Choosing Environmentally Friendly Restaurant Supplies
March 18, 2019There’s been a lot of controversy recently about restaurant supplies and how they affect the environment.
The current focus is on plastic straws, but the same conversation has been had about Styrofoam and a variety of other materials.
Can you choose environmentally friendly supplies and still give great service? Many times you can – it just takes some planning and experimentation. Here are some ideas!
Alternatives to Plastic Straws
What’s the problem with plastic straws – and plastic waste in general? It ends up in the ocean, and then it ends up around wildlife or even up their noses.
As a result, many people are campaigning to reduce our use and reliance on disposable plastic, and straws have found themselves in the crosshairs.
Paper straws are the current rage in restaurant supplies, but (not surprisingly) they don’t hold up very well when placed in drinks. A diner can find the experience of using one unpleasant as the top gets soft and wet during the course of the meal.
You can choose other biodegradable straw materials. Don’t rely on recycling, because many recycling machines don’t catch straws (they’re too small.) You might also have your waitstaff only give straws on request.
To-Go Food Containers
What material do you use for to-go food? The reason Styrofoam is so popular is that it’s a great insulator. Fortunately, there are other choices that are better for the environment.
You can choose bowls, boxes, and more that are made from biodegradable materials. You can even go a step further and use containers that are made from recycled or renewable materials.
The good news is that today’s compostable and environmentally-friendly containers are safe to use in both microwaves and ovens, are soak-proof, and won’t leach harmful chemicals into food. It’s an investment in both the planet and the health of your customers.
Environmentally Friendly Tableware
If you’re a quick-service restaurant or run a food truck, you may have to provide single-use plates, flatware, and more. Fortunately, there are increasingly great options to get these restaurant supplies in forms that are good for the environment.
You can get disposable plates made from agricultural fiber that are grease and cut resistant, making them a great choice for a variety of foods. Fiber plates are microwave and freezer safe as well.
Bamboo plates are sustainable, elegant, and very sturdy, making them great restaurant supplies for a more upscale truck or quick-service restaurant. Because bamboo grows quickly, it’s a renewable resource. You can choose utensils made from bamboo as well.
Do You Have the Restaurant Supplies You Need
A lot of your customers are more environmentally conscious than ever, and they will certainly appreciate you making the effort to be more sustainable. In fact, they may be willing to pay more knowing that you provide only the best restaurant supplies.
If you’re interested in getting supplies that are more environmentally responsible, we can help. We’ve been serving the Little Rock area for years, and we’d be happy to help you source anything you need.
Contact us for a quote today!
Catering to Generation Z
As time marches on, we continue to have new generations arising behind the ones we’ve already named. Most recently everyone has been focused on Millennials, whose tech-savvy and focus on experiences over things have shifted the face of every industry. Now, there’s a...
4 Ways to Keep Your Restaurant Employees Engaged
You can have everything you need to run an amazing restaurant – a great menu, incredible chef, the best location, perfect pricing, and top-of-the-line kitchen equipment. But even with all of that, you won’t succeed if your employees are disengaged and unprofessional....
Kitchen Fun : Food and the Oscars
Hollywood’s biggest night was February 24th, 2019, and was it ever a show. There were stars, glitz, glamour, and amazing outfits everywhere. There were also cameras catching every moment, from the red carpet to the after-parties. What happened at the show and after...
4 Keys to Successful Commercial Kitchen Design
If you’re opening a new restaurant or renovating your existing kitchen, you probably already have some ideas about how it should look. However, it’s important to look beyond your own ideas and understand the keys to good design in general. This will help you...
Bring Together Your Back and Front of House
Does your restaurant feel like a simmering battle between the back of house (BOH) and front of house (FOH)? Or do both units get along famously? If your restaurant is like many, you find yourself somewhere in the middle. Rarely do you have an all-out war, but...
Commercial Kitchen Fun: Cooking With Mustard
One of the things that make owning a restaurant so fun is the ability to be creative with your menu. With the help of your chef and cooks, you can come up with some really fun dishes to serve. To get your imagination going, we’re going to share some fun dishes that...
Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant From Instagram
You have a lot of restaurant equipment that you need to make your location run smoothly. You might think about your point-of-sale system, refrigeration units, cooking equipment, and more. But what about Instagram? That’s right, a social media platform can be one of...
Handling Theft in Your Convenience Store
Running a convenience store is challenging to say the least. You need to staff it, but not with too many people. Then again, too few and you have a lot of problems – including theft. There are three groups that can be responsible for product and money loss in your...
Kitchen Equipment Spotlight: How Clean is Your Coffee Pot?
If you were going to rank kitchen equipment based on how much work it does, the humble coffee pot has to be near the top. In almost every restaurant, people order coffee with their meal or dessert. The problem is that because the coffee pot is working so hard, it...
Should You Add a Food Truck to Your Restaurant?
If your restaurant is doing well, you might be thinking about opening a second location. After all, that’s usually the next step when it’s time to expand, right? Before you jump in, though, consider another option. Maybe having a food truck would be a better choice....
Kitchen Equipment Spotlight: How to Maintain a Commercial Freezer
Your commercial freezer can be a lifeline for your restaurant. Safe food storage is vital, and a high-quality freezer is essential kitchen equipment. However, a freezer is only as good as the maintenance that goes into it. Without proper care, your freezer will become...
Take Advantage of Your Customer’s Technology
Some restaurant owners hate seeing customers snapping photos of food – it means that the food isn’t eaten at its best, and sometimes it’s a sign of a table that’s going to be slow to turn over. Then there are other owners and managers who see an opportunity. The truth...
How to Reduce Turnover at Your Restaurant
Having the right employees can make or break your restaurant. You can have the best food and kitchen supplies, but tension in the back of the house can cause delays, poor morale, and even the loss of key staff. You can have a beautiful dining room, but surly wait...
Should Your Commercial Kitchen Consider Catering?
As a business owner, it’s important to always be looking for new ways to grow your business. There are a lot of ways to do this, and one of the most common for many restaurants is catering. Of course, catering changes how your commercial kitchen runs a lot of the...
Why Your Restaurant Needs an App
We know, you’re a restaurant owner, not a developer or programmer. Let other people worry about apps, you just want to run your restaurant! The truth is if you want to have a successful establishment, you have to take advantage of the technology that brings people in....