Running a restaurant is far from easy and you have plenty of priorities to consider. Food quality, food safety, customer service, maintaining the premises, and more. However, if you’re marketing your eatery as a place that is more sensitive and conscious, especially where the environment is concerned, then you need to really look at your impact on the environment and what you could do to improve it.
How far does your food travel?
When you’re trying to provide the best eating experiences, being picky with your ingredients is expected. However, if you’re relying entirety on ingredients that have to travel miles and miles, then you are contributing to the major carbon contribution that food logistics are responsible for. Look to more local food suppliers for the ingredients that you’re willing to replace. You might find there’s no drop in quality at all and even benefit from fresher ingredients as a result.
Mind your food waste
One of the reasons that the food industry is considered one of the most wasteful industries in the world is due to the sheer amount of food that is thrown out. Reducing food waste can be, in part, about donating what food you can (though there are health and safety limits on what restaurants can donate) but you should also use inventory systems, getting to know your sellers and non-sellers, so you don’t stock up on food that you’re likely to end up throwing out.
What are you doing with your grease?
Food waste is one thing, but another serious concern is that of what you do with cooking products. In particular, cooking oils can make up a significant portion of our risk and can be very messy when disposed of, affecting your environment. As such, you might want to click here for an option to help you dispose of it safely and efficiently. It might require a little more investment or work to dispose of goods safely, but it is worth it if you want to be able to honestly market your restaurant as a more eco-friendly eatery.
Making those small replacements
As well as sweeping changes to how you handle food supply and waste products, you can also make a lot of changes in little ways. For instance, you can look here at recycled paper printing you can use for menus, you can use reusable linen napkins instead of paper ones, use recyclable packaging for any to-go food, and more.
Watch your water use
Restaurants go through a lot of water in both the cooking and the cleaning processes. However, there are steps you can stake to reduce your water usage, such as installing water-saving sinks in the bathrooms and using more efficient dishwashers to cut down on the water flushed down the drain.
The food industry is one that does have a tougher time reducing its impact on the environment. However, with the tips above, you can take the steps above in mind to ensure you’re making at least some effort to run a greener restaurant.
