Forty percent of hospitality guests are happy to pay more for sustainable dishes

Door: Emine Youssef, Director of Hospitality for Western Europe at Lightspeed

Sustainability is increasingly determining where restaurant-goers choose to eat. For four out of ten restaurant visitors in the Netherlands, it is so important that they are willing to pay extra for sustainably prepared dishes. This is evident from research by till and payment platform Lightspeed, conducted among 2,000 restaurant visitors and 200 hospitality entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. For hotel professionals, this offers clear opportunities: guests who are already dining under the same roof are all the more receptive to a hotel restaurant that fulfils its sustainability ambitions.

Waste and plastic as dealbreakers

Guests look for more than just the menu. Food waste is a decisive factor for almost seven in ten Dutch people (68%): they expect restaurants to take active measures to combat it. A majority want restaurants to stop using single-use plastic items (57%), and 56 per cent believe it is important for sustainable options to be clearly visible on the menu. Furthermore, 46 per cent pay attention to whether a restaurant operates in an energy-efficient manner.

This is in line with what hospitality business owners themselves are observing: almost two-thirds (64%) have noticed that guests are increasingly making a conscious choice to opt for sustainably produced dishes. Sustainability is therefore no longer a secondary consideration, but an expectation that guests bring with them to the table.

From regional products to reusable crockery

Catering businesses are already actively responding to this growing demand. More than half (55%) source regional products, and half opt for plastic-free alternatives such as paper straws. Almost a third (29%) use reusable napkins or tableware. Investments are also being made behind the scenes: in energy-efficient equipment (64%), waste separation (64%) and water-saving facilities (60%).

Portion sizes are also viewed differently. Half of the business owners (50%) take smaller portions into account for sustainability reasons, and just over a quarter (26%) reuse food waste, for example by using vegetable peelings to make stock, or turning stale bread into breadcrumbs. These are small changes that guests are increasingly noticing and appreciating.

Sustainability deserves a stage

However, communication regarding all these efforts is lagging behind. Almost half of business owners (49%) receive little feedback from guests about their sustainability initiatives, presumably because these efforts simply go unnoticed. Those who operate sustainably but fail to communicate this are missing out on a significant opportunity to gain appreciation and loyalty.

Sustainability has grown from a niche to a decisive factor in the hospitality industry. Guests not only pay attention to initiatives such as tackling waste or using local products, but they are even willing to pay extra for them. Transparent communication about sustainable choices is therefore of great importance. The menu is a logical starting point: explicitly mark sustainable dishes and tell the story behind local suppliers. This way, a conscious purchasing choice also becomes an experience for the guest.

This is extra relevant for hotel restaurants. Guests are not just staying in the restaurant, but in the whole hotel. A consistent sustainability story, visible on the menu, enhances the overall guest experience.

Sustainability as an integral part of the guest experience

Ultimately, it’s about not seeing sustainability as a standalone project, but as an integral part of the guest experience: from the menu to the energy supply. Hotel restaurants are in a unique position to tell and convey that story. Those who manage to make that connection, are building something that goes beyond a satisfied guest.

Sustainability begins with insight. Bring all of your hotel's F&B activities under one roof with Lightspeed, the entrepreneur platform for ambitious hospitality entrepreneurs and the ideal partner for your PMS.