EP15: Running a zero-waste, national food chain - Just Salad

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FUN FACT

Just Salad’s reusable bowl program is the largest in the world, saving over 75,000 pounds of plastic every year.

FOUNDERS

Nick Kenner

FLAGSHIP PRODUCTs

Salad

LAUNCHED

2006

HQ

New York, NY

Just Salad

The Problem

Like we’ve discussed in prior episodes, food waste and single-use packaging is a huge problem in the restaurant industry. Millions of pounds of food thrown away. Single-use utensils, cups, and bowls. The list goes on…

The Solution

Just Salad is unlike most national food chains - they run the world’s largest reusable bowl program, aim to be zero-waste by 2022, and have a Chief Sustainability Officer who’s core focus is to reduce the company's environmental impact.

Episode Brief

Nick Kenner, Founder and CEO of Just Salad, joins Peter on this week’s episode to discuss:

  • Founding Just Salad and the eureka moment

  • Running the world’s largest reusable bowl program

  • Their zero-waste roadmap

  • The commercial advantages of sustainability

  • Online food delivery

  • Lightning Round:

    1. What’s the most interesting food concept (or invention in F&B more broadly) recently?

    2. You’ve been operating JS for almost 14 years. If you weren’t work on JS, what problem area or industry would you be exploring and why?

    3. Who has had the greatest impact on your learning and why?

    4. Let’s assume all the stars align - what does the next two/three years look like for JS?

Credits

HOST

Peter Levin

PRODUCTION

Dan Mahoney

MUSIC

Eddie Knuckles

Peter Levin