Restaurant Reformer

The rising cost of gasoline may impact the revenue side of the equation for food service operations, but the expense side faces a similar, if less in-your-face challenge. As gasoline prices approach the inflation-adjusted prices of the 1981 oil crisis era, global wheat stocks are at their lowest level since the 1979. With both sides of the business equation in play (and generally beyond the control of a restaurateur), efficiency is one of the few places left to wiggle.

The BBC has been on this issue for some time, and recently produced some facts and figures and personal stories. They’re still working on the story, and there are many related stories throughout the BBC. Some of their coverage generated nearly 1500 comments on the food price spiral.

From greasy spoon to designer salads, witness the transformation of a classic burger joint to a mostly-organic GRA-ceritified salad-and-froyo hut at Sweetgreen [flash].

A tiny (less than 600 sq ft) carryout restaurant in pricey Georgetown, Sweetgreen, started by three (sometimes, four) fresh-out-of-college restaurateurs (Nic Jammet, Jonathan Neman, Nathaniel Ru, and sometimes Scott Goldstein) with a bit of a restaurant legacy, features mainly salads (“chef crafted” and build-your-own) and frozen yogurt. Occupying a former Little Tavern space, the renovation includes high-efficiency lighting and reclaimed interior wood.

Media coverage was pretty hot around the opening in Summer 2007 (Sweetgreen offers their own set of clippings [pdf]).

Reviews from the Washingtonian, Washington Post, Washington Times, Washington City Paper, Hoya, American Observer, Food Arts, and the readers of Chowhound.

Other blog coverage, from Metrocurean, DC Fabulous, Restaurant News, Culture Me, DC, and, of course, here.

Taking on disposable plastic packaging (mostly), “It’s time to kick some serious plASStic” – Bring Your Own and their blog.

Whole Foods location in Sarasota, Florida (South of Tampa) achieves LEED Silver [pdf] in September 2005.

In this case, Whole Foods scores many points for their efforts on indoor environmental quality, site selection and water use reduction.

A very limited-access venue, available only to members of the Tahoe Mountain Club (and “Friends of the Goose”), the Wild Goose Restaurant in Tahoe Vista, California scored LEED certification [pdf] for commercial interiors in December 2005 based primarily on lighting and local/recycled materials use.