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Low carbon restaurant Otarian arrives in London

18th August 2010, 4:33pm

Otarian, a new fast-casual restaurant chain, is set to open the doors of its first UK location tomorrow.

The company claims to be the first global restaurant chain to display the carbon footprint of all its menu items.

Otarian is a concept based around vegetarianism and it says that swapping a meat based lunch for an Otarian Carbon saving combo meal, could save 2.3kg of carbon, which is the equivalent to the CO2e emissions of 4 central London black cab journeys.

Founder Radhika Oswal said: "Vegetarianism is the most sustainable way of eating and being. Vegetarian food has a lighter ecological footprint, reduced resource impacts, and lower carbon emissions than non-vegetarian equivalents. Our goal is to provide consumers with the quantifiable and measurable benefits of each delicious vegetarian alternative they choose at Otarian, and thus, empower them to make a positive impact on the environment one meal at a time."

All decisions about Otarian's food and operations are also made with sustainability at the forefront. Some of these include:

No air freight policy - Ingredients that would typically be air freighted, such as Otarian's fresh herbs from Israel or select produce from California, are instead transported by road. Dishes are reformulated to exclude these ingredients if a reliable supply is unavailable without using air transport.

98% of restaurant waste composted or recycled - Otarian will have waste collected by private companies to ensure it is recycled or composted and is paying double the price to achieve this rate, which is unprecedented in the fast food sector

All packaging compostable, recyclable or reusable - Otarian will use innovative materials like bagasse to help minimize the environmental impact of the packaging. Bagasse is a fully bio-degradable by-product of the sugar cane industry that has historically been treated as waste

Sustainable design and architecture - Otarian leads the way in the fast-casual restaurant design, incorporating sustainable materials throughout the establishment, including floor tiles made from recycled glass, table tops made using recycled plastic, ceiling décor made from recycled aluminium, and chairs made from sustainably sourced bamboo

Otarian will open the doors of its first restaurants in London at Wardour Street, Soho and Shaftesbury Avenue, Covent Garden on August 20th, and then Regent Street later in the year.

Restaurant hours will be 11 am -10 pm, prices range from £3.95 - £6.25 for a main dish.

Words Clare Riley 0 comments

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