Sustainability in the restaurant industry: Practices, challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Introduction/objective: Restaurants are fundamental to the global economy and a key driver of the transition to sustainability. The restaurant industry faces the challenge of balancing the demand for high-quality food with the need to adopt sustainable practices to preserve the environment and promote a more viable future. In this sense we wonder how the topic has been approached from the academic?, what has been researched regarding the implementation of environmental sustainability practices in the restaurant industry? Methodology: This systematic review examines the existing literature published between 2007 and 2023 on sustainable practices in restaurants. Results: As a result of the search, 131 articles were analyzed in detail, focusing on year of publication, associated keywords, and sustainable practices developed in case studies. Subsequently, the review was conducted to discuss three themes; positive experiences of sustainable practices in restaurants, criticism of practices far from sustainability, and the link between sustainable practices and the capabilities of managers and employees in the restaurant and foodservice sector. Conclusions: The conclusions highlight the importance of considering aspects related to organizational motivation, waste management, service quality, supply chain and the adoption of innovative technologies, as the main keys to incorporate sustainable pro-cesses in the restaurant industry.