Greenest Company With Fewer Than 50 Employees: Greenhouse Grille, Fayetteville
by July 14, 2008 12:00 am 64 views
Jerrmy Gawthrop and Clayton Suttle didn’t go green for the bragging rights or to be in vogue.
“We don’t advertise that we’re green,” said Gawthrop, who opened Greenhouse Grille in 2006 with Suttle. “I don’t feel like we should brag about something like that. It’s something we should have been doing all along, not something we should do because it’s in style.”
The Greenhouse Grille has a lengthy list of green practices, all of which Gawthrop said the restaurant does on a daily basis, even if it means more time and slimmer margins.
The staff recycles all plastics, aluminum cans, steel containers, paper and cardboard packaging. The kitchen’s used vegetable oil is used as fuel in the owners’ vehicles. Peelings, vegetables and scraps are composted by the staff.
The bathroom and kitchen paper products are made from recycled paper and all cleaning supplies are chemical-free.
The restaurant’s small size naturally enables it to conserve on utility usage.
Gawthrop said the restaurant buys as many local products as possible. The practice wasn’t easy at first but the owners have taken the time to find new farmers and producers in Northwest Arkansas and around the state.
The restaurant continually takes advantage of any, local products that become available.
The practice of buying local isn’t all that easy and doesn’t always lend itself to efficient accounting practices, Gawthrop said, but that isn’t a big deal to for him or Suttle.
“We take anything we can that’s grown locally,” Gawthrop said. “Even if that means a few tomatoes and a couple of squash. Tight bookkeeping isn’t a big worry to me.”
The restaurant already offers some organic products and Gawthrop said he’s in the process of revamping the menu and adding more organic dishes.
And through its organic and locally-procured food, Gawthrop said the restaurant is able to pass its green practices on to its customers.
Gawthrop admits that going green is often more expensive and time consuming, but that’s just fine with him; it’s all done “for passion, not profit.”
(See more of the greenest offices in Northwest Arkansas by clicking here.)