How L.A. Environmental Regs Are Affecting Restaurant Users

New environmental regulations have pushed restaurant operation costs upward as users comply. Among new regulations have included a ban on straws and trends have moved away from paper receipts, all in an effort to reduce waste. Restaurants, which have become exceedingly popular in retail centers, have adapted to the new regulations and have mixed feelings about compliance.

“We have to be prepared to adapt to new normal and adjust our comfort zones with some of these new policies,” Holly Fox, CFO of Last Word Hospitality, tells GlobeSt.com. “Luckily for restaurants, we get to set the programming and tone for our guests, so that as long as we believe in what we are doing, we can sell it and keep everything progressing.”

This year, there aren’t any official regulations anticipated for restaurant owners, however, some are still adjusting to the straw ban implemented last year. “Last year, the buzz about the straw ban and the irresponsible waste of single-use plastic straws started some meaningful conversations and considerations for how to be more environmentally mindful,” Fox explains. “Though I’m not a fan of the thousands of rules, policies, and fees that Los Angeles puts on small businesses in general, I do think that some simple things, like the straw ban, gave weight and validation to all the small steps we can start taking to be less wasteful.”

These regulations put pressure on restaurant operations costs. “It is expensive to adapt to these new policies and find new products to use,” says Fox. “Our to-go packaging costs more than doubled when we switched everything over, but it is a purpose I believe in, so it is worth the price.”

While regulations do put pressure on operations costs, restaurant owners are also adopting more environmental policies that are popular among consumers, and these can help to increase retail center traffic and sales. “We did go to great lengths to make to-go materials as compostable or biodegradable as much as possible and at the very least, fully recyclable,” says Fox.

This year, Fox is anticipating that the environmental trend will move toward electronic or paper-free receipts. But, this is a trend Fox is welcoming. “I also read that our state may pass a bill that would require all businesses to provide electronic receipts instead of non-recyclable receipt paper,” she says. “To me, the receipt thing is incredibly productive because the amount of paper we must keep on hand for any given audit or recall currently fills a storage unit, so in addition to reducing waste, it would also likely ease the burden of hard copy record-keeping to more digital, cloud-based systems.