Across the country, restaurants are proving that environmental responsibility and business success can go hand in hand simply by reducing waste, cutting costs and appealing to environmentally conscious diners.

The recent Eat Out Yoco Restaurant Experience Survey showed that more than 60% of restaurants have less than 6% waste. In a country where approximately 10 million tonnes of food is discarded annually, equating to about one-third of the country's total food production, this is an incredible achievement.

Along with this reduction in waste is a focus on sustainability, which is also proving popular with diners. In fact, the survey clearly showed that consumers are increasingly favouring locally sourced ingredients - a full 59.5% of diners see this as important when choosing where to eat.

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The restaurants leading the way

A restaurateur who has fully grasped the importance of sustainability is Johannes Richter, head chef of The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate in KwaZulu-Natal. Not only did Johannes win the Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year award this year, The LivingRoom also won this year’s Eat Out Woolworths Green Star Award.

“Sustainability was never an afterthought - it’s been the foundation of The LivingRoom since day one,” he explains. "I believe restaurants have an enormous responsibility, not just in what we put on a plate, but in how we source it, how we use it, and what impact we leave behind. Whether it's the decline in marine biomass, the loss of biodiversity, or the amount of waste the industry generates, these aren’t abstract issues. They’re urgent.” The LivingRoom sources 90% of ingredients within 100km of the restaurant. This includes fruit and vegetables from their own gardens and like-minded farmers, suppliers who share their ethos. “We also prioritise endemic, seasonal, drought-resistant crops - no pesticides, no herbicides, no palm oil, and no wild-caught seafood.”

Dana Korstenbroek, owner of The Conscious Kitchen, follows a similar philosophy. Launched in 2019, the vegan restaurant began as a passion project rooted in her commitment to conscious living. “It started from a very personal place,” she explains. “I was looking for a tangible way to live more sustainably - and food felt like the most direct and universal way to do that.” What began with a single café on Kloof Street in Cape Town has since grown into two thriving locations. But the mission remains the same: to create inclusive spaces where sustainability feels accessible, not intimidating. “So many of the spaces I used to go to felt exclusionary, filled with superfoods and terminology that could put off anyone who wasn’t already fully on board,” Dana says. “I wanted to create a place that welcomed curiosity, not perfection.”

Beyond the menu, The Conscious Kitchen embraces sustainability at every level, from who grows the produce to how it's packaged. Most takeaway items come in glass bottles, not just because glass is reusable, but because it encourages customers to return containers, subtly disrupting the throwaway culture.

The business of sustainability

Operating sustainably offers restaurants significant business advantages that go beyond environmental impact - it's a smart long-term strategy. As the Eat Out Yoco Restaurant Experience Survey showed, today’s diners are increasingly conscious of where their food comes from and how it’s produced. This often translates into repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Johannes concurs. “Our diners, both local and international, are incredibly curious about provenance. They want to understand where their food comes from, who grew it, and how it connects to this place. Every service, our team shares the stories behind our suppliers, about our local ceramicist who uses KZN clay, about Deon and Chisomo [Bean], who grow so much of our fruit and vegetables. It’s not about marketing, it’s our daily reality, and guests feel that authenticity.” Over the years, he’s seen more and more appreciation for the way they cook - it’s a different vantage point, especially for South Africa. That connection builds trust. And trust builds loyalty.

Dana has also noticed that customer attitudes are evolving. “We’ve definitely noticed that people are seeking out restaurants with values they can support,” she says. “They want to feel good about where their money is going - that it’s contributing to something positive.”

Cutting the costs

Operating in a sustainable way can lead to substantial cost savings. For example, optimising energy and water usage, reducing food waste and improving supply chain efficiency can all cut overhead costs. As every restaurateur knows, every bit of saving in a restaurant helps towards the bottom line. With food costs on average being between 30 and 40% of menu costs, it’s essential that waste is managed at every stage of the process.

Johannes explains that they run a minimal-waste kitchen. Everything gets used: nose-to-tail for meat, root-to-shoot for plants. “We preserve, ferment, dehydrate, and compost everything that can’t be repurposed. Even our water is recycled to irrigate the garden. In terms of energy, we’re off-grid. The 90 solar panels we installed power the entire restaurant and estate. We’ve also redesigned our kitchen to be energy efficient and cook predominantly over invasive black wattle wood.”

Dana says that they have minimal waste because almost everything gets used. “We only use fresh produce, and if there is anything left over, we have systems in place that will allow us to use it for something else, like making a soup, for example. Everything is recycled.”

Technology that supports sustainability

The good news for all restaurants is that there are ways to manage efforts towards sustainability more effectively, including through technology, particularly business analytics and point-of-sale tools. Yoco now offers two all-in-one solutions designed to support restaurateurs on this journey: Yoco Counter and Table by Yoco. Both combine payments and POS tools in a single system, giving you better visibility and control – all under one account.

Yoco Counter allows restaurateurs to accurately track which items sell best and which go to waste. With real-time sales and inventory data built right into this innovative point of sale system, owners can spot exactly what’s flying off the menu and what’s being left behind. That means no more guesswork when placing orders, and far less over-ordering that leads to waste.

Table by Yoco makes stock management even smarter. It keeps the front-of-house and kitchen in sync, reducing order errors that often result in spoiled or wasted food. It also offers advanced ingredient and recipe management. Reconciliation is another Table by Yoco feature that allows restaurant owners to track inventory and sales as they happen. Other innovative features include low-stock alerts, auto-syncing across devices, and bulk-product updates to help business owners stay ahead of the game, so they are never caught off guard or scrambling mid-service, and can offer more sustainable, cost-saving efficiencies. It’s all about assisting restaurant owners with greater visibility, faster decisions and a less wasteful kitchen.

As the restaurant industry continues to evolve, sustainability is no longer a trend, it’s a necessity. By aligning sustainability goals with the right technology, restaurateurs can serve great food and a better future for all.