Towards a more responsible restaurant

Work, equipment, water, energy... everything comes into play before you even think about the kitchen and the customers. These financial and practical concerns are part and parcel of the not always glamorous life of a restaurant. Interviews with young chef Camille Guérin and James Lambert from Les Alchimistes, who helps restaurateurs manage their food waste.

" It all takes a lot of energy, organization and time ".

Camille Guérin has just opened A Table! in the 7ᵉ arrondissement of Paris. In this premises, which was already a restaurant, she had to redo everything. A big budget, therefore, which had an impact on future decisions. Because wanting to do well doesn't mean being able to do everything.

" We had to prioritize," admits the young chef, " because even if I didn't make a lot of concessions, I regret not having gone as far as I wanted. We could have insulated better, used green energy - which costs three times as much - and used old kitchen equipment. Working alone in the kitchen, I couldn't take that risk. For the furniture, the benches, the tables, the glass roof, we were lucky thanks to a friend who worked in a restaurant in liquidation. I couldn't have wished for anything better. But it all takes a lot of energy, organization and time.

Managing waste: a challenge

If there's one thing that's particularly important in an urban environment, and especially in a big city like Paris, it's waste management. Officially, in January 2024, all foodservice players will have to comply with the law requiring them to sort their bio-waste, from the 1ᵉʳ kilo generated. This has already been the case since 2016 for those producing more than 10 tons of waste per year, (around 450-600 place settings per day) and since January 2023 for those generating 5 tons of waste, (roughly 150-200 place settings).

" In the kitchens where I've worked, there was a lot of waste," continues Camille Guérin, " and frankly, in my restaurant, I couldn't see myself throwing my waste in a conventional garbage can. When I wondered how to deal with it, I did some research and finally came across Les Alchimistes. ".

Since 2016, Les Alchimistes has been collecting food waste from traditional and collective catering professionals. " We estimate, and this is a figure to be taken with a grain of salt, that there are around 10 million tonnes of food waste generated per year in France, 15% of which is generated by restaurants," explains James Lambert, Business Development Manager at Les Alchimistes. " They represent an important segment, which is why they were our first customers. But it varies according to the type of cuisine, since there are far fewer of them in cuisines where all we do is assemble. Traditional cuisine, made from raw ingredients, generates far more. We estimate that there are between 100 and 160 grams of food waste per plate, including production waste and plate return waste".

How does Les Alchimistes work?

The service offered by Les Alchimistes consists of dropping off a bin in each kitchen, which is changed at each collection (generally twice a week). In the Ile-de-France region, the waste is sent to two platforms for processing and sale as compost. The service is invoiced on a pay-as-you-go basis. Each bin is tracked in terms of quality and weight, and the fee is degressive if sorted properly.

"Price can be an obstacle, but for many restaurateurs interested in this approach, particularly in Paris, it's not necessarily the main one," continues James Lambert. On the other hand, the space required can be complicated to envisage: "At the outset, there was only one garbage can in the restaurants, then one for glass, then a third for recycling. And now there's a fourth! And how to sort properly? "Training is very important. The aim is to clearly indicate what to put in the bin, using words and pictures ".

Top chefs as role models

According to James Lambert, very few restaurateurs in the Paris region have taken the plunge. Well-organized and legally compliant, chains and franchises are the good examples. But it's also up to the top chefs to set an example. " You can't, on the one hand, claim to use perfect produce from an organic market gardener and, on the other, let waste go to waste! If Alain Passard does something, there's a good chance that a thousand or perhaps several thousand other chefs will say, 'I've really got to get involved too! "concludes James Lambert.

As for Camille Guérin, in her pocket restaurant, the bin is very much present, one element among others in an ethic that is not limited to equipment and waste, but also to people."We talk a lot about products, but it's not all there was to it," says the chef, "We decided to pay our front-of-house staff a fair wage. Unfortunately, we have to make three cuts, but we value the extra overtime with two extra weeks' paid leave. We need to find a balance, for us, for him and for future employees. And changing things at this level is hyper-important! "