In the long-term, recycling and composting can have a positive affect on the world and can almost completely eliminate waste. Everything used or produced in a restaurant has possibilities to be recycled in some way. 95% of trash is comprised of possible recycled or composted waste. The average restaurant puts forth 50,000 pounds of garbage a year (National Restaurant Association).
Recycling is the first step to a greener establishment. Although it is very easy to recycle, the way kitchens are setup; they may not be conveniently located. Kitchens are usually very compact so cooks can access things very quickly. It should only take a few steps to get things done. Pivoting back and forth, their equipment is in arms reach. My boss at Marotta’s told me that everything should be in arms length when working in a kitchen. You are not shuffling and running back and forth but pivoting off of your foot and only taking one or two steps at most. Unfortunately this does not leave room for extra equipment such as recyclable and compost cans. In many establishments, they would have to put these disposables in undesirable locations of the kitchen.
If the kitchen was able to do such things, only in a slow paced kitchen may it be convenient to properly dispose of goods. When a kitchen is cooking for hundreds of people it can become a problem if they are not familiar with the recycling system. Current employees have a rhythm and a system in a kitchen or dining area. It will definitely take time and training to implement a new way of disposal. Hopefully, however, if a proper procedure was put into place they may be able to successfully operate a kitchen that recycles.
In my own experiences, I have found myself disposing recycled materials in a trashcan. With a stacked list of tickets, I throw heavy cream containers in the trash as I rush to finish plating meals and fry an order of calamari. Green is quickly dismissed when it comes to quality service. I have noticed beer bottles tossed in trashcans and to go orders bagged in plastic.
Another big problem that postpones recycling is that Chefs and owners are very stubborn and are not necessarily willing to change. In my experience, they are not easy to persuade in their ways of business. Many older establishments are uncompromising to recycling unless there is a possible profit.
But on the positive note, 60% of restaurants have in some way taken some step forward into purchasing energy-safe equipment in the past two years (National Restaurant Association). Recycling facilities are accessible. They are available to the public as well as restaurants. It has become a new trend. Where older generations are not used to recycling, newer generations do it in their day-to-day lives. Luckily the school systems and media have made it an important issue to teach. In result, our generation is used to recycling and the generations to come are going to be more adapt to these actions.
As many restaurants do some sort of recycling, many restaurants pass up composting. A local restaurant, Latitude 39, composts all of their food. From the opinion of a man who takes out their trash (me), the load is remarkably noticeable. When the compost machine was broken and composting came to a halt, the weight of trash easily doubled. According to the “Green Restaurant Association,” fifty percent of waste comes from food waste. 14 million tons, 6.7% of U.S. solid waste, was due to food waste. Composting would drastically cut down on these statistics. It would be very ignorant if an establishment, whose sole good was recyclable, did not recycle. Restaurants need to jump on the green trend and become a sole contributor to composting. The results would have a globally positive outcome. Compost is a sellable good. San Francisco sells material from 2,000 different restaurants to California vineyards. (National Restaurant Association)
The oil for cooking is also a great recyclable. Pouring oil down a drainpipe can damage the drainage system and even the sewage treatment plants. It is recommended to use an oil-recovery company. An Oregon and Washington based company called Burgerville turns their oil into bio-diesel fuel. Once a month 4,000 gallons of oil produces 3,300 gallons of bio-diesel fuel (Horovitz). To think that if other companies can capitalize on this business route we would not only be reducing waste but producing a usable resource. It is a costly maneuver but much like many are, once it has become infiltrated with many customers, prices will drop. Once everyone joins the bandwagon it will not be an issue.
Unfortunately, that is a major concern to restaurants. In an economy of survival of the fittest, budget cuts are the main priority. Composting require costly machines or companies to handle the waste. Grill Zone, formerly located by Boston University, almost eliminated all of its waste. In one day they estimated having garbage that could “fit into half a 55-gallon bag.” They built the restaurant with energy-efficient equipment and received a great amount of attention from the media. Unfortunately, they closed in their eighth month. Costs were too high to make a profit. This result backs up the Restaurant & Institutions poll that showed only 29% of consumer’s would be persuaded by the green feature. (Horovitz)
Another big issue that arises is with seafood and cattle mass production. With the over-consumption of food, we have found ourselves eating to extinction. Certain foods such as cod, halibut and tuna which were once abundant in the waters are now scarce and listed on the avoid section of “Seafood Watch’s (Monterey Bay Aquarium)” list of seafood purchasing. Without responsible sustainable fishing, it is very likely we will lose species of fish. In the waters of Sicily, Italians would go out and perform their ritual tuna catching. They have found that mass corporate fishing has left their waters empty. Research has shown that 90% of the “large predatory fish” have been eliminated in the past 50 years. Chefs are becoming aware of the need to change their habits (Monterey Bay Aquarium).
