Zero waste restaurant is one of the top dining trends in today’s life, but local sourcing and sustainability have remained a priority for the restaurant industry since 2012. But what exactly does zero waste means?
Restaurant businesses can be officially referred to as zero-waste when they save around 90% of waste from landfills by minimising and reusing the restaurant’s resources.
This process ensures that the restaurant is reducing, compositing, recycling, reusing and recovering materials for productive use in the economy of the nature. One such example is a restaurant named Jules Thin Crust.
The main aim of the Jules Thin Crust restaurant is to reduce the environmental impact by running a profitable business with the potential to include the benefit of solidifying an eco-conscious reputation in the market.
The goal of this famous pizza restaurant is to become more sustainable by optimizing various operational areas like water efficiency, renewal energy, animal welfare, reusable materials, food waste, and energy efficiency and much more.
It is true that diners really care about visiting the restaurant, which raises the concern about the nutrition, packing, food wastage and the environment.
The social, economic and environmental benefits of growing sustainability in the restaurant industry are huge and cracking down on the food waste is the best opportunity for Jules Thin Crust to increase the profitability.
As the food wastage is lowered, the profit will increase automatically, which is a winning situation for the restaurant and the customers. The world is also concerned about environmental damage and immense wastage. Although zero-wastage is not a mainstream concept for Jules Thin Crust, businesses and customers need to consider the effects wastage has on the environment.
Minimum food wastage means more cost-saving for Jules Thin Crust. Also, sustainability can be used as a wonderful marketing tool which can attract millennial customers to the restaurant who want to enjoy food by following shared values and sustainable practices.
People also have started appreciating the efforts of the zero wastage initiative by Jules Thin Crust, which has increased customer loyalty to the restaurant.
The restaurant has gained a good reputation by adopting a zero-waste system at Jules Thin Crust. Here are some practices they have followed to lower wastage.
1. Menus are printed on durable paper, which can be recycled.
2. Not offering single-used items like cutlery, plastic straws, plates, etc.
3. Connecting with producers, distributors, and vendors who deliver ingredients in the zero packing or reusable boxes.
1. Encouraging customers to bring their own containers or giving compostable containers for takeaways.
2. Promote taking leftover food.
3. Advising customers to order the appropriate amount of food.
4.Offering small portions of food to reduce leftover wastage.
5. Purchasing easily recyclable composite bins.
6. Using fruits and vegetables without any wastage.
7. Installing water taps or filters and using reusable glasses.
8. Order dry ingredients in bulk and perishable ingredients in small portions.
9. Always conduct waste audits to see where the leak is.
1. Growing vegetables and herbs to be used in the menu.
2. Collecting used cooking oil and selling it for biodiesel use.
3. Plant-based menu to reduce carbon footprint.
4. Buy all compostable or reusable items like cutlery, napkins, plates, glasses and bowls.
5. Shop locally and avoid using any air-freighting food.
6. Use refillable soap dispensers, which can be topped up from a bulk box.
7. Using pH neutral, biodegradable and organic cleaning products.
The Jules Thin Crust started researching zero-waste initiatives to change their restaurant into one that could run without any trash picking. And now, there is no single trash can on the restaurant premises.
Restaurants quit buying raw items from the suppliers who were selling food items wrapped in single used plastic. Now they have joined hands with the dealers who sell food in reusable packaging.
Jules Thin Crust also installed a dishwasher in the restaurant, which converts salt into soap and a cardboard shredder that can turn boxed wines into compostable material.
The restaurant also has a separate bin for the items, which are really hard to recycle. This is a remarkable initiative in the zero-wastage movement. Maybe the system is not perfect, but it is a great step in the correct direction.
By setting the example of a zero-waste restaurant, Jules Thin Crust has created a way which can be followed by anyone in this business. Make sure to reduce waste from everywhere.