The future of sustainability within hospitality

As consumers grow more environmentally conscious, we will see massive growth toward more sustainable practices and plant-based venues.

We will begin to see more and more places make room in kitchens and dining rooms for additional vegetable planters, hanging pots, and vertical gardens for growing produce onsite. It will become the norm for a menu to consist mainly of plant-based dishes, and the knowledge of the production of the ingredients and where they came from will be freely displayed.

Restaurants will also begin to show how their food production impacts the environment by labelling their carbon footprint. Customers want to know that their favourite restaurant understands the importance of practising sustainability, and as we go, venues with environmental awareness may start to draw in more guests than any top-notch chef or innovative bartenders do.

A positive reaction with this movement should see enviro-conscious business owners looking closer to local goods for supply, which will also assist in boosting local economies.

The removal, or mass reduction, of single-use containers, particularly single-use water bottles, will gain traction over the next year or so, and the plastic straw will hopefully vanish completely.

As our society garners more awareness on how shipping and freight impact emissions, the popularity of exotic water from offshore suppliers will also see a decline, and more water dispense kiosks will start showing up in retail shops and on street fronts replacing the need to purchase single-use water bottles. It is becoming almost expected for a venue to supply free, or small cost, filtered still and sparkling water from a tap dispense unit in aid to reduce this line of waste.

More government and independent sustainability initiatives will begin to form and gain traction as consumer and business owners demand to see a more significant change from an official level. These programs will be introduced as a means to offset the environmental impacts created by the holistic dining, entertaining experience and lifestyle. A great example of this can be found in Carbon Free Dining and other similarly focused initiatives.

Ultimately, if you are a Hospitality Business owner and are not already actively investigating means to embrace the pending consumer demand, and play your role in reducing the impact our industry has on the environment, you will soon be part of an unfashionable minority, which could spell disaster for your business.

Check out 6 Steps To Increase Your Restaurant Sustainability.