Kudos to CarbonFund for the recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlighting the trend of making a positive move to reduce carbon footprints – the yearly amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the environment – for big corporate leaders like Amtrak, Jet Blue, Hyundai and Dell.  VSAG is also a CarbonFund.org subscriber,  reducing the carbon footprints of restaurant clients like Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, with the purchase of carbon offsets through CarbonFund.org.   In 2009 alone, VSAG purchased credits to offset more than 72 tons of carbon dioxide to reduce the environmental impact of the restaurants.  It’s just a small part of the VSAG Corporate Social Responsibility that is imparted to all clients.

According to the article, these carbon-offset retailers calculate fossil-fuel consumption and neutralize it with earth-friendly initiatives. There are varying ways these credits are put to use, but examples include investing in reforestation, renewable energy and methane-gas capture-and-destruction efforts.  The article is a must read for businesses that want to be more environmentally responsible – from a 2-person operation to a 2,000 person company – everyone can do their part.   Read the full article.

…and sharing the news and information with the industry is part of the VSAG mission, from inside the restaurants to beyond our clients’ doors to their guests and customers.  Operating in an environmentally friendly way is inherent to successful restaurants Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, both in Washington, DC, so whenever the request comes in for insight and industry knowledge on green restaurants, VSAG Principal Dan Simons is there to share what he knows, recognizing the importance of continuous education for the public  – and the hospitality industry  -  on making smart choices in operations, menu and environments that are important steps in keeping hospitality green.

A recent Restaurants & Institutions magazine feature highlighted the leading efforts of restaurants like Baja Fresh and Founding Farmers, to turn their best practices in operations and environmentally-friendly appeal more green and are recognized for their efforts to differentiate themselves for consumers and guests that are concerned with reducing their own environmental impact.

Last month, Dan served as a panelist at George Washington University with Women in Business to discuss Corporate Social Responsibility – a big topic with big leaders from Dupont and entrepreneurs all focused on maintaining good CSR VSAG is setting new – and realistic standards in the world of hospitality and will continue to share and lead by diverse and informed means.

Can the promise of a free cupcake or some cold hard cash work better than dire predictions of dying polar bears and rising sea levels at getting people to cut their carbon footprint?  For diners at Farmers & Fishers and Founding Farmers it can!   Both VSAG managed and operated restaurants are in partnership with EarthAid, a Washington, DC based company that offers members points that can be cashed in for rewards like free spa treatments and discounts on everything from yoga classes to energy audits and organic baby clothes.

A recent article in Energy Daily highlights the benefits of saving green – like eating green at your favorite restaurants or redeeming points at any number of earth-minded retailers.  Read all about it. Then, join EarthAid and start saving your own green!

Restaurants & Institutions magazine recognizes it, and so do VSAG’s clients – we’re a go-to expert for industry knowledge, experience and insight on how to grow a green restaurant – but more importantly, how to keep one going and use it as a model for the industry. VSAG Principal Dan Simons – our Green Guru – points out the “Good, Better, Best” steps for the magazine, emphasizing the “why” of going green, which invariably has an impact on the bottom line, but can also be used in creative ways to increase awareness among guests and employees.

Read the full article and see why VSAG client Founding Farmers is at the top of the list when it comes to “Best” green practices!

Founding Farmers iPhone app

It’s no surprise that iPhones and smart gadgets that offer limitless uses and life’s little ‘helpers’ in the form of user applications (’apps’) have expanded into the restaurant business.  VSAG is at the forefront of directing new apps for client restaurants and concepts Founding Farmers, and two new soon to be launched iPhone apps for sister restaurant Farmers & Fishers and new concept Sauca mobile restaurant.

The Founding Farmers iPhone app has been so popular, in fact, that developer Sweb Development has been featured in a number of articles and stories of note, including this recent one from the Wall Street Journal from December 8, in which VSAG Principal Dan Simons is interviewed as a business owner and also as a big fan of the iPhone app that he commissioned from Sweb.   “What we’re able to provide for our guests through the apps is convenience and interaction,” said Simons.  ”We’ve received great feedback from our guests and we want to try and use the app in as many different ways as possible to really engage with our guests.  It’s been a super addition to our marketing strategy and outreach.”

From Dan Simons, VSAG Principal, in Response to the December 7, 2009 article by Jane Black that appeared on the front page of The Washington Post:

We’re thankful to Jane Black for bringing such an important topic – sustainable agriculture and what it means to be a green restaurant committed to sustainable business practices – to the front page of The Washington Post. How much more important can this topic get for foodies and restaurateurs? Not much more, but we’re glad that there is focus on a successful business in Washington, DC, that is working to help American family farmers and pushing the envelope on a broad array of topics that go well beyond the superficial, easy topics. Read the rest of this entry »

VSAG is proud to share that DC’s Greenest Restaurant Founding Farmers has been featured in Hotel Magazine’s annual Gold Key Hospitality Awards as a finalist for the 2009 Casual Dining Restaurant Awards, as one of 3 international projects (and the only one in the U.S.!) that were nominated in this category.

The Gold Key Hospitality Awards are hosted by Hotel Magazine and Interior Design Magazine and recognizes design firms who have done the most innovative work on hospitality renovations or new builds from around the globe, for hotels, restaurants and spas. Congratulations to CORE and the whole restaurant team for Founding Farmers for a great showing and for garnering international attention. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Planet Forward’ sounds like a cool new hang out at a university campus, but it’s actually a co-production of the Public Affairs Project at The George Washington University and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. Program students Madeline Twomey and Juliette Dallas-Feeney sat with Dan Simons recently to talk about going green in the restaurant business, specifically at Founding Farmers.  The women are part of a reporting class that uses advanced multimedia platforms to create stories about sustainability and going green. The two spent some time in the restaurant filming the interiors, the high filtration water system, the recycling center and of course the food!  Check out the video, Serving Up a Platter of Green, after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Labor Day Monday Farmers & Fishers Sous Chef Mario Pineda appeared on the WUSA9 morning show and prepared the very popular Heritage Truck-style Fish Tacos on the air for anchor Kim Martucci in honor of Brazilian Independence Day.   Mario demonstrated his culinary abilities by whipping up our original recipe tacos in just 2 minutes!

See the video for yourself, and catch a cocktail segment with Founding Farmers Mixologist Josh Tugjnyam, who shook Cabana Cachaca (the spirit of Brazil!) into a couple great tasting cocktails.  No holidays for DC’s most popular restaurant!

VSAG client Founding Farmers – the first LEED Gold certified full-service upscale-casual restaurant in the U.S., as well as the first LEED-certified restaurant in Washington DC - was recognized for its outstanding commitment to sustainability, appearing as the cover story for the 2009 bonus edition of The Consultant magazine. Read more for the full article, or click here. Read the rest of this entry »