Emily Robinson, Rebecca Gordon, and Bruce McAdams (UGSRP contributors) have recently published a study entitled Assessing the current sustainability initiatives of Canadian SME restaurants in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights. This study investigated the biggest challenges and facilitators in implementing environmental and social sustainability in independent restaurants in Canada. A qualitative research approach was used interviewing 15 operators and measuring their responses against a restaurant sustainability checklist developed by researcher Dayanne da Costa Maynard.
Results indicated that most initiatives aligned with the categories of “sustainable food/menu” and “waste reduction and disposables” which shows that the operators were inclined to pursue initiatives in customer view and that receive mainstream media attention. This finding was expected as the ‘sustainability commitment’ of a restaurant has almost always been related to the provenance of the food that it serves.
Findings also showed that restaurants put limited focus on energy, water supply, chemicals and pollution reduction, furniture and construction materials. This result was somewhat surprising given the impact that the cost of energy has on restaurant profitability. This particular result indicates the need for better education on how to create and implement a comprehensive sustainability plan as a restaurant owner or operator.
The biggest barriers found for operators who wanted to do more were: cost, lack of access to programs, supply chain complications, not having buy-in from owners, and a lack of time to implement. The last two barriers are more a result of restaurants being small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s). Many studies have shown that the operators/owners of SMEs spend less time on long-term thinking and creating strategies and policy versus their counterparts in more corporate settings. This research has shown that the reason for this is that operators/owners of SME’s are so involved in the ‘day-to-day running’ of their businesses that they do not have the time to spend thinking about ‘the big picture’.
Five of the 15 participants in the study indicated supporting employee programs while only two responded that they had employed social sustainability initiatives. Given the labour challenges facing the restaurant industry this result could be viewed as surprising but anecdotal evidence conducted in follow up conversations with operators has shown that many feel overwhelmed with operating restaurants in today’s marketplace. Restaurant operators who would be considered ‘progressives’ in that they have many sustainability initiatives have stated that the work is ‘difficult, expensive, and exhaustive’, and they often find themselves asking if it is worth it or not. If ‘progressives’ feel this way, one can only posit that the environment is so challenging that raising expectations in increasing sustainability initiatives should be tempered.
In closing, the study recommends that governments and other stakeholders get more involved by providing more incentives and support to implement sustainability initiatives that are out of sight to the customer. An example of this is how some local utilities run programs providing free water and energy audit services for independent restaurants. While often considered a ‘dirty word’ for small businesses, increased government regulation may also be needed, particularly in the area of waste management. The study also recommends that third-party restaurant organizations provide more accurate, evidence-based guidance and education on implementing a wide range of sustainability initiatives. While the onus is on restaurants to improve, given the environment that small businesses are operating in, the importance that other industry stakeholders step up and assist cannot be overstated if we are to experience any real change.
University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project 