A Healthy Dose of Practicality

Joseph Carbonara, Editor in Chief -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 4/1/2008

Joseph Carbonara

With the subject of “green” seemingly dominating all aspects of conversation, it feels as if every day is St. Patrick’s Day. If only the green beer would last as long as some of these conversations. For as much as people talk about all things green, it still seems as if the foodservice industry’s interest in being more environmentally friendly is outpacing the overall implementation.

Enter into the picture Chris Giarraputo, corporate executive chef for BR Guest Restaurants. Headquartered in New York City, BR Guest operates 18 upscale casual restaurants, including 14 in its hometown and two each in Chicago and Las Vegas. Giarraputo describes BR Guest as being a socially responsible company that supports the communities it serves. So when its employees asked why the company was not doing more to lessen its impact on the environment, management took action.

The company became involved with the Green Restaurant Association, which helped BR Guest find a simple, attainable point of entry into the green movement. For its part, BR Guest eliminated all Styrofoam from its operations, began a more comprehensive recycling program and installed flow restrictors to the various sinks throughout its operations.

And now that BR Guest has unleashed its inner green genie, Chef Giarraputo and team have turned their attention to equipment selection. In doing so, they have found there’s no substitute for doing your own research and asking lots of questions that address such key areas as water consumption, recycling times, Btu consumed and more.

The benefit of asking these questions is two-fold, according to Giarraputo. First, it allows an informed purchasing decision — one that will benefit the business while not compromising service levels. The second benefit is that by having operators ask these types of questions, vendors will start to realize these attributes are of growing importance to their customer base and that the green movement is not a phase but a part of the industry’s future.

Despite the emphasis on energy efficiency and desire to do well by the environment, BR Guest seasons its approach with a healthy dose of practicality, which is why service remains a central issue. “We’re a high-volume operation, so the product has to be reliable and someone locally has to be able to service it,” he says.

From there, Giarraputo and his team evaluate where the product is in its life cycle and whether its features are simple or complex, giving a preferential nod to the former. “I prefer products that require a screwdriver and a wrench to fix rather than a computer,” he says. “That can cost money and time, thus reducing efficiency.”

If you’re interested in learning more about BR Guest’s approach and other practical ways you or your customers can uncork your inner green genie, I encourage you to check out our webcast “Making Foodservice Operate More Energy Efficiently,” which is available at www.fesmag.com. Loaded with lots of tips, the webcast features presentations from Giarraputo and from David Zabrowski of the Foodservice Technology Center.

I am certain my brief synopsis of BR Guest’s efforts does not do justice to its overall program. But my point in bringing them up is simple: The reason BR Guest and Giarraputo have been successful in the green arena is that they continue to season their efforts with a healthy dose of practicality, knowing full well they have a business to operate and customers to please. Small practical steps that support your business tend to work best. Once your company’s green genie is uncorked, well, then anything is possible, isn’t it?

Joseph M. Carbonara, Editor in Chief