GLEAM Network’s Sustainability Series — Interview with Kristi Kingery

In honor of Sustainability Month, GLEAM Network is spotlighting industry leaders that are leading the way when it comes to sustainability in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Today we had the privilege of chatting with Kristi Kingery VP, Supply Chain & Strategic Initiatives for Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC.

Kristi is the Vice President of Supply Chain and Strategic Initiatives at Tropical Smoothie Café. She oversees supply chain, quality assurance, and enterprise strategy for their more than 900 cafes. She is responsible for building the strategy and infrastructure that will ensure safe, quality products get delivered to the cafes at the right time, in the right quantity, and at the right price. She is also responsible for the strategy development and execution that will improve profitability for Tropical Smoothie Café franchisees.

Kristi started her supply chain career at ARCOP, Inc., the supply chain cooperative for Arby’s Restaurant Group, which supports over 3,200 restaurants. She was responsible for increasing franchise and corporate cash flow by managing supply chain activities that drive profitability and save costs for their restaurant system. She has also worked for Brinker International, the parent company of the Chili’s and Maggiano’s restaurant brands, overseeing their global supply chain and non-food procurement.

Kristi, thank you so much for chatting with us! I am going to jump right into the topic at hand. Can you tell us how you define sustainability within the restaurant industry?

This is actually a great place to start this conversation because sustainability does not have a single definition! If you research online, you’ll see that many definitions, while similar, are all still somewhat different. Where they all tend to agree is that corporate sustainability, sometimes referred to as corporate responsibility, means that they are building a business that has the capability to be maintained well into the future. This generally revolves around 3 pillars:

1. People — I treat people well so they will be here and healthy in the future

2. Planet — I treat the planet well so that it will continue to exist in its current state

3. Profit — Our company has the right level of profitability so it will be resilient into the future

A company should use these three pillars to build itself a scope and definition of what sustainability means for their brand.

What are some of the biggest issues the restaurant and foodservice industry are facing when it comes to sustainability?

I believe the three things that generate the biggest challenges for restaurants to tackle sustainability are the same three hurdles that restaurants must overcome for any type of initiative: data, time, and money.

I’ll start with data. From a sustainability perspective, especially when it comes to the planet pillar, there is considerable conflicting research about what really are the best things for the planet. So it’s a heavy lift to figure out what changes could realistically have a positive impact.

Time. We all have a limited amount — and so do restaurants. Running a restaurant is so complex and there’s always a multitude of items lobbying for your attention: (Did I place my order for supplies? Oh no my freezer went down! There’s a big price increase on chicken? Oh geez, we have an unhappy guest!…the list goes on) so finding the time to focus on sustainability can be a challenge. The time must be planned.

Money. Most sustainability initiatives require some level of investment. And there are so many places that you can invest in a restaurant (Buy a new oven? More local advertising? Hire a new team member? Update décor?) A cognizant choice must be made to invest in sustainability.

What are some things that restaurants can do to become more sustainable?

Believe it or not, food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (some research shows that the carbon footprint of US food waste is greater than the carbon footprint of the airline industry!) Reducing food waste is critical for restaurants — this can be done by better planning, forecasting, ordering, prepping, and other shelf-life management activities. Other top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are electricity and heat. This is another area where restaurants can focus on efficiency to drive sustainability. Using programmable thermostats, smart thermostats, energy-efficient equipment, and programming equipment to ‘sleep’ during non-peak usage are all great ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Additionally, product packaging is another area where restaurants can focus on selecting options that reduce raw material usage, are recyclable, compostable, and/or reusable.

Sustainability is a hot topic right now. Is it here to stay or is this a trend?

It’s here to stay. Throughout the pandemic, the foodservice industry has had to balance some competing priorities (such as prioritizing the ability to get supplies, securing personal protective gear, setup social distancing operating procedures, and switching their business model to service curbside, delivery, and other off-premise business models) and I believe this caused some sustainability initiatives to be placed on pause. But this spring is already showing the industry is elevating out the other side of the pandemic and I’m confident that all sustainability initiatives will be back in full swing very soon!

What can customers do to help with the sustainability efforts?

I mentioned packaging earlier — this is an important one that consumers can help support. This is especially true with so many of them consuming restaurant products off-premise. A top priority is ensuring that foodservice packaging does not become litter and that it is disposed of in the proper collection bins. Secondly, they should always check their packaging for the recycling symbol, or ask a restaurant associate how they can help create a second life for their packaging. Many papers, plastic, and aluminum packages are recyclable. They could also look for every possible opportunity to wash and reuse their packaging (I often wash and save my plastic containers to use for leftovers at home!)

At GLEAM, our mission is to provide mentorship and leadership development to underrepresented professionals in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Can you share with us a mentor who has made an impact on your professional career?

I’ve had many mentors throughout my career journey, most of whom I still converse with regularly. The one that stands out to me is David Cox, who is the president at ARCOP, my first job in food service. Aside from being bold enough to take a chance hiring me, he was also a champion in my career development: trusting me with positions of greater responsibility, helping me think through difficult decisions, and advocating for me when I wasn’t in the room. I even called him this past year to help me think through a potential career change!

I will close with one final thought on this topic: As you climb the ladder of success, do not forget to turn around and reach your hand out to help the next person behind you — because the reality is that you’re not climbing the ladder, someone is ahead of you, helping to pull you up behind them.

Thank you, Kristi. This has been very insightful. How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can find me on LinkedIn.

GLEAM Network is a non-profit, volunteer-based network whose purpose is to provide access to mentorship and leadership development to underserved professionals in the restaurant and foodservice industry. To learn more about our organization or to sign up to be a mentor or mentee visit www.gleamnetwork.net