Running a sustainable restaurant is no longer just a trendy concept. It\u2019s quickly becoming the focus for how businesses operate because it is what consumers expect. Environmentally-friendly practices are what can set you restaurant operation apart from your competition.<\/p>\n
The major project in establishing a successful, sustainable restaurant chain is to reduce the overall amount of waste you produce. Here are 6 basic steps you can take to do just that:<\/p>\n
Step 1: Plan<\/strong> Step 2: Measure<\/strong> Step 3: Identify Problem Areas<\/strong> Step 4: Find Solutions\/Vendors<\/strong> Step 5: Train<\/strong> Step 6: Communicate<\/strong> Running a sustainable restaurant is no longer just a trendy concept. It\u2019s quickly becoming the focus for how businesses operate because it is what consumers expect. Environmentally-friendly practices are what can set you restaurant operation apart from your competition. The major project in establishing a successful, sustainable restaurant chain is to reduce the overall amount…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":3796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[3210,40,27,30,33],"class_list":["post-3716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-solutions-blog","tag-successful-restaurant-operation","tag-sustainability-practices","tag-food-waste-recycling","tag-sustainable-business","tag-waste-reduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nJust like with any project, the first step is to plan what it is that you want to do. This is when you establish short-term, long-term, and overall goals for your restaurant chain. The complexity of multiple locations means that your goals need to reflect small changes across a broader scope of individual locations. Think: averages, not individual results. Sure, there needs to be a baseline that your locations must meet \u2013 but overall results are a collection.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ll never get to where you want to be unless you know where you are starting. Measuring waste can be a tedious task, especially across multiple locations. The important thing here is to measure everything<\/em>. Trash from the kitchen, food waste, trash from the dining area, even trash from waste bins outside of your restaurants. With food waste being such a focus these days for restaurants, it\u2019s easy to look past other waste streams like used cooking oil, lightbulbs, paper, cardboard, plastic, and even electronic waste like old computers. \u00a0If it ends up in your dumpster \u2013 measure it. Your current trash vendors can help you with some of this, but not all of it. It\u2019s a detailed process, and some serious time need to be considered.<\/p>\n
\nNow that you\u2019ve taken the time to collect data on the waste you\u2019re producing, it\u2019s time to look at how to reduce it. Landfill diversion can be achieved in a lot of different ways depending on what the waste stream is. For instance, if you\u2019re producing a lot of food waste, you can look into composting or food donation programs. If you have a lot of post-consumer trash, there are recycling options you can take advantage of. Also, you can look at specific locations and see if you have \u201ctrouble spots\u201d that produce more trash than similar locations. Analyzing all of the data you\u2019ve put together will give you your first steps toward sustainability.<\/p>\n
\nOnce you have identified your problem areas, the next step is to start building solutions. Every waste stream requires a vendor. Example: to curb post-consumer waste you are going to offer more recycling options. This means you\u2019ve got to find a vendor in that area that handles recyclable materials. If you\u2019re going to make composting more readily available, there is a vendor for that. Your solution to vendor ratio is almost going to be 1:1, unless you go with a fully-managed solution like Quest offers.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel. You\u2019ve identified your problem areas and found solutions and vendors to start tackling your waste issues. The next step is making sure that your employees are trained on the new processes and procedures. Everything from what to do, to who to call if something isn\u2019t right. The key to any successful sustainability program for a restaurant will always boil down to the people doing the work.<\/p>\n
\nThe final, and most important piece of the puzzle is: communication. From the c-level down \u2013 everyone in the company needs to know the goals, the successes, the trouble-spots, and all aspects of the program. Employees need to have a way to let managers know what works and what doesn\u2019t. Milestones that have been met need to be communicated and rewarded. Most importantly, you need to let your customers know how well you\u2019re doing. Sustainability is just as much of a marketing tool as it is a money-saver.
\nRunning a sustainable restaurant is a challenge. Running a successful restaurant chain <\/em>is an endeavor. At Quest, we know this because we have helped over 20,000 customer locations across North America waste less, spend less, and look great doing it. Contact us today and let us help your restaurant chain reach its sustainability goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"