In 2011, the television show Portlandia offered up two characters seeking to learn the provenance of their restaurant dinner by tracing the chicken back to its farm and, in the process, offering absurdist commentary on peak foodie culture. A decade later, the bit feels less like parody than earnest baseline to consumers' expanding concerns about the origins of their food and the outcomes of its production. It's no longer enough to know that a chicken named Colin led a happy pastured life eating acorns; restaurant-goers also want assurances that it — and its accompanying side dishes — were raised in ecologically sustainable ways.
To that end, fast casual outlets like Panera and Just Salad are producing carbon scorecards to inform customers about menu options that edge toward climate-friendly, which, according to new research, actually encourages them to order vegetarian. The Good Food Media Network started releasing an annual list of 100 eco-friendly restaurants — rated for "how good [they are] for every link of the food chain" and based on things like local food purchases and operating out of LEED certified buildings — in 2017 (although it's currently on hold).
