8 Great Ways To Make Your Restaurant Eco-Friendly

1
(No Transcript)
2

• Your restaurant is your pride and joy. Its where
  people come to relax and feel good. Make them
  feel even better by letting them know theyre
  frequenting an eco-friendly environment.
• Bright Idea Announce the ways you reduce,
  recycle, and reuse, and give guests opportunities
  to participate with you, by not requesting water,
  not using straws, receiving emailed receipts, and
  if self-serve, disposing of their recyclables in
  clearly marked bins.

3

• Food costs a lot to grow, harvest, process, and
  ship. Todays massive-scale crop production and
  international shipping methods all have huge
  impacts on the environment.
• Bright Idea Source as many fresh foods as
  possible from local farms or farmers markets.
  Besides reducing your carbon footprint, youll
  find new inspiration for creative, seasonal menu
  items, and support your local community.

4
Restaurants are notorious for generating food
waste. It is estimated that 30 of New York
Citys trash is food waste, and of that, 70
comes from restaurants.1 Bright idea Composting
is making a comeback, especially in dense urban
centers. Restaurants can add a small composting
unit on site, or use composting services, making
acceptable food scraps another category of
recyclable. One successful Washington, D.C.
restaurant grows much of its fresh produce in a
private garden, and in turn uses scraps for
composting and greening up that garden.2
5
Whether fast food or white cloth and candles, all
restaurants generate significant amounts of
waste. Some trash, such as Styrofoam containers,
creates a major eco-problem. It does not
biodegrade and occupies up to 30 of the trash
total in landfills.1 Restaurants generate
additional paper trash from business cards to
napkins, menus, display cards, or
brochures. Bright Idea Recycle from start to
finish. Source only recycled paper products and
consider cloth napkins sent out to an
eco-conscious laundry service. Place recycle
trash bins where customersand employeescan
deposit their empty cans and plastics.
6

• Restaurants are the largest consumers of energy
  in retailnot surprising as most restaurants are
  in large, open spaces requiring full-time air
  conditioning and ventilation. Besides public
  areas, food prep areas need high heat for
  cooking, combined with air and cold storage.
• Bright Idea Remind staff to turn off energy
  guzzlers when not in use, and upgrade appliances
  to more energy-efficient ovens and refrigeration
  units. In the long run, youll enjoy cost savings
  on your energy bill.3

7

• Water is an especially sensitive issue in the
  western U.S., where record-breaking drought
  continues. Water consumption in restaurants can
  quickly get out of control. Besides drinking, it
  is needed for cooking and cleaning.
• Bright Idea Reduce water consumption by
  installing low-flow faucets, toilets, and
  urinals. In drought areas, many cafés and
  restaurants instruct servers not to bring water
  unless guests request it.

8
Skip the ads and mailers by using social media to
post menu updates and recipe ideas on Facebook,
or tweet schedule news, like live entertainment.
Bright Idea Email coupons, inviting guests to
redeem them through their smartphones, saving
paper and printing costs. Also, upgrade HVAC,
taking advantage of electronic controls to
balance ventilation and air, saving even more.
9
While youre evaluating your own operation for
eco-friendliness, take a look at the vendors you
use, like uniform rental services. Do you own
uniforms and send them out for laundering? How
green is each vendor in this chain? Bright
Idea Make an impact by selecting the most
environmentally conscious uniform rental company,
like Prudential Overall Supply. Compare their
responsible use of resources like water and
low-impact cleaning agents.
10
Since 1932, Prudential Overall Supply has
supplied top quality uniforms for sale and rental
in all kinds of settings. Prudentials laundry
and rental process exceeds industry standards for
carbon footprint reduction, and we are Clean
Green Certified through TRSA. For more
information, visit www.prudentialuniforms.com or
call 1-800-767-5536 for more information.