Restaurants and Sustainability – NYC

Written By Leisurely contributor Deborah Praga (@heeledandhungry)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve revered restaurants as glamorous escapes where the well-dressed (and heeled) blissfully indulge in exotic cuisines, molded, reimagined and creatively presented by artists otherwise known as chefs. I’ve mindlessly, excessively and completely unapologetically consumed such restaurant experiences without a second thought about the consequences of food insecurity and our impact on the environment. 

In an era when over a third of the food produced for human consumption worldwide goes to waste while many are underfed, it seems impossible to ignore the issue of food waste and sustainability. The wasted food, regardless of whether it’s discarded during the farming process due to imperfections or from your plate when you overorder, ends up in landfill where it’s unable to naturally decompose. Instead, it releases methane gas which is 30 times worse for the environment than CO2, just to name one contributing factor!

The good news is that people are beginning to open up to the possibility of change in the industry. According to a report conducted by the National Restaurant Association in 2018, 8 of the top 10 culinary themes on restaurant menus in the US revolved around sustainability (Statista). Luckily, we have a number of very chic restaurants in New York that are leading the charge.

Here are just a few to get you started:

Lighthouse BK / Lighthouse Outpost

The Lighthouse restaurants have kept sustainability at the forefront of all decision making. Furniture and napkins were handmade by the owner’s family, excess food is donated or composted through BKRot, oyster shells are donated to the Billion Oyster Project which aims to restore the oyster population of New York Harbor, meat is locally sourced and the owners work tirelessly to change the conversation around food waste.

Grand Banks / Pilot

Sister restaurants Grand Banks and Pilot, major hotspots in the summer months, have committed to being zero waste. They’ve abandoned single-use plastic, paper receipts and cans while also composting food scraps in collaboration with Hudson River Park. Their seafood is sustainably caught, they donate all their used oyster shells to the Billion Oyster Project and they’re focused on preserving waterways.

Crave Fishbar

While Crave does a lot in the sustainability space, they’re best known for their transparency and sustainably sourced seafood. All front of house staff is educated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and their Seafood Watch program in order to help pass that education down to customers. In 2016 they donated about 12 tons of oyster shells to the Billion Oyster Project!

Nami Nori

Nami Nori has figured out a genius way to keep its nori crispy while being kind to the planet – individual nori wrappers made of plant-based materials!

Lola Taverna

Since it opened in late 2019, Lola has been an undeniable destination for the aforementioned well-dressed and heeled and is perhaps one of the top 5 chicest restaurants in the city right now. You can feel good about eating there knowing that between the abundance of greenery in their current outdoor setup, their EightySix Straws brand straws made of grass, meat substitute menu items, and thoughtful sourcing, these guys are all about doing good in the sexiest way possible. 

There you have it!

Learn more about Deborah here.

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