How to run a sustainable restaurant

The UK government has committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and hospitality businesses will be expected to support its ambitions. But how attainable is net zero for hospitality? The Staff Canteen talks to those who’ve made a head start.

Let’s face it, hospitality has enough on its plate right now, without piling environmental targets on, but we’re only five years away from the government’s first target in its Net Zero Strategy (to half carbon emissions) and 25 years away from its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions, so businesses will need to find space on that plate – and soon.

“We all need to care about sustainability, because how businesses operate today will affect what our shared future will look like — for all of us and for generations to follow,” warns Juliane Caillouette Noble, managing director of The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Caring about sustainability is one thing, but factoring it into the way you plan, and run your business is another. When you’re focused on survival, how do you find the time to go green?

“The temptation is to simplify operations and put environmental projects on hold,” says Claire Chalmers, chief revenue officer at food data software management company, Nutritics.

“However, the best restaurants which are leading in this area recognise the opportunity to leverage green credentials as a competitive advantage.”

She’s right, agrees Juliane of the SRA, who says there are many practical benefits associated with being more sustainable, including achieving cost savings from reduced energy and water use, and food waste.

Being transparent about your efforts can also improve brand reputation and customer loyalty, as well as attract new recruits. In its report, Sustainability Matters: What consumers want and how brands can respond Nutritics, found that 71% of consumers note the importance of venues using local and sustainably sourced ingredients, while 41% said sustainability is important in their choice of where to eat and drink.

The main benefit of focusing on sustainability now is that your business will be prepared for future environmental legislation and able to withstand climate shocks and supply chain disruption, adds Juliane.

start with Small steps

Building a sustainable business can seem overwhelming, however, so if you’re at the start of the journey, take small steps at first, advises Claire.

“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress,” she says.

Eve Seemann, head chef at Apricity, the low-waste sustainable restaurant situated in London’s Mayfair, regards running a sustainable business as a ‘frame of mind’.

To break things down into a more digestible solution, she suggests chefs and restaurateurs start by considering all ways they can avoid waste – whether it’s the produce they are using to create a dish, or the amount of electricity needed to power the stoves.  

“When we put a pot of water on to blanch vegetables, we’ll communicate to other sections what we’re doing, so the pot of water can be used three or four more times,” she explains. “You’re not wasting energy or water. There's also the time that's been saved because you're not waiting for four different pans to boil.”

Eve has also ended an old practice from previous kitchens she worked in: that of turning on stoves and ovens in the morning so they are ready for use. At Apricity, which holds a Michelin green star and a three-star rating from the SRA, the electric ovens are only turned on when required, dramatically cutting carbon emissions.

Sustainability has been built into the fabric of Apricity, which was opened by chef-owner Chantelle Nicholson in March 2022. Starting the restaurant from scratch, Chantelle was able to set low-waste foundations, doing things like installing induction stoves in the kitchen and selecting second hand chairs made from used plastic bottles.

However, as Eve points out, the restaurant and its team allow time to discover new sustainable savings. “It’s an ongoing education.”

a continuous journey

Tom Bartle, head chef at Botanica, the spa restaurant at South Lodge in West Sussex, also sees the zero waste goal as ‘a journey of continuous improvement and refinement.’

Like Apricity, Botanica planned to operate sustainably from the outset (it has an induction kitchen and biomass boilers, and water glasses and coffee cups are made from coffee husks, for example), but the three-star SRA-rated restaurant isn’t done. It has continued to evolve its zero-waste practices as it moves forward.

“From the outset, we carefully selected ingredients that inherently produce minimal waste,” says Tom. “For example, we decided to make our own juices and then considered how to repurpose the waste—leading to the creation of the ‘wasted burger,’ which has since evolved into a zero-waste falafel.”

Since then, the restaurant has introduced additional practices, such as dehydrating vegetable trimmings to make bouillon “making this an ongoing and evolving process.” Operationally, it is also planning to replace its LPG-fuelled chargrill with an electric one when it no longer works.

It's a similar story at Apricity, where the team is invested in finding new ways to be sustainable.

“We use black mustard leaves on the menu,” Eve continues. “The stalks are quite tough and would usually end up being discarded, but one of our chefs tasted them and said ‘it tastes like horseradish’ so straight away we’re thinking ‘how can we use them’?”  

where to begin

Embedding sustainability into a restaurant’s culture will inevitably effect change, but Apricity and Botanica were already ahead of the game when they opened. If you are starting your journey now and want to progress quickly, where should your focus be? 

Serving more plant-based foods is a quick win, suggests Juliane of the SRA: “It ticks multiple sustainability boxes” as it reduces metrics in the supply chain, like energy and land use and deforestation.

Reducing energy use and switching to a cleaner energy source should also be a priority, especially if you want to meet carbon targets and save money.

“Eliminating gas and embracing a fully electric kitchen can feel like a big move, but the kit has now become so efficient that there has never been a quicker return on investment,” she adds.  

Cutting food waste is an easy win, and a crucial step, says Juliane, especially as foodservice was responsible for 28% of all food waste generated in 2022. It’s an area prioritised at Apricity, where multiple uses for every single piece of produce are considered before making it onto plates and where waste is monitored if plates aren’t empty on their return to the kitchen.  

“When food is wasted, all the energy, water, labour, transport emissions and other resources that have gone into producing it are also lost,” explains Juliane. “Meanwhile, food loss and waste generate 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, and make a big contribution to biodiversity loss by wasting almost one-third of the world’s agricultural land.”

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360-degree approach

Cutting energy use and food waste while prioritising plant-based ingredients are all worthwhile moves to become more sustainable, but to create real step change, hospitality needs to take a ‘holistic, 360-degree approach’ says the SRA, which suggests businesses implement responsible sourcing, and ensure fair treatment of ‘people engaged at every stage of the supply chain’.

The real challenge for the future, it says, is getting to net zero scope 3 emissions – reducing the impact of farming across the country.

“This work will only be achieved in collaboration. We need to scale up what has been shown to be best practice on farms, and restaurants need to support farmers to manage the risk involved in changing the way that they do things,” says Juliane.

Eve agrees, urging support for farmers – by paying them a fair price for their produce – so they can sustain themselves and invest more in biodiversity.

Farshad Kazemian, founder & CEO of The Ethical Butcher, supplier of ethically sourced meat, says supporting regenerative agriculture– an approach to farming that supports soil health – is a ‘powerful way to support a food system that is actively healing the planet.’

“Regenerative farming isn’t just about reducing emissions—it’s about actively reversing them. Unlike conventional farming, which depletes soils and contributes to environmental decline, regenerative agriculture restores ecosystems, enhances biodiversity, and captures carbon.”

(Written by Emma Eversham)