Trying Times
The restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard during the pandemic, and incorporating eco-friendly measures during such trying times is not easy.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
But some restaurants have been finding new ways to lower their impact and help their communities despite all the chaos!
Positive Impacts
Using Apps to Reduce Food Waste
‘Anti-food waste’ apps like ‘Too Good To Go’ help restaurants sell surplus food to hungry folks at discounted prices. Already popular in Europe, Too Good To Go launched in New York last September, and in the middle of a pandemic, over 250 restaurants signed up in less than a month!
As more restaurants continue using these apps they are helping to reduce food waste, providing customers with affordable food during hard times, and generating a little extra cash for themselves too. This is the kind of ‘win-win-win’ situation that is much needed in times like these!
Putting The Environment on the Menu
One positive trend that started to take hold in 2020 was the inclusion of environmental information on restaurant menus, with some US-based chains beginning to include the carbon footprint and environmental impact of certain dishes and ingredients.
Having this kind of info on menus should make it easier for restaurant-goers to choose planet-friendly options, and with research from the Sustainable Restaurant Association in the UK suggesting that interest in sustainable dishes is growing, these ‘environmental menus’ may become much more commonplace in a post-covid world.
Sustaining Communities
A healthy environment requires a healthy community, and wonderfully, restaurants and chefs around the world have been stepping up during the pandemic to help feed the vulnerable and keep communities safe.
How Ozarka can Help
As demand for takeout is expected to continue rising after the pandemic, Ozarka can help restaurants serve this demand sustainably, with our fully recyclable, minimal-impact solution for reusable food containers.
Ozarka containers have a much lower impact on the environment than disposable containers, and are robustly designed to minimize food waste.
With customer preference for eco-friendly brands only growing stronger during the pandemic, Ozarka’s sustainable solution can help restaurants thrive in a post-covid world.