News

June 23, 2009

New Green Program Saves $85K at RA's Pilot Sites

Restaurant Associates, the high-end contract feeder, will save $85,000 annually from the conservation practices it adopted at the foodservice facilities of two corporate clients, the company announced.

The feeding operations of Random House and Hearst Corp. were the pilot sites for a new green initiative developed by RA in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund, a conservation advocacy group. The Green Dining Best Practices program is now being rolled out to the rest of RA's 110 management accounts, which range from corporate cafeterias to fine-dining restaurants.

The components of Green Dining range from using local purveyors, to reduce truck emissions, to using low-flow valves on spray hoses. The list of recommendations also includes the replacement of disposable forks, spoons and knives with washable, reusable versions, and the adoption of takeout packaging that is both recyclable and made with recycled materials.

RA and the EDF have posted the Green Dining list for access by any interested parties. "Using these best practices as a guide, we unearthed opportunities for cost and environmental savings that were right there for the taking," said RA president Ed Sirhal. "We encourage companies throughout the foodservices industry to do the same."

In addition to the cost savings, the partners project that Green Dining will shrink the carbon output of Random and Hearst's feeding operations by 275 tons. Such measures as reducing waste will cut the facilities' contributions to landfills by 60 tons, according to RA and EDF.

RA is a division of Compass Group, one of the world's largest foodservice concerns.