Climate on the Menu
As the restaurant industry struggles to cope with hotter temperatures, floods, supply disruptions, escalating costs, and other impacts from climate change, some businesses are finding resourceful, workable ways of addressing the crisis. In this five-part series, produced in partnership with Civil Eats, we examine how climate change is driving a shift in farm relationships, supply chains, labor, waste disposal, and service, aiming to better understand the ongoing climate realities restaurants face. We highlight examples nationwide, and from all aspects of the industry, reporting on neighborhood spots like Yardy Rum Bar, in Eugene, Oregon; higher-end establishments like Washington D.C.’s Oyster Oyster and New York’s Crave Fishbar; and chains like Starbucks, where even the smallest changes can have large impact. Throughout the journey, and in light of the persistent greenwashing that floods many a menu, we ask ourselves: What is a climate-conscious restaurant — if it even exists?
Dinner, With a Side of Climate Preaching
Restaurants hoping to make a positive impact on the climate face an enduring challenge: selling their ambitious goals to diners simply looking to have a good time
For Restaurants Cutting Their Carbon Footprint, Composting Food Scraps Is Just the Beginning
Cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning, water use, and packaging contribute to greenhouse gas emissions too. These restaurants try to tackle them all.
If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Work to Change the Kitchen
As climate change drives temperatures up, restaurant staff face uncomfortable, even unsafe, conditions without heat regulations to keep them from harm. Now, some workers are taking matters into their own hands.
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For Restaurant Owners, Climate Disruptions Mean Even More Uncertainty
When supply infrastructure falters due to climate change, chefs and restaurant owners need to get creative
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What’s Next After Farm-to-Table?
Just because food is grown locally doesn’t mean it’s climate-friendly. But for chefs looking to emphasize the latter, it still starts at the source.