Great menus don’t just taste good, they think good. Sustainable menu design is your chance to lead with impact, from lowering food-system emissions to boosting your brand and bottom line.
Let’s break down how you can intentionally design menus that work for your plate, your guests, and the planet.
1. Small tweaks → big impact
A study from the University of Surrey showed that simply placing vegetarian options at the top of a hotel menu significantly increased plant-based orders, with clear climate benefits. This kind of behavioral nudge can shift guest choices and shrink your menu-related carbon footprint.
2. The business trajectory is clear
Sustainability is fast becoming a commercial differentiator. According to Custom Market Insights, the sustainable catering services market hit $149 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $221 billion by 2033—a healthy CAGR of over 5%.
3. Transparency builds trust
Principles from the Menus of Change initiative stress transparency, where sourcing, preparation, and environmental footprint must be clearly communicated to build trust and brand loyalty.
The Klimato app makes sustainable menu design less guesswork, more action:
• Menu Design Feature + Carbon Labeling: Included in our Starter plan, these tools help you show carbon impact clearly next to each dish—all integrated directly into your menu workflows.
• Science‑Backed Climate Labels: Highlight sustainable choices with letter‑style ratings (like A or B), making it easier to promote high‑margin, environmentally friendly options.
• Scalable for Real Teams: Whether you're at one site or 200, Klimato is built to support chefs, operations teams, and marketers with minimal admin burden.
• Real Results for Hotels: For hotel clients, Klimato sees an average 10% year‑over‑year increase in sales of climate‑friendly meals.
• End‑to‑End Integration: From carbon calculations to labeling and reporting, all with CSRD-ready visibility and operational ease.
Here’s how to pro‑level your menu:
1. Start with data, not guesswork: Use Klimato’s LCA-based database to spot high-impact ingredients, then lean into low-impact swaps.
2. Integrate, don’t isolate: Mix plant-rich dishes throughout the main menu instead of placing them in a separate section. Position them prominently—like at the top of categories—and give them names that emphasize flavor, not restriction.
3. Design for desire, not just duty: Skip the green halos. Instead, lead with taste, provenance, or creative flair. Think about visual flow, balance, and guest appeal, not just eco-messaging.
4. Keep tracking & optimizing: Menu design is iterative. Use Klimato dashboards and reports to monitor performance, guest engagement, and new sourcing insights.
The Four Corners team (part of Ennismore’s Hoxton brand in Spain) used Klimato to identify low-, medium-, and high-emission ingredients. By reworking their winter menu—tweaking recipes rather than sacrificing flavor—they achieved a 40% cut in carbon footprint, landing at an average of just 1.79 kg CO₂e per meal.
Chef Marcos Sierra said the platform helped the team “reduce their carbon footprint without compromising taste or quality,” revealing both local sourcing opportunities and guest-friendly outcomes.
Sustainable menu design fuels environmental and business success through smart structure, data, and transparency. And with tools like Klimato, sustainability isn’t an extra task—it’s built into your menu DNA.
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Book a demo with Klimato and see how our tools can help your catering business win.