What to Look for in a Sustainable Restaurant

How can you tell whether a restaurant matches your own beliefs and ethics? In this article, The Sustainable Restaurant Association shares some advice on what to look out for in a sustainable restaurant. 

Most of us want to spend our money with businesses who do good for both people and planet – but it can be hard to know which restaurants are really doing the work. From taking action on food waste and reducing emissions to how they interact with their community, read on for a list of ways you can identify a sustainable restaurant for your next dining experience. 

1. How does the restaurant talk about sustainability? 

Before you go, check the restaurant’s website and social media channels. Ideally, a business should be setting clear, measurable sustainability targets and sharing their progress against these goals, whether it’s reducing their carbon footprint, eliminating single use packaging or improving their sourcing standards. Transparency is always best practice. 

While you’re at the restaurant, check their menus, in-house signage and/or any on-table communications for further information on their sustainability work. 

2. Do they have third party certifications? 

The easiest way to rest assured that a restaurant is doing what they say they’re doing is to check for credible, reputable third-party sustainability accreditations. Think organic certification, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance for responsible sourcing practices, the MSC blue fish label when it comes to seafood, the Coolfood Pledge for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or – for a comprehensive approach – the Food Made Good Standard, the only global sustainability certification that’s tailored to the hospitality industry. 

The Food Made Good Standard is unique in its holistic approach to sustainability. If you see the FMG logo on a restaurant’s website or social media, in their window or on the menu, you know that they’ve been assessed across 10 criteria that encompass responsible sourcing, social sustainability and environmental impact. One easy way to find a FMG-certified eatery is to check out the Food Made Good Directory, where current accreditations are listed. 

Read on for some other clues to a restaurant’s sustainability. 

Sourcing 

3. Look for provenance on the menu. 

Check the menus, looking first for provenance – the stories behind the food. Is there a focus on local sourcing? Do they mention producers by name? Do they showcase seasonal ingredients? Transparency all the way from the farm or fishing vessel to your plate allows for better quality control and lets you know exactly what has gone into your meal, including farming methods, animal welfare and food miles. 

Sharing these stories helps us to feel more deeply connected to our plates and makes dining experiences more memorable. Celebrating provenance also encourages a greater understanding of the impact behind our food choices, helping to create a better, more sustainable food system for future generations. 

One great example in London is Lyle’s, where they prioritise working with small-scale farmers and fishers and often pay above market price to ensure they’re getting the best local ingredients. Chef and Owner James Lowe says it’s simple. “I care about making the food at Lyle’s interesting and really good to eat. I care about creating a great experience for the guests we have in the restaurant. To do that, you have to buy the best produce – and to buy the best produce, it has to come from people who really care about what they’re doing.” 

4. Is there a good selection of plant-rich dishes? 

The amount of meat that a restaurant buys and serves has a direct effect on a variety of sustainability metrics, including carbon emissions, water use, land use and pollution. Serving less meat and more plant-rich dishes also supports better public health and the much-needed transition to healthy, sustainable diets. If a menu shows a good proportion of interesting, considered plant-based options, this is generally a good indicator of a commitment to sustainability. For the meat they do serve, is it local, organic or regeneratively farmed or from a heritage breed? Are they using every part of the animal? 

5. Do they source seafood responsibly? 

Up to 90% of global fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited by human fishing practices that have devastating impacts on the seabed and marine habitats, compounded by the effects of climate change, pollution and invasive species. It’s critical that the hospitality industry chooses sourcing strategies that protect marine biodiversity and revitalise our oceans. 

For restaurants that serve fish, look for locally-caught seafood, preferably from day boats, and menus that include details of how it was caught. Another good indicator is a selection that avoids the ‘Big Five’ – the typically overfished haddock, cod, salmon, prawns and tuna – in favour of less commonly-served types of seafood. In general, smaller fish from lower down the food chain (like anchovies, mackerel and sardines) are a better choice than bigger predatory fish like tuna and salmon, while bivalves such as mussels and oysters are some of the most sustainable options. 

