What Should “Food Services for a Sustainable Future” Look Like? Tell Us!
Don't worry -- you don't have to read this. Click the image to see the real thing in action!
Birthdays are a great time for reflection. When Bon Appétit Management Company was founded 25 years ago, in 1987, our priorities were cooking restaurant-quality food from scratch using the freshest ingredients, and delivering outstanding customer service. (Watch our video.) In 2004, we formally committed to sustainability, which to us meant:
food choices that celebrate flavor, affirm regional cultural traditions, and support local communities without compromising air, water or soil, now and in the future.
We’ve made a lot of progress in those areas — and more. We’ve been looking ahead to our next 25 years, and asking our teams around the country — and our guests — for their input on three questions.
1. What’s missing from our current definition of sustainability?
“Genetically engineered foods, local beverages, and the landfill problem,” submitted Jim Klein, our regional district manager in Minneapolis.
2. What values drive your food choices?
“Looks good, tastes good, and is affordable without compromising resources and is socially equitable,” said Cynthia Jimenez, a cook at the University of Redlands in California.
3. What would you like to see us tackle in our next 25 years?
“More recycling — glass, cork, compost. More community involvement, helping the low income, homeless,” wrote our Café Modern team at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX.
We’d love to hear from YOU!
We’ll be hosting a Twitter chat next Thursday, September 20, at 12pm Pacific time, under the hashtag #BAsustain. (The easiest way to participate is using the free tool Tweet Chat.) You can also send us your ideas, images, and videos via this form (BAMCO employees, use this one), Facebook, email — you can even text us or ramble into our voicemail (650-308-9594).
We’ll continue to gather all the input into our Popplet, the online tool for visual brainstorming pictured above. Then we’ll be synthesizing it and unveiling the result on our website and social media on October 18.