Green Consumer Trend Still Going Strong

Every restaurant has had to deal with revenue and expense challenges over the last year.  And many have probably wondered whether green practices and products in their restaurants are worth their while, both in terms of cost to purchase and the time it takes to implement new green consumer trend products and procedures.

If a new Harris Interactive poll is any indication, the answer is a resounding “YES!”

Consider the following green consumer trend facts from the poll:

73% said they buy green products
8% have reduced their spending on green products
26% have increased spending on green products
67% are spending the same amount

Even more intriguing, when customers were given a choice between Restaurant A, which featured green practices and products, and Restaurant B, which did not, they responded this way:

17% would choose A over B even if it meant a longer line
21% on top of that would choose A if the wait time was the same

So it looks like you can definitely attract new customers by greening your restaurant.  But what if this forces your costs up?  This is a common concern about green products, although as the market for environmentally friendly items grows, their prices come down.  Even if you do have to raise prices, consider this:

30% expected to pay more for green products
13% would pay 5% more
11% would pay 10% more

These numbers reveal a lot of wiggle room for your restaurant to adopt and advertise green practices.  And when you have such a clear majority of green consumers, your restaurant clearly needs to get on the bandwagon if it hasn’t already.  Check out The Back Burner’s Green Restaurant Tips for more information on greening your restaurant.