Two major contract caterers, bartlett mitchell and The Lindley Group, are the first operators to sign up to the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s (SRA) new model membership scheme.
The SRA has recognised the unique challenges faced by contract caterers and worked with bartlett mitchell and The Lindley Group to develop the company-wide option which will see the SRA rate the sustainability of the business as a whole and assess individual sites.
Both companies see this as an opportunity to reinforce their commitment to further improve their sustainability across all areas of their business. Several of bartlett mitchell’s sites already have SRA membership with one site having been formally assessed and achieving a star rating.
The Lindley Group, the leisure caterer whose business now spans 50 sites in sports stadia, arts, heritage and visitor attraction sectors, recently appointed Anna Standen as Corporate & Social Responsibility Manager with a remit to develop a holistic approach to environmental, community, health & wellbeing policies across all aspects of the business.
Contract caterers have great influence
Mark Linehan, managing director of the SRA, said:
“A huge number of people dine in outlets run by contract caterers, giving these operators great influence over what we eat and the way we think about food, where it comes from and how it is produced and served. We are very excited to have developed this new model of working with these two caterers and look forward to forming closer ties with them and other contract caterers.”
Lindley and Bartlett Mitchell: initiatives
Jonathan Davies, The Lindley Group’s Sales & Marketing Director, says: “We’re pleased to be at the forefront of the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s move into the contract catering sector, and believe that their help and guidance will enable us to fast track a lot of the initiatives we already have underway whilst opening up new avenues for us to explore.
“As members of the SRA we welcome the opportunity to have the work we are undertaking in this area assessed and benchmarked against very specific criteria which we hope will lead to our sites becoming starred sustainability champions.”
Ian Mitchell, Chairman of bartlett mitchell, said: “The work already undertaken through the SRA membership process for a few sites has been very good for us and enabled us to look at our systems ‘under the microscope’. As a result, we’ve brought in various new initiatives, for example, introducing herb gardens in the grounds of client premises, measuring the percentage of British products bought, and ensuring menus reflect the seasonal changes. Client buy-in has been incredible.”
Established in 2010 initially to assist restaurants in becoming more sustainable and helping diners make more sustainable choices when dining out, the SRA assesses members in three key categories – Sourcing, Environment and Society – and its Sustainability Rating system based on a wide range of criteria covering 14 defined areas provides restaurants with recognition for the work they are doing and diners with a means of making informed decisions when choosing their dining destinations.
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