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Michael Oshman
Apr 177 min read

Announcing the 2024 Green Restaurant Awards

Updated: Apr 18



These Green Winners are Leading the Green Restaurant Movement 

 

 

North America- On the eve of Earth Day 2024, the prestigious 2024 Green Restaurant Awards commend the restaurants and organizations in the restaurant industry which have accomplished a high level of environmental achievement in their respective categories. The Green Restaurant Awards include categories such as: 

  • Greenest Restaurant 

  • Greenest University 

  • Greenest Airport 

  • Greenest Caterer 

  • Energy Efficiency Award 



 HERE ARE THE WINNERS: 


GREENEST RESTAURANT 

Certified Green Restaurant® that received the most GreenPoints™ 

MUSE Global Kitchen is a 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® in Calabasas, California which has implemented 71 environmental steps and earned 579.82 GreenPoints™, the most GreenPoints™ of any Certified Green Restaurant®. MUSE Cafeteria serves 100% vegan food and has on-site solar panels that produce 70% of their annual energy usage. Along with those extraordinary steps, they compost pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste, purchase organic food products, use reusable and recycled products, and much more. 

 

 


GREENEST CATERER 

Certified Green Caterer™that received the most GreenPoints™ 

4 Star Certified Green Caterer™ Big Delicious Planet (BDP) is the Greenest Caterer in America, earning more GreenPoints™ than any caterer. BDP has earned 452.66 GreenPoints™ by implementing 112 environmental steps since they became a 4 Star Certified Green Caterer™ in 2013. This caterer offers 25.66% vegetarian and an additional 14.16% vegan food options. With a geothermal heat pump, a heat recovery system, and windows covered in window film that blocks solar heat, BDP is making significant strides in saving energy.  

 

 


GREENEST INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT 

Independent Certified Green Restaurant® that received the most GreenPoints™  

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Kitchen Sync, located in Greenville SC, has implemented 90 environmental steps to earn 439.30 GreenPoints™. This Certified Green Restaurant® is making significant strides in the Energy Category, earning over 215 GreenPoints™ for Energy Star appliances, occupancy sensors, 100% LED lights, an on-site renewable solar energy that generates 35% of its energy usage, and more. 

 

 


GREENEST NYC RESTAURANT 

New York City-based Certified Green Restaurant® with the most GreenPoints™  

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Well& By Durst, located on West 42nd St in NYC, has implemented 118 environmental steps to earn 306.55 GreenPoints™. This Certified Green Restaurant® has 100% LED lights, Green-e Energy Certified Green Wind Power that offsets 100% of energy usage, and a selection of certified organic food products.. Well& By Durst also composts pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste and recycles grease. 

 



GREENEST AIRPORT 

Airport with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, NY has 58 Certified Green Restaurants® located across Terminals 2, 4, 5, and 8. The Certified Green Restaurants® in the airport have collectively taken more than 2,000 environmental steps to earn more than 5,500 GreenPoints™. John F. Kennedy Airport is shrinking their environmental footprint by cutting down electricity usage, decreasing waste, and reducing water usage. 



 GREENEST AIRPORT CONTRACTOR 

Airport Contractor with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

With 104 Certified Green Restaurants® across 12 airports, SSP America is significantly improving its restaurants’ environmental impact by decreasing energy, water, and waste.    



GREENEST UNIVERSITY 

University or College with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

Harvard University has 19 Certified Green Restaurants® located in Cambridge and Boston, MA. Collectively, these Certified Green Restaurants® have taken more than 1,000 environmental steps to earn over 4,100 GreenPoints™. 

 

 


GREENEST UNIVERSITY RESTAURANT 

Dining facility at a college or university with the most GreenPoints™ 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Whitney Dining at University of Connecticut has implemented 109 environmental steps to earn 398.96 GreenPoints™. This Certified Green Restaurant® recycles plastic, glass, aluminum, paper, cardboard, grease, electronics, printer ink/toner, and fluorescent lamps. The dining hall also has back-of-house and front-of-house composting, makes quarterly food bank donations, filters and reuses vegetable oil, uses solid warewashing detergents, and has bulk packaging for 80% of condiments and 100% of milks and creamers. 

