CHICAGO National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show added more color—green—to its schedule with a special track of more than 10 educational sessions geared toward addressing the industry’s increasing environmentalism. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
According to a survey conducted by the NRA earlier this year, nearly one-third of restaurants said they are allocating a larger percentage of their budgets toward going green. The survey also found that the second hottest trend in kitchen equipment is environmental friendliness, and that more than half of restaurants in operation have updated heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems over the past two years in order to become more energy efficient and eco-friendly. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
To address operators’ growing interest in all things green, the special seminars included such topics as social responsibility, new technology to reduce waste and food costs, tips on how to make restaurants more energy efficient, how to build profits and customer loyalty through green initiatives, seafood sustainability and the health benefits of organic foods. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“We have an incredible responsibility to our customers,” said Arlin Wasserman, vice president of corporate sponsorship for Gaithersburg, Md.-based contract foodservice company Sodexo USA, during “Organic Growth: Being Green to Build Customer Loyalty,” a session he moderated. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“People have begun to eat more and more meals prepared by someone else, whether it’s in a restaurant or from a supermarket,” he said. “They’re ceding the choices of what goes into making the foods they eat.” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
But pointing toward the increased sophistication with which the public makes those choices, Wasserman noted that there is now more of “a focus on the food—where it comes from, whether it’s local, if it’s grown with pesticides and how many food miles it has traveled. Many people are now asking, ‘What am I eating?’” Wasserman added that not only are consumers asking more questions, restaurateurs are under increasing pressure to supply them with the answers. In addition, Wasserman said customers are more interested in consuming more healthful items and have said they would pay more for them if operators would provide them. He noted that a study by The Hartman Group determined that consumers would spend up to 10 percent more for green food items, while a study by BrandWeek magazine indicated they would spend up to 25 percent more. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
But perhaps bigger than the issue of responding to the demand for more sustainable foods in the marketplace is understanding the amount of energy the foodservice industry actually winds up using. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
Wasserman said 10 percent or more of all energy usage could be traced back to the food industry in some form or fashion, be it the farming and production of food or service of it. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“In the United States,” he said, “between 2 percent and 5 percent of energy consumption is used on farms alone. [Then] there’s how we choose to transport, store and cook our food; that’s responsible for 5 percent to 8 percent of energy use in the U.S.” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
Wasserman added that food production also accounts for 34 percent of water usage in this country and about 40 percent globally. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“What we do is essential to the health of our planet and why you will see more and more efforts to change things,” he said. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
At a session titled “Five Things Operators Must Know About Energy,” moderator Kate Lewis, marketing manager of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, said there is a “mounting wave” of concern among consumers about sustainability and that the NRA’s research has shown 62 percent of adults claim they are likely to choose a restaurant based on its environmental friendliness. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist, operators of the eco-friendly Inn Serendipity, said at their panel, “Marketing to Conserving Customers: A Guide to Operating Green with a Triple Bottom Line,” that industry members must pay more attention to the planet, people and profits, but without breaking their own banks. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“The key is most folks have a certain set of limits—time and money—but creatively they’re unlimited,” Ivanko said. “There are a lot of different approaches you can take [to going green]. Mix and match and see what you can afford, then you can get moving and go forward. At restaurants it does make sense to start at the back-of-the-house, purchasing energy-efficient equipment. That will provide an immediate return on investment.” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
Ivanko also noted that using incandescent lighting in the front-of-the-house will “guarantee a 125-percent return on investment.” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
He also urged operators to share their green plans with customers as they “get more comfortable” with them. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“That’s how you’ll keep them, even if you have to raise [menu] prices 10 percent to 15 percent,” he said. “The key is authenticity and transparency. Don’t keep information from [them].” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
In addition to the special green track of sessions, the NRA also used the show’s green platform to launch its new eco-friendly web-site,
According to Dawn Sweeney, the NRA’s president and chief executive, the group launched the website “to raise awareness and provide resources and information about eco-friendly practices to the entire restaurant and foodservice community.” —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
“We believe this initiative will prove to be a great step toward an environmentally sound future while preserving the vitality of our industry,” she said. —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
Speeches, soirees highlight NRA confab —Given the growing number of restaurateurs implementing eco-friendly initiatives into their daily operations, this year’s
