The ‘Greening’ of Today’s American Restaurant Chains: Green Is Not Just the Bottom Line Anymore!

America’s restaurant chains are beginning to see in the second decade of the 2000’s, a new kind of genesis in practically all of their operational approaches and customer relationships.  This environmentally friendly genesis or ‘Green Movement’ is being adopted as an integral part of their current business practices – not just as some slick hype or marketing ploy –  but as a multi-disciplinary shift in corporate policy with which to meet accelerating operating costs and complex supply chain challenges. No longer are the old paradigms of ” business as usual”, the norm.  Instead, from coast to coast corporate teams are now embracing green energy technologies, expanding ‘organic’ food menus and recycling their waste products.  “Good Eats” now includes “Good Stewardship”.  Herein is a brief overview of how America’s restaurant chains are reshaping themselves.

One of the most closely watched trends is in their switch from standard type incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs to ultra modern energy efficient light-emitting diodes.  The Rose Group, the 34th largest restaurant franchise company in the USA and managerial owners of the restaurant chain, “Applebee’s”, is amongst the real pioneers in adopting LED lighting systems.   These LED systems last 2-3 times longer than fluorescents and are mercury free.  And they are not alone. Kentucky-based Yum! Brands, Inc., parent company of “Taco Bell”, “Pizza Hut”, “Kentucky Fried Chicken”, and “Long John Silver’s” has opened its first green restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts to include not only a LED lighting system but energy-efficient kitchen equipment, a low-flow water system, solar energy, and new rainwater-based irrigation technology. In addition, this same restaurant also cleverly recycles its waste to eco-friendly fertilizer and converts its frying oil into biofuel!

And then there is Georgia-based fast food chain, “Chick-fil-A”, which is now in the process of replacing all of its lighting and water fixtures at hundreds of restaurants and planning new green building techniques for all of its future restaurants. Not far behind is South Carolina-based “Denny’s”, a family-friendly restaurant chain which is currently installing ‘Cree LED lights’ in all the dining areas and restrooms of its newest restaurants.  Meanwhile, ‘Subway’, the largest franchise chain in the USA, has just opened FIVE new “eco–restaurants” – two in North Carolina, one in Indiana, and two in Connecticut with many soon-to-open including one at the newly renovated “Green” Student Center on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles campus which will feature “a walkable rooftop terrace and garden”.  Some of the more interesting ‘eco-elements’ incorporated into these new “eco-restaurants” are a  “light harvesting system through solar panels”, a “large monitor that display real time energy usage of the restaurant”, automatic shut-off faucets in the restrooms, and sensors that flip on the lights when people use the facilities.

Another environmentally responsible franchise is Ohio-based “White Castle”, a fast food hamburger restaurant chain founded in 1921.  In addition to using LED lighting at 55 of its restaurant locations, it owns and operates three of its own bakeries, and employs its own fleet of refrigerated trucks to distribute frozen buns to restaurants in 12 states. In addition to using new energy efficient roofing construction, all of its brown corrugated packaging and paper are made of 100 percent recycled material.   Water stewardship is another big trend in the ‘Green Movement’ sweeping across America’s restaurant chain landscape and in the forefront is Tennessee-based “Ruby Tuesday”, a casual dining restaurant chain that uses water-efficient dishwashers exclusively and an innovative stackable glassware rack that consumes less water and soap than standard ones.  And at both its Pensacola, Florida restaurant and its Westland, Michigan’s restaurant, “McDonald’s” has tapped into underground geothermal sources of energy whereby water is used to transfer heat from the earth to their buildings when it’s cold, and to move heat from the buildings to the earth when it’s hot. Their geothermal systems have been shown to cut energy costs by half already and are projected to work well for more than 50 years. (Note: McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants.

Finally there is a growing trend for ethically sourced food products. “Starbucks Corporation”, the Seattle-based coffeehouse chain, the largest in the world, is perhaps the best representative of “ethical purchasing” – securing organically grown tea, coffee beans, and cocoa beans by supporting farmer’s rights and living conditions within their eco-sensitive communities whilst reducing their use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.  On the other hand, Starbucks is criticized by many environmentalists for using disposable cups that require enormous amounts of natural resources and energy.  But this is a conundrum that all of America’s restaurant chains face – ground-breaking efforts in one area – are usually offset by environmental costs in another area.  The good news is that two-thirds of America’s restaurant chains are actively pursuing sustainability solutions – and they are now being helped by new sustainability software in today’s ever expanding sustainability marketplace.

Comments

Have you any green ideas, insights, experiences of your own to add or share?