How Becoming Sustainable Can Benefit Your Restaurant

What are the benefits of becoming sustainable? One great question, with lots of great answers! We explore how sustainable practices in restaurants are rising and the benefits they bring with them.

The sustainability movement is continuing to impact the catering and hospitality industry, but is your business keeping up with the times? As a generation we’re becoming more and more conscious of how we’re impacting the environment, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon. This trend is here to stay and not only will the environment benefit, your business will too! But what are these benefits we hear you ask? Let’s take a look.

It Reduces Waste

Sustainability and reducing waste go hand-in-hand when it comes to benefiting both your business and the environment - and it can even save you a bit of cash too! Becoming more efficient in the way you do things - reusing materials, recycling and ensuring your products are eco-friendly - for example, will all contribute to less wastage.

Within the last few years, conservation of the environment has become a much more openly and highly discussed topic, so ensuring that you’re reducing your waste is very important. Adapting to meet the demands of the eco-friendly world is easier than you think - take the plastic vs paper straw debate for example! A simple switch from one to the other is a big step in the direction of sustainability. Don’t forget that doing your bit for the environment doesn’t just reflect extremely positively on your business, it can even encourage more people to visit! Recent studies show that around 50% of consumers say a restaurant’s effort to recycle or reduce food waste can be factors in where they choose to dine - need we say more?

It Reduces Energy Usage

The majority of restaurants who start enforcing sustainable practises notice a reduction in their energy usage. For example, simply switching your light bulbs to energy efficient lighting can seriously lower your energy consumption. Be sure to consider renewable energy too! Installing solar panels to power your business’ energy needs is not only sustainable, but it’ll save you money in the long run. Research has shown that consumer brands who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability outperform those who don’t - so it’s definitely worth thinking outside the box, like choosing electric vehicles to power your business.

It Creates Better Relationships With Customers

Sustainability isn’t just about being kind to the environment, it also portrays a positive perception of your restaurant to your customers. The generation of today are becoming more and more involved in sustainability and environmental issues, which means they’re going to start taking that into consideration when doing business with you. If this market can see that your efforts for a sustainable restaurant are strong, you’ll be rewarded with their custom. We understand that switching to more sustainable methods could potentially mean you need to increase the price of your products slightly to compensate, but did you know that 72% of under 20’s are willing to pay more for sustainable products and services? Now that’s food for thought!

It Saves Money

There are lots of ways you can save your business money by putting sustainability practices into place - reducing waste and energy usage are two simple examples of how going green saves you cash in the long run. But did you know that sustainability isn’t just about becoming environmentally friendly? Happy employees are valuable employees. Studies show that happiness in the workplace increases productivity by a whopping 10%! So if you keep your workers smiling, you’re likely to be rewarded with more sales. A happy team = a productive team = an efficient team = higher profits without expanding = sustainability. Simple.

The First Step To Becoming Sustainable

With so many different sustainability practices you could potentially put into place - just where do you start? Connecting with other sustainable businesses would be our first port of call. But where can you discover the catering industry’s most inspiring suppliers and their cutting-edge eco-innovation all in one place? At our Restaurant & Takeaway Innovation Expo of course! Come along and network with hundreds of exhibitors in the catering world, listen to inspirational seminars from some of the top professionals in the industry or get involved in our panel debates where experts discuss the industry’s most pressing topics. Don’t forget to hit our Sustainability Trail too! Including everything from biodegradable packaging to electric delivery bikes and food waste; this brand new feature will guide you around our expo to discover the most sustainable suppliers in Europe.

Like what you hear? Then book your Free tickets to attend our highly anticipated expo on the 19th & 20th November 2019. Do you offer sustainable products already? Book a stand and exhibit at our event, be a part of our Sustainability Trail and network with businesses who need your industry-altering solutions.