‘Eco-gastronomy’ Venture Presses all the Buttons

 
In most branches of foodservice, eco-friendly initiatives are usually too limited tomake much difference to sales or image. Not so at Bordeaux Quay, a big(GBP2.7 m) new waterside eatery which opened in September 2006 in Bristol, westernEngland. Almost every aspect of the project attempts to address current andfuture eco-issues, to the extent of having a genuine and beneficial impact on customerattitudes.
 
Chef-proprietor Barny Haughton established his ‘green’ credentialsat Quartier Vert, a fine dining restaurant he started in the 1980s. At the largerand more mainstream Bordeaux Quay, which combines 120 seat restaurant, 80 seatbrasserie, bakery, bar, deli, function suites and cookery school, he has tried to tickall the boxes including the appointment of a ‘sustainable development manager’whose job it is to consider the performance of everything, from food and lighting tocontrolled-window ventilation.
 
Almost all ingredients come from sustainably-mindedorganic producers no more than 50 miles away, thus minimising ‘food miles’.The extra features pushed up initial investment costs by up to 15% but also helpedgain regular customers plus a lot of media attention as Europe’s first truly ‘eco-gastronomic’restaurant.
 
www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk
 

 
| 24 April 2007 |