that traditional cleaning products are made with harmful chemicals or there was an option for more earth-friendly cleaning products available in the market.
When searching for eco-friendly cleaning products, read its label and search for products that do not contain a high number of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound), fragrances, and flammable ingredients. These ingredients do not break down easily and may cause allergic reactions and headaches to customers. Therefore, when placing your next order with your vendor ask them if they provide any eco-friendly alternatives cleaning products.
3. Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances
In the foodservice industry, electricity is being used the most through the use of multiple appliances around the store. An efficient way to cut down on your restaurant’s energy usages to switch from standard appliances to energy-efficient models. Even more, several small changes you can make to reduce the use of energy consumption:
- Switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, for example LED, halogen, and CFL bulbs
- Use spot air conditioning to cool your space rather than running the building air condition
- Cleaning the condenser coils on your refrigeration equipment. Because when dust accumulate on your refrigeration equipment it causes it to work harder and creates more energy consumptions
- Turn equipment off when it’s not in use
The best way to reduce your carbon footprint for your restaurant is by purchasing your order with a local establishment. The reasoning behind it, is to shorten the distance of travel time between your restaurant and the provider while reducing environmental impact. To take it a step further, you can consider ordering your products in bulk quantities and lessen the frequency of delivery that also help with reducing your carbon footprint.
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5. Reduce Food Waste
When providing a large quantity of food per serving to your customer may seem like an interesting strategy to attract customers. However, they are unable to finish it in a single meal, therefore all this extra leftover will end up being thrown away that causes large amounts of food waste. Additionally, inventory management is very important in reducing food waste by controlling the usage of each food ingredient and which products need to be used first. You can implement several methods to help track and reduce food waste. Such as:
- Implement FIFO, First In First Out, methods help ensure inventory is constantly rotated and older ingredients are used first.
- Conduct food waste audits, either by using a POS system or by hand to track your inventory waste and orders. You will be able to know how much of each ingredient are in stock that prevent you from over-ordering
- Use portion control tools, such as requiring cooks to use portion scoops, measuring cups, food scales, and other portion control tools when preparing meals. It not only provided consistency to your food but also minimize food waste.
- Store food properly, It is vital to seal and store ingredients in their proper location. It helps with to increasing their shelf life and reducing coast
It is impossible to eliminate food waste, but we can always choose a better way by recycling and joining a compost program. Leftover food that is being composted will be broken down into dirt or soil that can be used as replacement of harmful chemical fertilizers. Things that can be composted include food scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, or even tea bags.
It’s Time To Change For The Better
Changing your restaurant to an eco-friendlier establishment is beneficial for the environment. You are helping to reduce the amount of food waste that is being created on a daily basis and by changing to a biodegradable disposable to minimize your carbon footprint. These changes also help save you some money by reducing the use of energy throughout the day. With all the work you have put in to make your restaurant more sustainable, remember to share and promote your initiatives. People love hearing about good things and you will be able to attract new customers who are more eco-conscious.
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