CHICAGO —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
Media mogul Ted Turner and restaurant veteran George McKerrow Jr., the co-founders of the 55-unit Ted’s Montana Grill chain, spoke on a panel about the “green revolution” during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show here. Also on the panel was Charlie Ayers, the former executive chef of Google and the owner of sustainability-focused Calafia Café in Palo Alto, Calif. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
McKerrow described the restaurant industry as “one of the most enlightened businesses in the world” and said most operators want to do the socially responsible thing. The challenge is convincing them that being green won’t hurt profits. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“As long as you stay fundamentally strong in the business, then doing the right thing doesn’t have to cost you,” he said. “The bottom line is that I think this is something whose time has come.” —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
If a restaurant is serious about going green, there needs to be action at the top of command, the panelists said. The idea that Ted’s Montana Grill would be eco-friendly came early in its development, Turner said. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“It’s the top’s responsibility to set the policy for the company, and we set the policy at the beginning that we would be as green as we can be,” he said. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
Ted’s Montana Grill strives to be 99-percent plastic-free by using paper straws, cornstarch to-go cups and special biodegradable takeout containers. In addition, the Atlanta-based casual-dining chain also uses energy-efficient lighting and low-flow toilets at many of its restaurants. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
As Ayers developed Calafia Café, he knew he wanted the restaurant’s sustainability mission to be reflected in its construction and decor, which involved the use of recycled Sheetrock, floorboards and acoustic panels along with reclaimed barn wood and a chandelier made from old milk bottles. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“It was not so much a cost saving [move], but it did keep products from going to a landfill,” he said. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
Ayers said he sources almost all of the ingredients for his food from within 150 miles of the restaurant. The only exceptions: salmon, chocolate and coffee. While it is a challenge, he said, it’s really nothing new. People years ago still managed to eat a variety of foods even before a massive food distribution system, he said, thanks to the use of greenhouses and canning methods. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
However, Ayers noted that a big part of his mission at Calafia involved educating customers, who are confused why certain items aren’t on the menu. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“I say no on my menu all the time,” he said. “People ask for out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and I explain why we don’t do it. That education is essential to get people to buy into the idea.” —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
The panelists also discussed the role of the government in encouraging businesses and consumers to go green by making such acts more affordable. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
Turner said the government should help make clean energy a more viable industry. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“Right now, the fossil fuel industry gets large subsidies,” Turner said. “They’ve been around hundreds of years, and they’ve made a lot of money for hundreds of years. We should phase out the subsidies. If we did away with fossil fuel subsidies, it would make wind, solar and geothermal energy more competitive, which is cheaper than subsidizing those industries.” —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
While making clean energy more available and affordable will take time, there are plenty of small eco-friendly steps that any restaurant can take, the panelists said. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
McKerrow said one of the simplest ways any restaurant can conserve electricity is switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. At Ted’s Montana Grill, that switch ended up saving the restaurant company $80,000 in the first year alone. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“That return on investment is real,” he said. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
However, he noted that there’s no eco-focused strategy that suits all operators. —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
“Every restaurant is different,” McKerrow said, “and every solution that makes sense for them to help the environment is different.” — [email protected] —Sweeping change happens one step at a time, and the time to start is now, said three men on the forefront of the green movement.
