‘Forty per cent of restaurant and café guests are happy to pay more for sustainable dishes’

Survey of 2,000 restaurant-goers and 200 hospitality business owners

Sustainability is increasingly a deciding factor in where restaurant-goers choose to dine. For four in ten restaurant-goers in the Netherlands, it is so important that they are willing to pay extra for dishes prepared sustainably. This is according to research by the point-of-sale and payment platform Lightspeed, carried out amongst 2,000 restaurant-goers and 200 hospitality business owners in the Netherlands. This presents clear opportunities for hotel professionals: guests who are already dining under the same roof are all the more receptive to a hotel restaurant that lives up to its sustainability ambitions.

Guests look for more than just the menu. Food waste is a decisive factor for nearly seven in ten Dutch people (68%): they expect restaurants to take active measures to combat it. A majority want restaurants to stop using single-use plastic items (57%), and 56 per cent think it is important that sustainable options are clearly visible on the menu. Furthermore, 46 per cent pay attention to whether a restaurant operates in an energy-efficient manner.

This is in line with what hospitality business owners themselves are observing: almost two-thirds (64%) have noticed that guests are increasingly making a conscious choice to opt for sustainably produced dishes. Sustainability is therefore no longer a side issue, but an expectation that guests bring with them to the table.

From regional produce to reusable tableware

Catering business owners are already actively responding to this growing demand. More than half (55%) source regional products, and half opt for plastic-free alternatives such as paper straws. Almost a third (29%) use reusable napkins or crockery. Investments are also being made behind the scenes: in energy-efficient equipment (64%), waste separation (64%) and water-saving facilities (60%).

Portion sizes are also viewed differently. Half of business owners (50%) serve smaller portions for sustainability reasons, and just over a quarter (26%) reuse food waste, for example by using vegetable peelings to make stock, or turning stale bread into breadcrumbs. These are small measures that guests are increasingly noticing and appreciating.

Sustainability deserves a platform

Nevertheless, communication regarding all these efforts is lagging behind. Almost half of business owners (49%) receive little feedback from guests about their sustainability initiatives, presumably because these efforts simply go unnoticed. Those who operate sustainably but fail to communicate this are missing out on a significant opportunity to gain appreciation and loyalty.

Sustainability has evolved from a niche concern to a decisive factor in the hospitality industry. Guests not only pay attention to initiatives such as reducing waste or using local produce; they are even willing to pay extra for them. Transparent communication about sustainable choices is therefore of great importance. The menu is a logical place to start: explicitly highlight sustainable dishes and tell the story behind local suppliers. In this way, a conscious sourcing choice also becomes an experience for the guest.

This is particularly relevant for hotel restaurants. Guests are not just dining in the restaurant, but staying in the hotel as a whole. A consistent sustainability narrative clearly displayed on the menu enhances the overall experience of their stay.

An integral part of the guest experience

Ultimately, it is about viewing sustainability not as a standalone project, but as an integral part of the guest experience: from the menu to the energy supply. Hotel restaurants are uniquely placed to tell that story and bring it to life. Those who manage to make that connection are building something that goes beyond simply satisfying a guest.

Sustainability starts with understanding. Bring all your hotel’s F&B operations under one roof with Lightspeed, the business platform for ambitious hospitality entrepreneurs and the ideal partner for your PMS.