Does Socially Responsible Food and Beverage Operations Matter To Your Guests?

When it comes to "green" consumerism and social responsibility, your guests are becoming more knowledgeable of current environmental issues and if it hasn't affected your food and beverage business yet, rest assured it soon will.

When I was an undergrad at UNLV's College of Hotel Administration, facilities management one of the required courses.  To be perfectly honest, it wasn't one of my favorite courses, but I found the in-depth studies in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), sustainability and social responsibility particularly interesting.  At the time I really didn't see the correlation between "green" strategies and food and beverage until I realized that being environmentally conscious is actually a state of mind and personal preference that manifests in consumer behavior as more and more consumers are demanding hospitality operators to act in a more socially responsible manner. 

Close your eyes for a moment and formulate a mental image of what you believe the average environmentally conscious person might look like.  If your image is of a hippie in bell bottom jeans and a tie died T-shirt or a grunged out anarchist, then your perception is severely outdated.  Earth friendly ideals and sustainability efforts are now embraced by the average consumer as they are quickly becoming more educated due to ease and speed of information sharing in today's wired and social media world. 

A 2007 McKinsey & Company global survey of 7,751 consumers in eight major countries found that 87% of international consumers who participated in the survey are concerned about the environmental and social impacts of the products they buy. (Sheila Bonini, Greg Hintz, and Lenny Mendonca, “Addressing Consumer Concerns About Climate Change,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2008).  While being "concerned" about the social responsibility of products doesn't necessarily translate into consumer action such as choosing one brand over another, it is important to realize that 87% of consumers, and presumably your guests, are environmentally aware.  That's a staggering percentage.

Earth Sense LLC published a finding that 56% of consumers will "buycott" (either purchase or boycott) products based upon their "environmental reputation" (Amy Hebard, Ph.D. and Wendy Cobrda, Ph.D., "The Corporate Reality of Consumer Perceptions", 2009). That's a large number that is only growing larger as consumers become more environmentally conscious.

This attitude is being reflected in consumer choices in the food and beverage industry.  More directly to the point, the National Restaurant Association reports that 41% of restaurant consumers stated they are likely to make their choice of restaurant based upon whether or not they perceive that restaurant to be environmentally friendly and 55% said they would choose a restaurant that offered organic, locally grown or environmentally friendly grown food (2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast).

 Sustainability of food sources, guests' focus on eating healthier foods and avoiding particular ingredients such as foods containing gluten are currently strong food and beverage consumer trends.  Restaurant consumers are asking more questions now.  It is common to hear questions such as "Is this sea bass from Chile?" (knowing Chilean sea bass is over-fished) or "Is this farm raised salmon or wild caught?".  Guests are also seeking locally sourced meats, seafood and produce where possible with the knowledge that the ingredients will be more fresh and will have left less of a carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary transport.

But, food and beverage operations have been slow to adjust to consumer environmental demands for a variety of reasons.  Cost is the most obvious reason as some earth friendly food items, such as organic fruits and vegetables, can be much more expensive to procure.  But this doesn't have to be a show stopper.  Bear in mind that consumers want fresh ingredients and although purchasing fresh ingredients does require more preparation work, it is often less expensive, healthier and more flavorful than pre-packaged foods.

Food and beverage operators shouldn't be so short sighted to believe that being earth friendly is all about food, because it isn't.  Croc's, a restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia is a 125 seat restaurant that has gone "green" with the help of a state grant and has attracted new guests because of their earth friendly approach to doing business.  The green business practices they have adopted includes recycling, the reduced use of disposable items, grease recycling, eliminating styrofoam, energy conservation and utilizing local and sustainable ingredients.  As a result, costs are down and revenues are up.  That's a recipe for success.

So if your food and beverage operation hasn't already adopted "green" initiatives, the time to do so is now.  You will be doing your part to protect the environment while giving your market exactly what they are asking for; fresh, locally grown, and sustainable food.  Market your initiatives to spread the word that you are doing your part and you may soon be tapping a "fresh" new market segment you may currently be missing.

So go ahead and give this Hospitality Gem some consideration. Try out some "green" ideas and begin transforming your food and beverage operation for the better.  I would love to hear how you got along with this Gem so please leave a comment below or feel free to contact me at davidknight825 @ yahoo.com with your comments, queries or feedback!