NEW YORK Upscale multiunit restaurant operator B.R. Guest Restaurants has been certified "green" by the Green Restaurant Association, a nonprofit group created to help promote ecological sustainability in the foodservice industry.
B.R. Guest achieved the GRA's eco-friendly certification at its dozen New York locations by taking steps to increase sustainable practices like recycling and reducing water and energy consumption. The company also agreed to create new restaurants in an environmentally responsible manner. B.R. Guest plans to open two new restaurants, Primehouse in New York and Dos Caminos in the Venetian Palazzo complex in Las Vegas, in the fall. B.R. Guest owns and operates such restaurants as Atlantic Grill, Blue Fin, Dos Caminos, Fiamma Osteria and Ruby Foo's Dim Sum.
B.R. Guest founder Stephen Hanson recently sold the New York-based restaurant company to Barry Sternlicht's Starwood Capital Group. Prior to the sale, Sternlicht and Hanson had entered into a joint-venture agreement in which B.R. Guest would open and operate restaurants in SCG's eco-friendly "1" Hotels and Residences.
SCG also owns and operates Société du Louvre, which operates hotels in Europe, and Le Meridien, which operates properties in Europe, North America, Africa and South America.
