How to integrate sustainability in the restaurant business: a case study of the first zero-waste Portuguese restaurant

• Autor(a) principal: Figueiredo, Joana Oliveira
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/23894
• topic: Covid-19; Sustainability; Restaurant business; Sustainable restaurant; Circular economy; Stakeholders; Sustentabilidade -- Sustainability; Área da restauração; Restaurante sustentável; Economia circular

Sustainability is increasingly discussed in a business world that is now also focused on the social and environmental well-being, beyond merely seeking profits. Notwithstanding, the global ecosystem is based on a linear throughput flow of materials, leading to an increase in waste, generating social, environmental, and economic problems. Although the restaurant business has a big contribution to degradation of the environment and social issues, it can also be an important voice in raising consciousness about sustainability and a powerful motivator to the adoption of sustainable practices. However, this is easier said than done. This research aimed to investigate and better understand the integration of sustainability in a restaurant, having in consideration the various stakeholders of the business and their relationships, and bearing in mind the social, environmental, and economic dimensions. The results are based on a qualitative analysis of a case study - Kitchen Dates, the first zero-waste Portuguese restaurant - and interviews were conducted with its stakeholders. The findings reveal that to successfully incorporate sustainability in a restaurant, an integrated and holistic approach is required, that considers all dimensions of sustainability, including a multi-stakeholder perspective based on human relations in every activity of the business. Theoretically, this study introduces a holistic perspective of how to incorporate sustainability in a restaurant, based on the insights of different stakeholders; and from a practical perspective, it is hoped that this dissertation can provide restaurant managers and other industry stakeholders with some guidelines and inspiration for incorporating sustainability in the restaurant business.