Pietro Gianni and Stephen Peterson — co-owners of popular Italian restaurants Storico Fresco, Storico Vino, Forza Storico, and soon-to-open YEPPA&co Bar e Ristorante — have spent the past three years committing to eco-conscious practices at their establishments and the use of sustainable aluminum solutions in the hopes that their diners will demand the same from other restaurant groups.

“At the start of the pandemic, we were confronted with something unprecedented and had to figure out how to cut costs without cutting quality,” says Gianni. “We discovered that many of the financially beneficial solutions came from sustainability.”

By making small changes since 2020 and rethinking how they serve their guests, Gianni and his team were able to make a huge impact on both their bottom line and their carbon footprint. Swapping out paper towels for hand dryers in the bathrooms saved the company $35,000 per year, just as an example. Installing smart thermostats that are programmable through the owners’ cell phones led to 30% savings on utility bills. Replacing incandescent lights with LED bulbs also contributed to their energy efficiency. Switching to plant-based to-go containers and cutlery cut costs in half while also reducing the restaurant’s amount of landfill waste. Ordering food products in exact quantities to reduce trimming to almost zero and finding purposes for any trimmings, has led to greater efficiency. Prepping correctly and using technology to predict the volume of food orders greatly reduces waste, as food waste on the prep side accounts for more greenhouse gasses than automobiles.

To reduce the amount of glass (thousands of bottles per week thanks to the wines, spritzes, and bottled water served) used in his restaurants, Gianni began researching aluminum and was surprised to discover how much less labor these eco-friendly alternatives required. He installed still and sparkling water filtration systems at each restaurant and only offers prosecco on tap for house cocktails rather than bottles. The reduction in the mere weight of the restaurants’ waste reduces the number of trips to the dumpster from eight per day to three and allows for a 40% reduction in garbage bag usage. Now, the only bottled water offered at his restaurants is spring water in cans, which come in sustainable aluminum bottles for infinite recyclability.

Gianni has since been working with Novelis to install a dedicated aluminum recycling bin near the restaurants’ dumpsters and is encouraging other restaurant operators to get on board to increase the number of aluminum recycling centers throughout the city. “It’s a hugely beneficial process, but we are only four restaurants,” he explains. “If we get larger companies and restaurant chains to do the same, we can make a huge impact.”

As Gianni and Peterson get ready to open their latest concept YEPPA&co next month, they are demonstrating how to improve restaurant sustainability from the start while proving how financially advantageous these eco-friendly efforts can be. “It’s so much easier to be mindful of these things when you are starting from scratch rather than having to adapt existing restaurants. YEPPA&co was born with sustainability in mind since day one,” Gianni explains.

The YEPPA&co space previously housed two restaurants in succession. Gianni and his design team decided to lower the ceiling from 20 feet down to 12 feet to reduce the restaurant’s energy consumption and made sure they could reuse all the same wood. They reused most of the plumbing and scrap aluminum that was torn down from the previous restaurant, and the co-owners also opted for a bar-centric design that requires fewer materials to build and less labor to staff. At the bar, YEPPA&co will use a conveyor belt food delivery system that keeps labor costs down while ensuring faster service for patrons.

“YEPPA&co is a huge effort on our part to be more mindful of sustainability every step of the way. The restaurant is less labor and energy intensive and will hopefully offer diners a better experience,” he adds.

Gianni’s restaurants display their eco-conscious efforts whenever possible so customers can understand the impact. The responses from guests have been extremely positive, and Gianni says his staff members are very proud of these practices.

“There’s a generational shift happening, and our children are the customers of the future,” he says. “They want to dine in places that have these sustainable practices in place and will drive the change.”

For additional information on Storico Fresco, Storico Vino, and Forza Storico, visit storico.com. For more information on YEPPA&co, visit yeppaco.com.