Sustainability: The Secret Ingredient for a Successful Restaurant

I don't know firsthand how hard it is to have a successful restaurant, but living in San Francisco, a foodie mecca, I would imagine that it's really tough. There is so much good food and so much competition. The same is true in cities elsewhere. So what does it take to survive? Of course the requisite good food, good service, good ambiance. But there's something else, too.

I recently had dinner with Casson Trenor, who works for Greenpeace and is a part owner in Tataki, a San Francisco sushi joint. What sets his restaurant a part from the host of other sushi places in the city? A good story, he says, which is not at all the same thing as marketing gimmicks. This is a story that goes to the core of what the restaurant stands for. The restaurant's mission is "To showcase the beauty and delicacy of Japanese cuisine while respecting the sanctity and fragility of our environment. If we are to preserve the art of sushi, we must also safeguard the health and biodiversity of our oceans. With this in mind, we strive everyday to integrate the concept of sustainable dining into our menu options."

That means that Tataki only serves fish that are harvested in a sustainable manner from healthy and robust populations that don't contain high levels of mercury. Bluefin tuna on the menu? Hell no! But you can try skipjack tuna or sardines. Never heard of sardine sushi, much less sampled it? I hadn't either until going to Tataki, but I'm a believer now. I actually only started eating fish a few years ago, having been a vegetarian for most of my life. Once I realized I really enjoyed eating certain kinds of fish, I felt like I'd missed the boat — most of the good stuff seemed too endangered or contaminated to eat. But it turns out, there are some fish that are still safe to eat and, if we fish responsibility, can be truly enjoyed.

Tataki's story shows the impact that a restaurant can make. Folks who enjoy fish still can savor good seafood, so long as its sourced responsibly from healthy populations. The only way to truly maintain sushi and seafood restaurants, therefore, it to ensure that these places harvest their goods with nature in mind. There are rising numbers of 'green' businesses out there. Let's hope more of those places are eateries that have a genuine drive for environmental responsibility.

Photo credit: sekimura