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Top 10 sustainable fast-casual restaurants
Workstream Blog

Top 10 sustainable fast-casual restaurants

By Workstream

March 08, 2020 | 2 min read

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#GoingGreen is one of the biggest food trends out there right now. Not only does putting sustainability at the core of your brand attract eco-conscious customers, but it attracts eco-conscious applicants too. Looking for some inspiration from businesses doing it right? Here are the top fast-casual restaurants leading the charge!

  1. Just Salad. Just Salad is within the category of best fast casual restaurants that's taken a huge step in the right direction by announcing its Green Standard Initiative, which aims to send 0 waste to landfills by 2022. This is done through their Reusable Bowl Program, favoring more recycled or compostable packaging and organic composting. In that year alone, they achieved 133% year-on-year reusable bowl usage and diverted 75,000 lbs of single-use plastics from landfills through their Reusable Bowl Program.

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  2. Shake Shack. This brand is highly involved in recycling efforts. Its tables are made from recycled bowling alleys, and it also collects and sorts out all bottles, cardboard, and plastics. The brand uses eco-friendly Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified paper and prints with soy ink. In terms of sustainable food sourcing, it uses bacon made from humanely and sustainably raised livestock.
  3. Panera Bread. Panera has been known as one of the best fast casual restaurants. It launched its “Food as it should be” campaign in 2014 to signal the start of its healthy journey to eliminate additives from its menu and serve only clean and sustainable products. For instance, it has pledged to eliminate the use of Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a chemical that can be toxic to humans when used in high concentration, in their baguette bags.
  4. Chipotle. Their brand mission is “Food with integrity.” They only partner with farmers who prioritize the long-term health of their soil and don't use non-therapeutic antibiotics or added hormones in their livestock.
    chipotle food with integrity
  5. Rubio’s. The brand engages in three main types of sustainable efforts: eco-friendly packaging and printing, eco-friendly restaurants, and recycling. Rubio’s also chooses seafood that is sourced sustainably and responsibly.
  6. Tender Greens. Sustainability is at the core of all the decisions made at Tender Greens. For starters, all their ingredients are responsibly sourced. But the brand is not only concerned with food sustainability, but also with its operations. They use green detergent and cleaners, biodegradable to-go containers, organic cotton uniforms, and potted herbs that double as cooking ingredients.
  7. SweetGreen. SweetGreen is big on sustainability. 100% of their stores have compost services and pickup. On average, they divert 60% of their waste from landfills and compost 75% of their food scraps. Every customer-facing item in their restaurants is certified compostable. This includes forks, lids, bowls, bags, cups, and straws.
  8. Chaia Tacos. Chaia is committed to using organic, locally-sourced ingredients. They serve vegetarian food to reduce meat consumption. All food containers are also compostable.
  9. Little Sesame. They use responsibly sourced ingredients in their dishes and travel the world to learn the best farming practices. They also cut down on the use of to-go container waste by encouraging customers to dine in. This year, they will provide $5,000 grants to two farms as part of its Little Seedlings program, an annual fellowship program to support farmers who “invest in the future of our planet.”

  10. HipCityVeg. Serving vegan burgers, salads, and frozen bowls (made from locally sourced ingredients) in compostable serving packaging, HipCityVeg is one of the top fast casual restaurants 100% committed to its sustainability goals. Apart from that, its furniture is made with salvaged wood and recycled plastic, and deliveries are even made via bikes. 

As you can see, so many of the top fast-casual restaurants are making a strong commitment to sustainability. Learn how you can build a brand around your business's sustainability efforts and gain loyal customers while you're at it. 
By Workstream
Workstream is the leading HR, Payroll, and Hiring platform for the hourly workforce. Its smart technology streamlines HR tasks so franchise and business owners can move fast, reduce labor costs, and simplify operations—all in one place. 46 of the top 50 quick-service restaurant brands—including Burger King, Jimmy John’s, Taco Bell—rely on Workstream to hire, retain, and pay their teams. Learn how you can better manage your hourly workforce with Workstream.

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