Sustainability in Restaurants: The Revolution of healthy gastronomy

Have you heard about sustainable restaurants? It could seem like a trend, but it’s essential to become more conscious of the environment to help our planet and have a better quality of life.

But, did you know the concept of sustainability comes from the prehispanic era? In the prehispanic communities, there was a close relationship with the environment and taking care of it, so, nowadays when we approach this matter it means we’re back to our roots.

In this case, we’re going to talk about returning to our roots in the restaurant kitchen. But…

What features does a restaurant have to be considered sustainable?

First of all, food must be fresh and seasonal. The fact that food like vegetables and fruits are seasonal means it follows the life cycle that every food has, without overproducing or forcing the production of certain food to obtain it even if it’s not the right season.

The ingredients of the restaurant must be local, this reduces the carbon footprint because there’s no need to use vehicles to bring the raw material from long distances or even use aircraft in case of importing products.

This is partially the reason, it also improves the economy of the place where the restaurant is because the restaurant is using the resources close to him. Some restaurants already have their vegetable patch.

A sustainable restaurant is also responsible for waste management because there are policies that help reduce waste, dividing waste into organic and inorganic, minimal or zero use of plastic, and donation of leftovers.

Energy saving is another feature because they use solar panels, which in the beginning it could seem more expensive, but long-term represents savings in the light service bill. In addition, using lamps with less energy consumption is also promoted.

The use of disposable containers is minimal when it’s a delivery service, and there are options for using disposable eco utensils or reusable containers.

There’s a better water system from the kitchen, and restroom to the drinking water for the guests. When it comes to drinking water a great option is the use of other solutions such as water purifiers, which besides helping the planet, it brings wellness because it’s free from bacteria, viruses, and microplastics.

And of course be socially responsible, because, just as they treat their guests well, the internal management must be just as good, that is, the economical reward for the staff must be ideal, and the treatment for customers is friendly and consistent with the image of the restaurant.

Yoyu Café, Mother and daughter bet on sustainability

In addition to the above characteristics, one of the aspects that differentiate them is seeking to be healthy and creative when presenting each of their dishes. This is the case of the Yoyu Café restaurant founded by Olga Villanueva and Mariana Avendaño, mother and daughter, passionate about vegan cuisine, animals and nature.

We visited this restaurant, so they could tell us more about sustainability in their restaurant and how delicious, healthy and creative their food is.

Yoyu was born out of a personal need of the founders, they have been vegan for 19 years, and at that time there weren’t many options, so Olga searched for information about nourishment of soy, tofu, etc to learn to cook vegan recipe.

Nowadays every recipe made at the restaurant comes from her, and they want to share everything they have, so more people can taste vegan gastronomy.

What makes this restaurant sustainable?

Yoyu Café is sustainable, beginning with the practices in their vegan menu, such as having a menu that varies depending on the season, with a delicious and creative menu, it gives diners the best quality, nutrition, and detail that can be seen in every dish.

Yoyu Café chooses the resources of the land and avoids transportation and imports. In addition, they buy local products that are 100% Mexican and from small businesses. All of their products are organic.

Being a small restaurant allows Yoyu, to have more waste control than other restaurants, they avoid waste in the kitchen and with the diners. One of the policies they have is to buy only what is required, which includes exhaustive planning and with the right follow up this can continue doing it all the time.

The restaurant also has a little vegetable patch that serves mainly to decorate dishes and drinks, this is organic too.

“Another measure we are implementing, although we know it may be more complex, is asking our customers to finish their food, and if this is not possible, to take their food in a container”-comments Mariana Avendaño.

The goal of the restaurant is to stop using anything disposable, and every container can be reusable. In terms of waste, everything is divided into organic and inorganic, and the burned oil that is used in the kitchen (which is minimal) has waste management.

They have energy savings because they use the LED light and turn off the lights when it is not necessary. As for water, they have a method of washing dishes where water is not wasted and care is taken so that food residues do not end up in the pipes.

In the future they want to adopt the food bank method to make the most of food, taking, for example, watermelon or orange peel to make their dishes. This would have a nutritional impact since they have an enormous source of vitamins and minerals and at an economic level, it would represent an unparalleled impact.

“Yoyu’s mission is to give the message that food can be tasty, healthy, and without harming animals, making it available to everyone and creating awareness that you can help your body and the planet at the same time.”

With each choice, you make a difference and be part of the decisions that help you and the planet.

Yoyu Café’s practices are a great example of sustainability, and it is also possible to adopt measures that protect the environment in large businesses, optimize resources, and save considerable amounts of money.

If you want to take the path of sustainability, reach out to us at Alxedo.mx