Sustainability tops trends on 2015 What's Hot survey

Environmental sustainability, sustainable seafood and food-waste reduction are among the top trends at restaurants in 2015, according to the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) annual What’s Hot culinary forecast.

The NRA, as it does every year, surveyed approximately 1,300 professional chefs – all members of the American Culinary Federation – to determine the industry’s hottest trends, and in 2015 sustainability is going to be center of the plate, the respondents said.

“We’ve been seeing strong trends toward sustainability in the food space for several years now and that’s going to continue to grow,” said Annika Stensson, the NRA's senior manager of research communications. “Chefs and restaurateurs are realizing the benefits and cost savings that conservation and food-waste reduction bring, in addition to doing what’s good for the environment.”

Among the survey’s top 20 trends, environmental sustainability came in third, sustainable seafood eighth and food waste reduction/management ninth. Food waste reduction and management also ranks as a new top trend for 2015, while environmental sustainability and sustainable seafood retained their status as steady, top food trends for the sixth consecutive year.

“Managing food waste is gaining momentum right now as wholesale food costs are, again, on the rise and a top challenge cited by operators,” Stensson said. “This year alone, food prices have risen more than 5 percent, so minimizing waste and maximizing ingredient yield is top of mind for the industry.”

Further, chefs and restaurateurs recognize more customers are incorporating sustainability practices into their daily lives and want to extend that into the food space as well ‑ particularly when dining out.

“Diners want to learn as much as possible about what they’re eating,” said Jeff Clark, director of the NRA’s Conserve sustainability program. “They want to know why something tastes a certain way, how a farmer planted it and how far it traveled to get to a restaurant. Chefs and operators know this and are embracing it. They understand their guests are seeking foods that are good for them, flavorful, and minimally impact the environment.”

Stensson added that NRA research found 55 percent of consumers are more likely to choose restaurants that serve food grown or raised in an environmentally friendly way. She said that number is expected to grow.

The survey also found 42 percent of respondents thought environmental sustainability would be the hottest menu trend 10 years from now.

Visit Conserve for more information on sustainable practices for the restaurant industry. For information on the What’s Hot culinary trends forecast, go here.

7 ways to bring sustainability into your restaurant

Practicing sustainability is good for the environment, but can also cut costs and drive profits for restaurants large and small.

That’s the word from restaurant sustainability experts who shared tips and advice at NRA Show 2014, held in Chicago in May.

We’ve compiled their top tips in our new “Spotlight on Sustainability” report, to help spread the word about the easy steps restaurateurs can take to incorporate enviro-friendly practices at their restaurants.

Seven starters from the experts:

• Make sure your sustainability program blends seamlessly with your operation. “There has to be a reconciliation of your sustainability initiatives with what works for you,” said Elizabeth Meltz, director of food safety and sustainability for the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.
• Compost your organic waste material into mulch and plant flowers outside your restaurants, like employees at some White Castle burger locations do. “Your cheapest resource tool is education and engagement,” said Shannon Tolliver, White Castle’s manager of social responsibility and sustainability.
• Reinvest efficiency savings into other projects. Helen Cameron of Uncommon Ground in Chicago spent $3,000 on six accelerated hand dryers for her two restaurants. In one month she saved $1,000 on paper towel costs. The investment resulted into annual savings of $24,000. She took that money and invested it in LED lighting for her business.
• Communicate the sustainable actions you take—particularly with millennials, born between 1980 and 1992. “The green message is critical to attracting and retaining [millennials’] loyalty,” NRA research and knowledge senior vice president Hudson Riehle said. “The research is pretty clear. If an operator communicates what he or she is doing, it can have a positive retention factor.”
• Outfit your restaurant with energy efficient equipment. Buying an energy-efficient fryer for $1,400, versus $700 for a traditional fryer, will cost more at the outset, but will end up extending the life of your fryer oil. Plus, local utility companies often offer rebates on the more efficient equipment. “Efficiency is saving you money,” said Richard Young, senior engineer and director of education for the Food Service Technology Center. “The market wants it, and it’s the right thing to do. Really, it’s good business.”
• Visit farmers’ markets for locally sourced items. Ryan Stone, executive chef at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., says farmers’ markets are “a great place to start [searching]. I also started reading labels on products in grocery stores to see what was out there.”
• Assess the amount of waste you create at your establishment. Sodexo’s senior sustainability manager, Christi Cook, said operators need to understand “what food and recyclables are coming through the back door. Education is important, and looking at portion control is part of that. The best way is to track your food waste and figure out where it’s being generated.”

Download the full Spotlight on Sustainability report.

Learn more about the Association’s Conserve program and sustainability best practices for the restaurant industry here. Also, subscribe to Bright Ideas, Conserve’s free, monthly newsletter focusing on sustainability tips and tools for foodservice businesses.

Bright idea! Sustainability newsletter now available for restaurateurs

The National Restaurant Association issued “Bright Ideas,” its first-ever sustainability newsletter, which offers tips and tools to restaurant and foodservice operators on eco-friendly practices that save money, resources and help protect the environment.

The newsletter, which is produced by Conserve, the NRA’s sustainability initiative, features a variety of videos, best practices, case studies and personal accounts of chain and independent operators who have achieved success by practicing sustainability at their businesses.

“We are pleased to offer this newsletter that we think will go a long way toward helping operators embrace the prospect of sustainability and better understand the financial and environmental impacts it can make on their respective businesses and the communities they serve,” said Conserve Director Jeff Clark. “This is yet another way our Association can help educate operators on a subject many don’t yet fully understand, are confused about, but want to try at their stores. We know that this information will prove invaluable to them as sustainability becomes more widely integrated into our businesses and everyday lives.”

Subject matter experts, including Clarice Turner, vice president of U.S. business development for Starbucks Coffee Co., George McKerrow Jr., co-founder and CEO of Ted’s Montana Grill and Dan Simons, operating partner of Founding Farmers restaurants in metropolitan Washington, D.C., are among the operators to be featured in Bright Ideas and Conserve’s new and improved website, which launched earlier this month. In addition, blog posts and news stories will provide information on sustainability issues, tips and trends that impact restaurants and will help improve operations and practices.

The NRA is offering the newsletter free of charge, but it is available by subscription only. Subscribe today.

NRA Show sessions to address sustainability

 
As part of its continuing effort to educate operators about sustainability and sustainable best practices, the National Restaurant Association will offer a series of sessions on the subject at this year’s NRA show in Chicago.

 

Education sessions at this year’s show, to be held May 18-21 at the McCormick Place conference center, will present such topics as the facts and fiction of food sustainability, saving money through sustainable best practices, sustainable foodservice design, how global leaders address sustainability in the food chain, and how to save money and create alternative revenue streams through recycling and composting waste material.

“We are very excited about this year’s slate of sustainable education sessions,” said Jeff Clark, director of the NRA’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program. “These types of professional examples will help inspire restaurateurs to operate better and more efficiently. Implementing what they learn will not only benefit their bottom lines, but also their customers and the communities in which they serve.”

Also, on May 21, entrepreneur and environmentalist Ted Turner and his business partner George McKerrow Jr., co-founder and CEO of the 44-unit Ted’s Montana Grill chain, will discuss “The Evolution of Sustainability,” which will highlight the environmental challenges threatening the planet and what voluntary initiatives they think would help conserve our valuable natural resources.

McKerrow also will explain what operators can do in their everyday operations to lessen their carbon footprints and create more sustainable businesses. The two will be joined by environmental journalist Todd Wilkinson during the presentation.