If you are a frequent restaurateur you may notice many substitutions to the menu. Where you once saw salmon there is now arctic char. Phrases such as farm raised and imported can make a big difference in sustainability. Pacific halibut is more prevalent where as Atlantic halibut is suffering. (Monterey Bay Aqurium)
Sustainability can be accomplished by even going back to old habits. A popular trend, which is not new at all, is buying locally. Sticking to local seasonal products helps on many different levels. It stimulates the economy, uses the best quality product and eliminates transportation pollution and pesticides. Pesticides and antibiotics are used in agriculture to keep products looking fresh due to the long transportation and off-season growth. Restaurants have grown accustom to these big brands because of the “luxury of today’s transportation” (Elan). The result to this “luxury” brought about year round tomatoes, consistent products and cheaper costs. But according to 2010’s top 10 anticipated trends by the National Restaurant Association, “half fell into the sustainable, eco-friendly, or organic categories” (Elan). So all of a sudden, we are finding the pork dish at our local restaurant was actually raised no more than 100 miles away. The old ways of local produce and proteins due to transportation conflicts are now the new way to stay sustainable. The benefit is better flavors and stimulation of the local economy. Unfortunately, in the present struggling economy, better quality does not necessarily benefit a struggling restaurant.
Through research I have seen many examples of thriving, eco-friendly, establishments. But with this research there is a trend. All of the “successful” green restaurants, such as Burgerville and Eat N’ Park (Harvest award winner for local sustainability), are all chain restaurants. They have the funds to purchase these more costly expenses. Burgerville has 39 locations that will overall bring in much more money than an independent, one location business. One of the restaurants I am employed at, Marottas (small Italian restaurant), is struggling with prices because they buy locally. The price of a meal ranges from 20-26 dollars. They are currently redoing the menu to increase prices. They do not bring in enough revenue to cut prices. They lose customers to cheaper dining experiences with produce and proteins coming from unknown locations. This is where Burgerville is able to succeed. There market is large and in a larger population with many locations. Marotta’s is one location in a struggling Cleveland economy. The only way to cut prices is to cut quality, or in other words stop buying sustainable foods. In my boss’s opinion, he will not cut quality and in result is suffering because of it. Independent restaurants are not going to be able to survive green unless they slowly adapt to green.
Alternative energy and equipment at this time is a very expensive goal. An alternate to oil and coal energy can have a great affect but at this time wind power or solar power in a restaurant is far from happening. With this economy it is unlikely that alternative energy is in the near future. Existing restaurants do not have the funds to change their energy sources. The long-term savings do not compare to the short-term expenses. If a restaurant is unable to make it in a year it does not matter if it will save it money in four years.
On the bright side, new restaurants being developed could utilize new energy when developing their kitchens. It is a large cost to change an existing kitchen but by starting from scratch they are not suffering as much. Every restaurant starts in debt no matter what. A new restaurant looks into the long-term because they know profits are seen in four to five years at the least. An existing restaurant that is struggling already is more likely to cut costs than spend on equipment that will save in multiple years.
With this being said, going green is not as simple as expected. If the economy was booming and restaurants had more spending money, it would be a bad decision not to go green. With the struggling economy, green does not bring in green. Something that will save money in five years will not help a restaurant that is struggling to make it out of one year without going under. The pros are very promising with cons that hold back the hope of a better environment. There are two sides to sustainability. Where do you stand?
Bibliography
Horovitz, B. "Can restaurants go green, earn green?." USA Today 19 May 2008: n. pag. Web. 26 Jan 2010.
"Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability." National Restaurant Association. National Restaurant Association, Web. 26 Jan 2010.
"Going Greener." Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest. 2010. Web. 2010.
"Get Educated." Green Restaurant Association. 2010. Web. 2010.
A Look at the biggest challenges—and the way forward. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/issues
Breeden, Jeff. "Lower Your Energy Bills Now." Restaurant Hospitality 93.8 (2009): 20. Hospitality & Tourism Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Jan. 2010.
Elan, E. (2009, decemer 14). Eco-friendly practices, local purchasing top. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=8&hid=11&sid =c5883c21- b654-4637-bb55-34de548cda7d%40sessionmgr11
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