How sustainable?

Just a few short years ago, everyone in hospitality was rushing to dump carbs from menus. Within roughly five years, however, the "low-carb trend" had proved a fad and people were eating bread again.

The rush today is toward being "green," with manufacturers of everything from cars to clothing working to satisfy customers by reducing the environmental impact of the products they produce.

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Bars and beverage programs recently have started going green, too. Luckily, numerous wineries, distillers and brewers already are producing sustainable, eco-friendly products. Forward-thinking barmen such as H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir in San Francisco are committing to using organic, fresh, natural products; Elixir was the first bar certified through that city's Green Business Program and Ehrmann spearheads Green & Tonic, which helps other bars move toward eco-friendly operating practices.

Like low-carb, the green movement is sweeping the country with lots of hype and how-to guides. For restaurant operators, it requires changes large and small in daily operations, sourcing and procurement, and it can affect costs as well as drink engineering. It requires both self-education and guest education. In short, it requires commitment.

Is it worth it? Well, that depends on whether it's a trend or a fad. Environmental change takes time, and Americans are impatient people who want immediate results. It is unclear whether enthusiasm for green products will continue without instant gratification.

Restaurant and bar operators who go green may see immediate results on one front, though: traffic and sales (read "The Environmentalist at the Bar," page 42). Green is the cause celebre right now, so as operators interviewed for our story are finding, consumers are gravitating toward hospitality venues that offer green options. Once green becomes mainstream, however, will those sales gains be sustainable?

That depends on whether it proves to be a trend or a fad. Operators opting to go green are benefiting from the differentiation factor, but continue to struggle on costs. As for Ehrmann, he says, "I think it is a trend towards better business decisions that impact your bottom line in [eventual] cost savings and increased traffic from consumers who care to patronize [such] businesses. If it were merely a marketing message, it could be misconstrued as a fad, but the fact is these changes make good business sense. At the very least they may help businesses overcome some looming tight economic challenges this year."

Good business decisions--now that's a sustainable trend.

Cheers!

Donna Hood Crecca Editor