 



GREENEST K-12 SCHOOL 

K-12 School Cafeteria with the most GreenPoints™ 

MUSE Global Kitchen, also the winner of the 2024 Greenest Restaurant Award, is the greenest K-12 School Cafeteria in North America. This 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® in Calabasas, California has implemented 71 environmental steps and earned 579.82 GreenPoints™, the most GreenPoints™ of any K-12 Certified Green Restaurant®. 

 

 


GREENEST K-12 CONTRACTOR 

K-12 Contractor with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

Flik Hospitality has 26 Certified Green Restaurants® located across the U.S. in K-12 schools. These Certified Green Restaurants® have collectively taken over 1,020 environmental steps to earn more than 4,190 GreenPoints™.  


 


 GREENEST CHAIN 

Restaurant Chain with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

Arooga’s chain of 13 restaurants across the northeast and Florida are all Certified Green Restaurants®. With an average of 28 environmental steps and 93 GreenPoints™ per restaurant, this chain is making significant sustainability strides. Arooga’s requires each of its new locations to open as a Certified Green Restaurant®. 

 


 

GREENEST FOOD CONTRACTOR 

Food Contractor with the most Certified Green Restaurants® 

With 109 Certified Green Restaurants® across the U.S., Compass is the greenest food contractor in North America. Collectively, Compass’s Certified Green Restaurants® have taken over 5,240 environmental steps to earn more than 19,560 GreenPoints™. 


 

GREENEST CORPORATE CAFETERIA  

Certified Green Restaurant® located in a corporate office that received the most GreenPoints™ 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Hertz Corporate Headquarters Café, located in Estero, FL, has implemented 88 environmental steps to earn 312.49 GreenPoints™. This café is making significant strides in the Energy Category, earning 162.49 GreenPoints™ for generating 20.7% of its energy usage with solar panels, Energy-Star appliances, occupancy sensors, over 50% LED lights, and more. 

 


 

GREENEST ZOO RESTAURANT 

Certified Green Restaurant® located at a zoo that received the most GreenPoints™ 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Base Camp Café at the Cincinnati Zoo has implemented 89 environmental steps to earn 364.20 GreenPoints™. This Certified Green Restaurant® is significantly reducing its energy usage with window film that blocks solar heat, duct sealing, low flow restroom hand sinks, over 94% LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, and more. 

 



REUSABLES & GREEN DISPOSABLES AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Reusables & Disposables Category 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Chauncey’s Choice at Coastal Carolina University earned 128.58 GreenPoints™ in the Reusables & Disposables category. This Certified Green Restaurant® serves all to-go orders in reusables, uses 100% reusables for staff meals, and only offers students reusable plates, cutlery, glasses, bowls, and more with no disposable options available. 

 



ENERGY CONSERVATION & RENEWABLE ENERGY AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Energy Category 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Carvers’ Café at Mt. Rushmore earned 339.66 GreenPoints™ in the Energy category. This Certified Green Restaurant® has an on-site solar array that generates more than 55% of its energy use. 

 

 


FURNISHING & BUILDING AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Building & Furnishing Category 

3 Star Certified Green Restaurant® 50 Burger, located in Salida CO, earned 67.69 GreenPoints™ in the Building & Furnishing Category. This Certified Green Restaurant® has reused and salvaged chairs, tables, booths, countertops, cabinetry, equipment, tableware, cookware, and more. 

 



SUSTAINABLE FOOD AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Food Category 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® MUSE Global Kitchen earned 134.69 GreenPoints™ in the Food category. They earned these GreenPoints™ by being 100% vegan, purchasing Certified Organic food, and having on-site food production. 

 



CHEMICAL & POLLUTION REDUCTION AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Chemicals & Pollution Category 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Putnam Dining at UConn earned 60.26 GreenPoints™ in the Chemicals & Pollution category. This Certified Green Restaurant® is located in a brownfield redevelopment building. Putnam Dining at UConn also uses a green certified pest management system, green hand soaps, and green cleaners. 

