Raise Awareness – Feed the future with our choices today

The choices we make today can make a significant impact on our future – they can lighten our carbon footprint or simply leave less trace of our presence behind.
To help make better choices, we believe the dining room should be another classroom.  Not one where you take exams, but one where you have a chance to raise your awareness about food --- how it feeds our bodies and our souls.

Ways we are doing this

Loving Local - During the growing season, many produce items are sourced locally through relationships with farmers. How do you know what’s local? Generally speaking, our week-at-a-glance menu doesn’t tell you as those purchases and deliveries are often subject to availability. Instead, local items and ingredients are identified with signage.  Also, as much as possible, we incorporate “all natural” or organic ingredients including select dressings, vegetables, dairy products and meats.

Food with Standards - From choosing seafood that is supported by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to serving coffee that is fair trade (and often organic and rainforest alliance certified or locally roasted), we try to assure that our communities can feel good about where their food is coming from, how the hands that prepare it are being treated and how safe it is. Our primary food vendor, Performance Food Group, is also taking steps to reduce their impact on the environment.  Learn more.

Made from Scratch - Not only is this the “right way” to approach dining for large and small numbers – it’s the only way we ever have. Some now promote this as “distinctive” – for us it’s a given in all of our locations. Without exception, our chefs are passionate about cooking and are remarkably creative so this expectation is part of Meriwether Godsey’s essence.

Trayless! - Studies consistently show that trays promote loading up when you are hungry and throwing away when you get full.  Trays are also terrible energy hogs --- they are made of plastic, require frequent washing, and when they wear out, they end up in the landfill. MG is trayless in almost all of our locations.

Feed the Difference Harvest Meal - In the fall we promote eating local with our “Feed the Difference” meal --- featuring local ingredients in appreciation of the Harvest in Virginia.

Earth Day Celebration - In the spring we celebrate Earth Day with another huge focus on local and artisan foods, and sources that are more mindful of our natural resources (organics, natural ingredients, and processes that promote better treatment of animals).

Sustainable Disposables – We avoid disposables whenever we can and those we do use we try to assure are biodegradeable or recyclable and made from natural, renewable or recycled content.

Ugly Mug Program - Members of our client communities contribute mismatched mugs to our coffee stations to be used and returned — reducing the need for disposable cups.

Biofuel – Many of our locations collect fryer oil for alternative fuel

Composting – Against logistical odds, we are participating in composting initiatives and are believers this can be made easier as it is more widely accepted and promoted

Sustainable Messaging – We have created MG artwork with sustainable messages like “save the napkin”, “believe in seconds” to jazz up our dining rooms visually and intellectually.

Weigh the Waste – Knowing that waste is food service enemy #1, this visual demonstration is the beginning of an effective program for reducing what ends up in the kitchen and dining room trash.