Our very own Dan Simons is out in front with sustainable restaurant, beverage, and hospitality industry news.
Sustainable Spirits. Featured in GW Magazine, Dan and Beverage Director Jon Arroyo recently spoke about VSAG clients, Farmers Restaurant Group (FRG) and Founding Spirits distillery, ongoing partnership with The George Washington University’s honey bee research laboratory and apiary, in an effort to increase sustainability in the restaurant industry. From installing new hives atop the downtown DC/GW rooftop apiary and studying the honey bee to harvesting honey for use across FRG, Dan and Jon announced the exciting, recent debut of Founding Spirits Limited Edition Amaro created and bottled with the honey from the GW apiary, and where a portion of sale proceeds will go directly back to the GW apiary for continued research support.
“It’s special,” Dan said, “because of our relationship with GW [and] the proximity of the Farmers Restaurant Group of restaurants.” As a GW alum, Dan continued, “It’s special because of my personal relationship with GW; it’s special because those little bees are up there fighting the fight as urban bees, and they could be getting pollen from the flowers that are directly adjacent to our Founding Farmers right there.”
The GW Limited Edition Founding Spirits Amaro can be purchased online for a limited time, while supplies last.
Sustainable Design. As Co-Owner of VSAG client, Farmers Restaurant Group, Dan and his design team, headed by VSAG Senior Vice President, and certified LEED Accredited Professional, Lara Hardcastle, work closely with trusted architects, contractors, engineers, local building officials, and the like to provide our clients with the best in sustainable design that the restaurant and hospitality business has to offer.
In a recent BizBash article entitled, Seriously Sustainable: Hotels and Restaurants Making Real Commitments to Eco-Friendly Design and Operations, our longtime collaborators at GrizForm Design Architects spoke to our ongoing sustainable restaurant design efforts for our clients, specifically the sustainable restaurants in the DC area based, LEED-certified Farmers Restaurant Group of restaurants, where sustainability is addressed on all fronts; from heat recovery units to daylight sensors that adjust the lights inside accordingly.
A great nod to the ongoing sustainable efforts in the restaurant and hospitality industry, where our VSAG team delivers not only through design and construction, but across the VSAG restaurant and hospitality consulting board.
*image: Founding Spirits Arroyo’s “Never Bitter” Amaro.