The A&W Beyond Burger In my ten years of studying and advocating for sustainability in the restaurant industry I can’t remember a moment like this.  The last few months have seen some substantial announcements by large restaurant companies that are game-changers.  A&W which continues to lead the way has recently announced they will stop the … Continue reading Turning a Corner!

This spring we sat down to produce a ‘how to start a green team guide’ for restaurants.  We did this because an informal study we conducted showed us that fewer than 10% of Restaurants in Canada had active green teams in their operations. A formal study conducted by Danagelico (2015) showed that the creation of … Continue reading Green Team Guide for Restaurants

A few weekends ago my son had a swim meet in Windsor. We booked a room at a downtown hotel and settled in for a weekend of racing and enjoying what the city had to offer. The room at the hotel was lovely and the service top notch.  The hotel was an ‘extended stay’ suite … Continue reading The ‘one-use’ hotel!

On May 14 we were pleased to host FISHSTOCK 2018 at Pj’s restaurant.  A co-production of The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) and Ocean Wise the event was held to promote awareness about our local fisheries and to learn how to successfully incorporate Ontario lake fish into food service businesses.  Participants included local Chef’s, academics … Continue reading FISHSTOCK 2018

There is a history of restaurant menu items changing the way North Americans view and consume food.  Take Chop suey for instance.  Though not as popular today, Chop suey was a game-changer when it was introduced in the early 20th century via the North American Chinese restaurant.  This dish that was comprised of egg, stir-fried meat, … Continue reading Move over Chop suey and make way for the ‘Impossible Burger’

Yesterday Starbucks announced they will be testing alternatives to plastic drinking straws at 54 of their locations in Britain.  This is the latest response from food-service operations to increased social media and media attention on the negative effect plastic items like straws and grocery bags have on our environment.  UGSRP has been a strong proponent … Continue reading Straws aren’t the only things that suck!

UGSRP is very pleased to host FISHSTOCK at PJ’s restaurant on Monday, May 14th.  FISHSTOCK is a unique, one day workshop for members of the food-service industry who want to learn how to successfully incorporate Ontario lake fish onto their menus.  A collaborative effort between the Culinary Tourism Alliance, Ocean Wise and the University of … Continue reading FISHSTOCK 2018

The photo above shows some of the attending Chefs describing how they cooked their delicious plant-based menu items Today I was fortunate enough to be invited to a training workshop put on by Forward Food for the University of Guelph Hospitality Services (HS).  Long known as being ranked first in Canada for it’s campus dining … Continue reading A visit to Guelph from ‘Forward Food’

    The headlines, trend reports and various experts seem to agree, plant-based protein is set to explode in 2018. Inevitably, vegan and vegetarian diners, formerly seen as the “complicated ones” in a dinner party, are thrilled to see their beloved plant-based foods taking center stage. It is not however, just vegans and vegetarians celebrating this … Continue reading Adding Plant-Based Protein (and Profit!) To Your Menu

2018 is shaping up to be a busy year for us with many events and projects on the go.  It all starts next week on Thursday Feb 1 when Bruce McAdams will be part of a Kostuch Media Webinar abou the impact that a minimum wage increase in Ontario is having on the restaurant landscape.  This … Continue reading What’s up at UGSRP?