Managing a restaurant requires a lot of work from start to finish each day. However, to run a restaurant, it’s important to rethink your ethical standards and guidelines to provide a more eco-friendly workplace. By offering eco-friendly food and beverages, you can help lower your impact on global warming in the world along with these other popular eco-conscious restaurants in the United States.
1. Bareburger
With over 20 different locations throughout New York, Philadelphia, Ohio, and New Jersey, Bareburger offers a wide variety of one of America’s favorite foods. Bareburger has landed its name on this list due to the lack of GMOs and pesticides in their food. While the franchise keeps growing, they still manage to keep their company in an eco-friendly standpoint.
2. Starbucks
Starbucks, better known for their growing popularity as one of the largest coffee chains in the world, works tremendously hard to keep their eco-friendly standards growing. One of the goals they are currently promoting is to “build all new, company-owned stores to achieve LEED® certification.” Along with their implementation of eco-friendly cups and their efforts to improve recycling, they work endlessly to keep the persistence of an eco-friendly chain.
3. The Refinery
The Refinery is labeled one of the best restaurants in Tampa, Florida. Best known for their twist on traditional southern food, the restaurant is owned by Michelle Baker and chef Greg Baker, who have over 20 years of kitchen experience. The two work hard to cook with locally sourced food and reduce their carbon footprint both in and out of the workplace. In addition, they sell their luxury food at a reasonable price that anyone can afford.
4. Root Down
Root Down is probably one of the coolest green restaurants in the Unites States. Root Down is located in downtown Denver in an old 1950s gas-station-turned-restaurant. The restaurant features energy-efficient buildings; they power their restaurant with wind power. Root Down also grows their vegetables on their roofs and patios, which are made entirely of recycled materials.
5. Uncommon Ground
Surprisingly, Uncommon Ground has some of the first certified organic farms on the rooftops of their two popular Chicago restaurant locations. By farming on their rooftop, they allow for irrigation growing with organic soil, which Uncommon Ground harvests seasonally. Everything farmed is used exclusively in the restaurant, even down to the honey grown in their beehives.
6. Grange Kitchen and Bar
Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Grange Kitchen and Bar is an upscale farm-to-table restaurant. Grange uses all locally sourced foods—and when we say all, we mean all of it. They believe in creating as little food waste as possible, which means they use every use every part of the meats they sell. They call it their “nose-to-tail philosophy.” The menu is full of seasonal options as well as regular, locally sourced dishes.
7. Ruggles Green
As Houston’s first certified green restaurant, Ruggles Green is truly the spot to be. Almost everything in the restaurant is recycled. Even the fry oil is recycled and used as biofuel. If that is not enough, they are also run entirely by wind power. If you are looking for environmentally friendly American cuisine in Texas, look no further than Ruggles Green.
8. Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is a chain based in the Washington, DC area. They are truly committed to being more than just an eco-friendly restaurant chain; they strive to be a place for people in the area to gather and commune. Not to mention the excellent quality and great-tasting food. They only use sustainable seafood, locally sourced meats, and fair trade tea and coffee. Don’t worry—you can enjoy your meal using their recycled paper products. Additionally, all of their locations run on renewable sources of energy and are riddled with memorial benches to induce a nature-friendly theme.
9. Mixt Greens
Mixt Greens is entirely dedicated to providing the most eco-friendly dining experience possible. They are located in California’s Bay area. Their idea of eco-gourmet even includes the use of green and energy-efficient buildings. They use natural light and energy-enhanced lighting features in all their restaurants. Mixt Greens has also tinted their windows to cut down on heat and air conditioning use; they have painted their walls so that they do not give off any harmful chemicals; and they use recyclable materials wherever possible. Once inside their environmentally friendly buildings, guests can enjoy their eco-friendly fine food. Mixt Greens is truly committed to being one of the greenest restaurants.
10. Herbsaint
Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, Herbsaint is an upscale restaurant at the top of its game. New Orleans is known as the food capital of the South, so you know the food at this restaurant is wonderful. The menu utilizes a mix of down-home southern classic food and contemporary, upscale cuisine. They use only organic and locally sourced ingredients from sustainable sources in the area. Their fresh food is what makes them stand out among the rest. They even employ a full-time forager who connects with local farms, creating a wide network of suppliers for their restaurant to work with.
