The World’s Most Sustainable Restaurants and Cafes
As entrepreneurs look for new ways to stand out in the highly competitive food services industry, more and more restaurants are adopting eco-friendly business models. By adapting more environmentally sustainable practices and policies, these ventures have minimized general operating costs from energy use to staff overheads. There have been many restaurants that have taken upon this challenge in an inventive manner from building temporary pop-up structures to using discarded shipping containers. Here we revisit six sustainable restaurants and cafés from around the world.
Starbucks – Washington, USA
Using discarded shipping containers have become a popular choice among environmentally conscious architects and designers | Source: Inhabitat http://inhabitat.com/
Source: Inhabitat http://inhabitat.com/
As part of their new plan to reduce energy costs through smarter design, Starbucks new shipping container Drive-Thru cafe is a fine showcase of green architecture at its best. Tucked away off Interstate 5 in Tukwila, Washington, the building is constructed using four shipping containers and designed to LEED green building standards. Along with the recycling of discarded objects, the building adopts a rainwater harvesting system, which minimizes water consumption. Particularly since 80% of the coffee chain’s carbon footprint comes from energy use, increasing the efficiency of HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) systems may be a wise approach moving forward.
Burger King – Waghäusel, Germany
Source: Burger King
Although there is nothing particularly ‘green’ about fast-food chains, Burger King’s first solar and wind powered outlet in Germany is setting the bar for other restaurants of its kind. The new initiative is part of the fast food outlet’s 20/20 green design vision, a scheme that will see more Burger King restaurants incorporate renewable energy in its daily operations. The restaurant boasts an impressive array of energy conserving features which include an interior heat-recovery ventilation system, LED-fitted lighting, and is equipped with a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station for hybrid cars. Collectively, the highly efficient system reduces energy costs by 45 percent and cuts CO2 emissions by 120 metric tons annually. A sizable number, which could lead to a far sustainable future should all fast food restaurants adopt similar systems.
Singapore Takeout – Worldwide
Source: Inhabitat http://inhabitat.com/
Built out of a custom shipping container, which unfolds like a box, Singapore Takeout is sort of like traveling circus troupe but of gastronomical proportions. The portable pop-up restaurant is currently on its nine city world tour, and is scheduled to appear in Dubai and Sydney in the coming month. The project is part-sponsored by the Singapore International Culinary Exchange and aims to showcase the country’s dynamic food culture.
MuxBox Restaurant – Montreal, Canada
Source: Muvbox Concept http://www.muvboxconcept.com
Source: Muvbox Concept http://www.muvboxconcept.com
Taking upon a similar design concept to Singapore Takeout, Muvbox is a portable pop-up restaurant powered entirely by solar energy. At a touch of a button, the 28-foot repurposed shipping container transforms to a sleek restaurant with a spacious outdoor patio and canopy in less than two minutes. The restaurant seats 28 guests at a time, and serves a variety of local and gourmet foods. In addition to its highly efficient solar panels, the restaurant’s flooring is made out of recycled tires.
Floating Plastic Dining Room – Vancouver, Canada
Source: Inhabitat http://inhabitat.com/
Source: Inhabitat http://inhabitat.com/
Located at the False Creek Yacht Club, The Floating Plastic Dining Room is a project sponsored by the School of Fish Foundation, a non-profit organization which prides itself on promoting sustainable culinary practices. Catered by Vancouver’s famous C Restaurant, the restaurant serves only sustainable seafood and locally grown ingredients. The fine-dining eatery opens once each night throughout the summer period, and can seat up to 12 guests at a time. The floating base of the restaurant is made of 1,672 2-litre plastic bottles, finished with pinewood interiors and recycled glass chandeliers.
Greenhouse by Joost – Australia
Source: Joost Bakker http://byjoost.com/
The Greenhouse is a temporary restaurant that marries practicality and recyclability without compromising costs and overall aesthetic. Envisioned by Joost Bakker, a true eco-warrior known for his trademark vertical gardens, the Dutch-born artist believes in creating public spaces with a positive eco-impact. With that design philosophy in mind, the Greenhouse restaurant was conceptualized to full fruition.
Source: Joost Bakker http://byjoost.com/
In 2008, he designed his first temporary ‘Greenhouse by Joost’ restaurant in Melbourne, a sustainable restaurant that utilized straw bales and 100% recyclable steel with its very own organic rooftop garden. A year later, he created a permanent ‘Greenhouse Perth’ restaurant at the base of 40-storey building, which went on win Restaurant of the Year 2010. In 2011, the ‘Greenhouse’ concept continued to garner interest, and he was invited by Sydney’s Harbour Foreshore Authority to recreate the waste-free restaurant at the Sydney Harbour for a six-week period. The installation attracted thousands of visitors and received press attention from all around the world.
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