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Case Studies from our ReThink Disposable Team.

Patricia Hernández, Manager at Powderface

Powderface

Located in Fruitvale Village, Powderface serves the best beignets west of New Orleans, serving both traditional and vegan beignets. Powderface will not only divert over 77,000 single pieces of harmful disposable plastics every year but will also enjoy a $3,000 annual savings.
Samara, Parra’s Employee

Parra’s

Parra’s is a traditional Mexican restaurant in the heart of the Fruitvale. Parra’s was already using reusable foodware for their dine-in guests but were still relying on plastic straws and sauce cups. Replacing them with stainless steel reusable foodware will positively impact the community diverting over 41,000 pieces of harmful disposable plastics annually.
Hogar Latino Panaderia Y Restaurant Co-Owner Hugo Barajas Jimenez

Hogar Latino Panaderia Y Restaurant

Located in the heart of the Fruitvale on International Boulevard, Hogar Latino Panaderia Y Restaurant serves Honduran and Salvadoran food with an amazing juice bar and, arguably, some of the best tamales in Oakland. After switching to 100% resusable dine-in foodware, they'll be saving $3,120 annually!
Jake Lee, Chef and Owner Emil's Burger & Breakfast

Emil’s Burger & Breakfast

Located in Fruitvale Village, Emil’s Burger & Breakfast prides itself on the freshest ingredients, hand-selected by the owner daily and cooked fresh to order. They had been serving their customers on disposable paper and plastics. Now, people are noshing on their delicious burgers with reusable foodware and enjoying an elevated dining experience.
BUSD students enjoying lunch on stainless steel plates

Berkeley Unified School District: Phase One

By transitioning from single-use disposable food packaging to less-toxic durable alternatives at just 3 out of 16 schools, BUSD expects to eliminate 46,000 single-use utensils and 73,000 single-use trays in a given school year.
Koreana Restaurant Storefront

Koreana Rittenhouse Square

Koreana, a restaurant known for its traditional Korean cuisine in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, was already using many reusable foodware options for dine-in customers. Identifying further opportunities with ReThink Disposable they're saving an additional $3,109, reducing 758 lbs of trash annually, and seeing enthusiasm from customers!

Fruitvale Community Restaurants: ReThink Disposable Case Study

Five local Fruitvale restaurants teamed up to reduce single-use disposable waste by over 187,600 individual pieces and over 3,240 pounds — annually. After an average payback period of 2.74 months, this group of restaurants will collectively be saving over $10,000 every year by purchasing fewer disposables, dramatically reducing plastic pollution in their operations, and providing real-time examples of businesses that are both eco-friendly and economical in the Fruitvale community.

How Alameda County Is ReThinking Disposables [Video]

Working with funding from StopWaste and Ocean Foundation and in collaboration with Gurdwara Temple, Julie’s Coffee & Tea, and Freight & Salvage, ReThink Disposable is excited to share this video highlighting the work happening in the Bay Area to reduce plastic waste. Each of these businesses are realizing significant reduction in single use disposable foodware and a savings to their bottom line!

San Francisco Music Venues Raise the Bar for Sustainability: Case study on a reusable cup pilot at three San Francisco venues

In a groundbreaking initiative to combat single-use plastic pollution, several iconic San Francisco music venues took the leap towards sustainability by switching to reusable cups. Supported by San Francisco Environment Department and Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program, these venues teamed up with reusable cup providers r.World and TURN, leading the way in the entertainment industry.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | Ballast Coffee [Archive]

San Fransisco café owner Paolo Araneta, every bit as bold as the Barako coffee he serves, deployed a new reusable jar system for Ballast’s daily grab-and-go treats and eliminated single-use disposable containers.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | Manila Eatery

Manila Eatery is successfully implementing these ReThink Disposable cost saving practices: Switched from single-use plastic plates to reusable plates, and replaced two different sizes of single-use plastic bowls with reusable bowls.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | Palo Alto Unified School District

Palo Alto Unified successfully transitions single-use foodware to reusable in 12 elementary schools using a central kitchen distribution model earning an annual net savings of $25,000.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | Hang Ten Boiler

Alameda, CA based Hang Ten Boiler hosts many dine in and to go customers, all hungry for their Hawaiian, Asian fusion, and Cajun style seafood dishes. After making the switch to all reusable in-house dining foodware - accounting for the costs of hiring a new dishwasher and water - Hang Ten saved $3,988 each year.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa

The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa in Culver City, CA replaced disposable cups, utensils, and stirrers and advertised a "Bring Your Own Cup" incentive. The result was no impact to labor costs, only positive feedback from customers, and $6,899 saved in annual net cost savings.

ReThink Disposable Case Study & Video (English & Spanish) | Shish Grill

"First of all, your dishes are going to look a lot better, more presentable and more on the upscale side. And you’re going to save a lot of money. No one hates to do that. You work hard for your money, so saving will go a long way. Third of all, I mean, you’re going green, help the environment as well." - Nancy Annan, Owner

ReThink Disposable Case Study | University of San Francisco Market Cafe

Bon Appétit Management Company plans to implement the ReThink Disposable program campus-wide at USF, after a successful pilot program saved more than $150,000 in disposable foodware costs by eliminating more than two million items with no additional labor cost.

ReThink Disposable Participating Business Testimonials

Highlights from food establishments that have received ReThink Disposable assistance.

ReThink Disposable Case Study | Cybelle's Pizza

The owner of Cybelle’s Pizza on Bush Street has been historically challenged to implement reusable food service ware in his fast paced restaurant. 50% of his business caters to delivery and customers grabbing a quick slice to go. Even faced with these challenges, the results of this program showed a significant drop in disposables.

ReThink Disposable Case Study & Video | Lola's Chicken Shack

The owners of Lola's Chicken Shack were able to significantly minimize disposable foodware for their high schooler lunch clientele by replacing large to-go boxes with a smaller food tray, eliminating disposable lids, and educational signage. These simple changes save $1,458 and 573 lbs of waste annually!

ReConsidera Desechable Estudio De Caso | Restaurante El Metate

Francisco Hernández, propietario: “De cualquier manera que lo mire uno, el programa ReConsidera Desechable es beneficioso para todos.”

ReThink Disposable Case Study & Video | Bishop O’Dowd High School

“I think it has been a success and will go a long way towards reducing landfill waste and show alternatives to disposables not only to the adults but as well as the kids who go to school here.” - Chef Todd Morales

ReThink Disposable Case Study | El Metate Restaurant (English & Spanish)

Fernando, the owner of El Metate, worried about potential loss of easy to throw away items. After making the switch to reusable cutlery and portion cups with bus tubs and racks helping to reduce product loss, the elevated experience resulted in more dine-in customers and an annual cost savings of nearly $9,000.