Fifth Group

1. Fifth Group Steve Simon, Partner Fifth Group Restaurants Atlanta, GA

2. Who Is Fifth Group? • 5 Restaurants & Catering Company operating in-town Atlanta • South City Kitchen, Midtown – Contemporary Southern - 1993 • Bold American Catering – on site and off premise – 500 events/year - 1996 • La Tavola Trattoria – small, neighborhood Italian (50 seats inside) -1999 • El Taco – loud, fun, approachable taqueria - 2001/2008 • South City Kitchen, Vinings – second iteration of our flagship in the “burbs” - 2006 • Ecco – European, Esquire Magazine “Best New Restaurant” - 2006 • Mission: To be THE recognized leader of Atlanta's Casual Fine Dining Market • Known in Atlanta as Quality Operators • Unique Spaces and Environments – 3 Urban Design Awards • Timeless not trendy • Relevant, Current, Approachable, Quality Food • Highest overall Zagat Ratings of any group in Atlanta (service, atmosphere, food) • Interesting/Thoughtful Beverage Programs – as important as the food experience • Focus on Employees, Customers & Surrounding Neighborhoods –Support local children’s hospital, food bank and various neighborhoods

3. We wanted to start doing more things right • fall of 2008, asked to serve on Green Food Service Alliance (GFA) Board • FGR was NOT a poster child! • 1st step – recycle fryer grease for local Bio-Diesel production and resale • 2nd step – common recyclables • Had to located reliable hauler – not so easy – contracts to renegotiate • immediate waste diversion/reduction of 70-75% • 100-120 96 gallon containers (Herby Kirby) a month (glass, plastic, paper, metals) • 24 yards of cardboard/month • 3rd step – what about the rest? Learned about the viability of composting • Hauler availability (only 1 in the city)/city of Atlanta requirements • Balance of residual products are compostable – sending organics to landfill creates 20 times more negative impact to environment (methane gas, etc) – 95% reduction! 4 tons / month (at first restaurant, Ecco) x 6 units x 12 months 280- 300 ton’s a year diverted from landfill • 4th step – tracking- a must! The effective way to measure your impact Result = First Dumpster Free Restaurant in GA

4. Fifth Group Challenges • Awareness – don’t know what you don’t know – believe it! • What can / should I be doing? Ask someone you think may know! • How do I do it? There are answers available if you want to find them • Who can help? Local government agencies have proven helpful • How much will it cost? • Management & Staff Support • Get buy-in early from everyone – good buy in = good results – cant be a one-man show • Eliminate dumpster completely– no choice to be lazy • Requires consistent training and follow up for 30 days – be dilligent • Operational Concerns • Available Vendors/ Contractors – who and where are they? • Cancel/renegotiate current provider contracts • Space allocations – will require simple modifications • Number of Receptacles Increases • Separation of Product – staff re-training of habits

5. 2010 Environmental Goals • All our restaurants will operate without a dumpster • Further reduce energy consumption by 10% (water, gas, electricity) • Gain vendor participation – mandate if possible • Environmental friendly extermination, cleaning & chemical program • Water conservation and improved quality • Air quality improvement • Create gardens on-site and use compost to close loop • More local food production – unused or underutilized land in the city

6. Tips • You don’t have to be the first to make a positive impact • You don’t have to know how to accomplish the goal when you start • Take ownership and participate at some level • More is better, however, some is far better than doing nothing • YOUR impact is contagious – you wont believe the positive influence you can have on your staff, neighborhood, industry • DO YOUR PART! Just try…