Projects

This project examines the barriers to implementing sustainability for food service businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Data were collected in two stages: first, a survey sent out to the entire restaurant community in the city, and second, follow-up interviews with survey respondents. These two stages informed the development of a comprehensive sustainability roadmap that includes baseline knowledge modules for restaurant owners, a frequently asked question document, and a daily operations and long-term goals checklist for staff and management. We found that time and money are the largest barriers to implementing sustainable practices for restaurant owners. Restaurant owners emphasized that they need resources to change their current operations. A commonality between the survey and interviews was an interest in becoming more energy efficient and procuring food sustainably. Data were examined in key categories affecting food service: energy efficiency, food procurement, water use, waste reduction, and employee education. This roadmap provides the Ann Arbor/Washtenaw 2030 District to share comprehensive resources with existing and new restaurants at any point in their sustainability journey that can assist them in working towards a broader goal of county-wide decarbonization.