Society 

6. How does the menu support healthy diets? 

In general, what’s good for the planet is good for our bodies, too. Our food choices are highly influenced by what is available, affordable and accessible, and how it’s presented to us – which means that restaurants and other food environments have a responsibility to dish up healthy, sustainable options that are appealing and delicious. Look for restaurants that serve more plant-rich options, as mentioned above; that make an effort to reduce or eliminate foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt; and that have taken the time to create better kids’ menus with real, nourishing food. 

7. How do they interact with their community? 

Restaurants and other food spaces often play an important role as social hubs within communities – and this makes community involvement a vital part of their sustainability work. Check whether a restaurant does charitable work and/or makes donations, encourages staff to take volunteer days, offers their space to local groups, takes part in local events, and/or supports other businesses nearby. 

8. How do they treat their staff? 

Fair treatment of staff is another important element of social sustainability – especially in an industry built around people and social interaction. Can you find any mention of how the restaurant supports their team’s physical and mental wellbeing? You can also check the list of accredited Real Living Wage employers to find restaurants in your area who are proven to be paying their employees well. 

Cinnamon Bazaar is a great example of how happy staff create a great dining experience. Executive Chef, Founder and CEO Vivek Singh says, “More than any other industry, hospitality is so dependent on people – without its people, it’s nothing. This extends to everyone: suppliers, teams or any other stakeholders. When they are well looked after, they are able to look after others well.” 

The Cinnamon Collection is particularly proud of their outstanding training and career progression programmes and their Employee Assistance programme, noting that these have a direct, positive impact on retention. “The longevity of our team members is something we hold dearly – almost like trophies,” says Vivek. “This comes from being in touch with what people need; they need different things at different times, and being able to identify and support along that journey is something we have always done very well. People who feel cared for care for other people.” 

Read Case Study here.

Environment 

9. How do they prevent food waste? 

A whopping 931 million tonnes of food is wasted every year, and 26% of this comes from foodservice. Check to see whether a restaurant mentions a food waste policy on their website and look at their menus to see whether they’re making using multiple parts of each ingredient: think nose-to-tail, root-to-shoot and fin-to-gill cooking. Do they keep portion sizes reasonable? Do they offer (compostable!) doggy bags for anything left on customers’ plates? Do they donate leftovers to food banks, or redirect it through food waste apps like Too Good To Go? 

At Hawksmoor (the only establishment to maintain a top three-star Food Made Good accreditation for over a decade!), Co-Founder Will Beckett feels strongly about food waste. “This is a really important issue in our industry – both ethical and financial. We pay to buy food, pay to store it and then pay to throw it away!” 

The Hawksmoor team prevents food waste in a variety of ways, including deliberately creating dishes from food that would otherwise be wasted; other items are used to make delicious staff meals. They also make the best possible use of data, weighing every scrap of waste and using this information to create specific reduction targets. Even small things add up: before they grate cheese over a Caesar salad, they place the bowl in a large tray. Any cheese that escapes onto the tray is used to make Caesar dressing. On a busy day, this can save 100g of cheese in a single restaurant! 

Read Case Study here. 

10. How do they minimise their footprint? 

How else does the restaurant work to minimise their environmental impact? At Gaucho, for example, they’ve implemented strong measures to cut food waste and energy use. This includes setting energy reduction targets, installing smart meters and linking food waste goals to KPIs and bonuses. They’re also mapping their water footprint to drive reductions and exploring more efficient technologies for restaurant refurbishments. 

Look online to check whether a restaurant has conducted a carbon footprint and set targets for reductions. Do they use clean energy sources for cooking, heating and transport? What steps do they take to reduce packaging – have they ditched single-use items like straws or paper napkins? Is their paper FSC-certified, or have they gone fully digital for menus and receipts? Maybe they serve filtered tap water rather than bottled. You can also look to see evidence of where materials have been repurposed in the design of the restaurant. 

Choosing sustainable restaurants is casting a vote for a better hospitality industry and supporting the development of a better food system. To be assured that a restaurant makes sustainability a priority and does good for both people and planet, look for the Food Made Good Standard logo on websites, social media, in windows and on menus, or check out the Food Made Good Directory for inspiration on where to eat next. 

Interested in learning more about Food Made Good? Check out www.thesra.org, follow The Sustainable Restaurant Association on Instagram and LinkedIn and sign up to their newsletter for regular news and insights from the world of sustainable hospitality!