 



WASTE REDUCTION AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Waste Category 

4 Star Certified Green Caterer™ Big Delicious Planet (BDP) earned 90.50 GreenPoints™ in the Waste category by recycling plastics, glass, aluminum, paper, cardboard, grease, fluorescent lamps, batteries, and electronics. BDP is also reducing the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill with back and front of house composting, donations of excess food twice a week to a local shelter, and reusable plates, cutlery, glasses, catering platters, and more. 

 



WATER CONSERVATION AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ in the Water Category 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Outpost Cafe at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden earned 44.75 GreenPoints™ in the Water category. This Certified Green Restaurant® has an underground water harvesting system to store rain water, uses high efficiency pre-rinse spray valves, low flow kitchen and restroom hand sinks, Energy Star qualified appliances, low water landscaping, and more.  

 

 


SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AWARD 

Received the most GreenPoints™ for Sustainable Seafood 

4 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Cougar Woods Dining Commons at University of Houston is the first Certified Green Restaurant® to earn the Sustainable Seafood Green Badge for having 100% sustainable seafood. 

 



GREEN MARKETING AWARD 

Certified Green Restaurant® which markets their certification in the most creative and effective way 

3 Star Certified Green Restaurant® Hunter’s Head Tavern at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, VA has earned 14.5 GreenPoints™ in the Education & Transparency category. With take-out flyers, certification signage, Green Fox Facts, email promos, staff pins, and more, this Certified Green Restaurant® is implementing creative and effective marketing to educate the public and to be transparent about their sustainability. 

 

 


GREEN SOCIAL MEDIA AWARD 

Certified Green Restaurant® with the most effective and creative social media about its certification 

Certified Green Caterer™ Tall Guy and a Grill showcases its certification across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. With regular social posts about its sustainability steps and a sustainability story highlight on Instagram, this Certified Green Caterer™ is promoting its certification in effective and creative ways. 

 

Learn more: 

 

GREEN EMPLOYEE LEADER An employee in the restaurant industry who is a champion of sustainability at their Certified Green Restaurant® and in the restaurant community 

Kyle Phillips, Vice President of Concepts and Development for SSP America, is the winner of the 2024 Green Employee Leader Award.  Kyle was excited to bring the Green Restaurant Association to another SSP America airport after the Green Restaurant Association’s (GRA) work with SSP America at JFK T4.  Following Kyle bringing the idea to his executive team, 10 more airports are now working with the GRA to earn certification.  As a result of Kyle’s dedication, over 140 restaurant locations across these airports have recently earned certification or are currently in the process of earning certification.  

 

Kyle has shown continued dedication to the certification of the restaurants at the airports by assisting the GRA when necessary.  He took leadership in creating a meeting between SSP America, the GRA, and two Vice Presidents of an airport to help the GRA gather the necessary information about the airport’s recycling status.  From his leadership in 2024, Kyle has proven he is a champion of sustainability at his Certified Green Restaurants® and in the restaurant community. His leadership is contributing significantly to driving the foodservice industry towards environmental sustainability. 

 

 

"I applaud all of the 2024 Green Restaurant Award winners on their commitment to reducing their environmental impact,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and Founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “These Certified Green Restaurants®, organizations, and employees have set an example for others across North America to follow. By taking great environmental leadership in the restaurant industry, the 2024 Green Restaurant Award winners are proving it’s possible for any restaurant, organization, or employee to dramatically improve their environmental footprint today.”  

 


About the Green Restaurant Association  

The Green Restaurant Association is a national non-profit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants® mark in the country. Since 1990, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant® movement and has been the leading voice within the industry encouraging restaurants to listen to consumer demand to green their operations using transparent, science-based certification standards. With their turnkey certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable in a profitable manner. The GRA has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and in The New York Times, and The Washington Post. For more information visit www.dinegreen.com. 

 

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