At Thomas Preti, it’s no industry secret that we strive to produce the most sustainable events possible. When we pledged to put sustainability at the forefront of our business model, we vowed to move away from disposable, single-use items in favor of plates, glassware, and flatware that we can wash, store, and reuse continuously. With that mission, however, came the challenge of reimagining how we produce certain aspects of our event workflow.
Our first attempt at reusables was at a family event hosted by the Central Park Conservancy – one of our premier clients as well as an active partner and supporter in our sustainability initiative. In our best of intentions, we sent recycle bins to collect the reusable plates and cups after guest use. We placed these recycle bins on the floor, as opposed to in the back of house and learned very quickly that we missed the mark in a few areas. Without signage, guests had no way of knowing that the bins put on the floor to collect the reusables were not regular, run-of-the-mill trash cans. Our sanitation team ended up fishing through the recycle bins to separate the reusables from the rest of the waste generated at the event.
Thanks to the instant feedback of our event captains, the team got together back at the commissary kitchen to brainstorm ways to make the reusable process more streamlined for our event staff without impacting the guest experience.
We worked together to consider all the angles – ensuring that our client receives the refined, upscale look that Thomas Preti is renowned for, that our guests won’t need to think twice about how we bus their tableware, and setting our staff up for success by simplifying the process.
Going forward, we plan to take the guesswork out of the experience entirely. Our next reusables event will feature server-maintained stations that allow for guests to simply drop their tableware and continue to enjoy the party. Servers will collect plates, cups, and flatware and separate them into the appropriate bins, discreetly placed behind the drop tables. We will provide a bin for waste, a bin for liquids, and a bin for tableware, labeled clearly with tasteful signage.
We’re excited to see how this new approach works and hope it’s a successful stepping stone on the path to a more sustainable future of incredible events.
