Nation’s First Certified Green Fast-Casual Restaurant is Boston’s Grille Zone

BOSTON, Mass. — Boston’s Grille Zone is the first fast-casual restaurant in the nation to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association. The Boston restaurant, which opened in June of 2007, is the first of several locations. Founders Ben Prentice and Barry Baker are currently entertaining investor inquiries to support plans for four additional locations in Boston and five in Albany over the next five years.

Prentice and Baker developed Grille Zone’s eco-focused business model based on a goal of zero-waste and 100% sustainability. In order to reduce its carbon footprint, Grille Zone utilizes 100% compostable cups, plates, and cutlery, sources food items locally, and utilizes the most energy efficient restaurant equipment available. As a result, Grille Zone’s Boston location currently produces an average of no more than 15 lbs of waste per day, which fills about one half of a standard 55 gallon trashbag. According to the Green Restaurant Association, the average restaurant produces around 275 lbs of waste each day.

“There are no trashcans in our eating area,” explains Prentice. “We have a compost receptacle and a recycling receptacle; everything a customer needs to ‘throw away’ fits into one or the other. We don’t even own a dumpster.”

“Grille Zone produces as close to zero waste as a restaurant can – and that’s pretty incredible,” said Michael Oshman, Executive Director of the Green Restaurant Association. “There are very few restaurants in the country that can even approach being zero-waste businesses.”

Grille Zone’s affordable Americana menu features super-fresh (never frozen) food items, most of which are locally sourced. The menu includes freshly ground Certified Hereford Beef(TM) hamburgers, fresh hand cut French Fries (cooked in zero tans fat oil), super premium frappes, authentic German frankfurters, sodas made with real sugar cane and locally baked artisan rolls and buns. Grille Zone burgers are priced at $5.95. The typical check average is about $10.

Grille Zone is a fast-casual restaurant establishment. Fast-casual restaurants offer a higher quality menu, more upscale environment, and higher style of service than typical fast food restaurants. The fast-casual food delivery timeframe is slightly longer than fast food restaurants, but substantially shorter than full-service restaurants.

Grille Zone’s Boston location is located at 1022 Commonwealth Ave in Boston, MA. More information: http://www.grillezone.com.

[tags]Grille Zone Boston, eco focused business model, Certified Green Fast Casual Restaurant, Ben Prentice and Barry Baker[/tags]

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ABOUT THE EDITOR: Tabitha Angel Berg is an aspiring author and musician and joined eNewsChannels in Nov. 2006 as an editor and mistress of the content management system. She likes ferrets better than cats and tea better than coffee, and is still waiting on the perfect ebook reading device.

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