National Culinary Review - November/December 2011

program, such as recycling. Most of our
competitors are touting that, as well. When
you’re involved with green companies, they
look at you through a different lens.”
In this challenging economy, your
customers/guests do care, but they need
to see the value of green attributes, “so
you must promote it and explain why
they’re paying more for this, point out the
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
aren’t using pesticides, herbicides, and
that process takes time,” Moore says. “You
have to explain why you’re moving to that
sustainable item.”
Furthermore, the message needs to
be clear and transparent, letting the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
program. The contractor also promotes
partnerships with American family farmers
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Compass supply chain, and aims to include
2,013 farms by 2013.

CER TIFIABLY GREEN

financially sound and environmentally sound. Is being green a cost or a cost savings? When restaurants are saving $8,000 a year in waste or energy or water, they’re better positioned than their competitors.”

As Zammit points out, clients and potential clients see hiring a contract management company with a strong sustainability/green business commitment as a way to improve their own environmental sustainability.

With such luminaries as Mario Batali and ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; about 800 restaurants involved in the ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Association, sees his business as being in a sustainable mode. “Not only are we up and running, we’re sprinting and celebrating. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; of our biggest chain yet in 21 years.”

COMPETITIVE TOOL
Jamie Moore, director of sourcing/
sustainability for Pittsburgh-based Eat’n
Park Hospitality Group, agrees. “We
can be another marketing piece for
the university, for example, to drive the
students to come to their school seeing
it as a place offering fresh, ‘clean’ food.
Some companies make a decision on the
greenness of a company primarily based
on how it improves their own resource

That chain is Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., San Diego, parent company of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, which ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; business initiatives.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; busy and want the five-minute lowdown on the cost/benefit of going green. “Just go to www.dinegreen.com, then call to talk to me for a few minutes.” He says chefs/operators will know immediately whether it’s something for them or not.

The National Culinary Review | November/December 2011

“They’ve earned 10 points in disposables, 31 points in energy, 34 points in food, 10 points in chemicals, 20 points in waste ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; “We have all the information, like a green nutrition label you can see online.

A survey conducted by Chicago-based Technomic, Inc. for the Green Restaurant Association in May 2010 found that 79% of consumers prefer to dine at certified green restaurants, and 94% of them want the restaurant’s claims to be verified by a reputable ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; trust a restaurant’s self-claim.