Popular Palo Alto cafe, Tootsie’s at the Stanford Barn, replaces disposable foodware with reusable containers in honor of Earth Day
Serve It Safe, a joint initiative from Dishcraft and UPSTREAM, aims to reduce waste by offering restaurants the option of serving meals in sanitized, reusable containers
San Carlos, CA — [April 20, 2021] — Dishcraft Robotics, provider of the only full-service sustainable dishware delivery and washing system powered by automation and innovation, in collaboration with UPSTREAM, an environmental nonprofit sparking solutions to plastic pollution today announced the launch of a program to help reduce the increasing volume of waste produced by takeout foodware. Dubbed Serve It Safe, the program will help restaurants reduce waste by serving takeout meals in sanitized, sustainable, reusable containers.
The pandemic has forced restaurants across the country to mostly offer takeout meals, causing a surge in single-use packaging and in some cases, additional costs for restaurants. So Dishcraft and UPSTREAM teamed up to find a safe solution which enables local restaurants to thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic without generating additional waste. Serve It Safe, a reusable foodware program, allows restaurants to offer zero-waste takeout meals while ensuring a significant level of protection for their employees and diners. It’s also the first program to offer Dishcraft’s innovative dishwashing technology to restaurants and their customers. Tootsie’s at the Stanford Barn in Palo Alto, CA is the first restaurant to pilot Serve it Safe which will run for 4 weeks beginning on April 20, 2021 (right before Earth Day on April 22).
“With Serve It Safe, diners order from their favorite local restaurants and get their meals packaged in durable, reusable containers, which are collected daily by Dishcraft for high-level cleaning, testing, and sanitization,” said Linda Pouliot, CEO and founder of Dishcraft. “We want to help restaurants get back on their feet during the pandemic while keeping their diners and employees safe and meeting important environmental goals.”
Serve It Safe is simple for diners to participate -- they do not need to have a membership, install an app, pay a deposit, or scan any codes to participate in the pilot. After they place an order for takeout at the restaurant, diners will receive their meal in Dishcraft’s reusable container. When finished, diners just drop off their empty, unwashed container in one of the Dishcraft collection bins located at or near the restaurant. Dishcraft picks up the containers daily for cleaning, sanitization and delivery back to the restaurant the following day. For restaurants, the cost is often similar to (or even less than) what they are paying for disposable containers and includes the daily service.
“Businesses, consumers, and experts from the scientific community are deeply concerned by the increase in waste generated by Covid-era takeout and delivery food. But there are not enough solutions to this growing packaging problem,” said Samantha Sommer, Director of Business Innovation, at UPSTREAM. “This is why UPSTREAM is excited to partner with Dishcraft on the Serve It Safe pilot. We hope to demonstrate to food business operators and communities across the country that through innovations in dishwashing, collection and delivery logistics, reuse systems can be as easy and convenient as single-use.”
In addition to helping restaurants offer sustainable takeout solutions, Serve It Safe also ensures diner safety. According to health experts, reusable foodware is as safe, or possibly even safer, than single-use disposables. With single-use disposables, handling and transport during the manufacturing-to-distribution lifecycle makes it impossible to ensure these containers are clean. In contrast, Dishcraft’s advanced washing system includes multiple levels of protection including testing, inspection and commercial-grade sanitization that exceeds health code standards.
“As we all know, the pandemic was really hard for all restaurants including Tootsie’s. Now that we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and are reopening for dining on-site, I wanted to see how we can still help protect our staff and customers in addition to the environment,” said Rocco Scordella, the owner of Tootsie’s in Palo Alto. “Therefore, we’re thrilled to be the first restaurant to pilot Serve It Safe and hope this will encourage other restaurants in the community to follow suit.”
“Palo Alto is excited to participate in the Serve It Safe pilot. Our goal is to work with restaurants to move away from single-use disposable foodware to save resources and protect the environment. We feel this pilot will help local restaurants become more resilient, reducing their costs, while providing a safe reuse alternative,” said Chuck Muir, Manager Environmental Control Programs (Zero Waste), City of Palo Alto.
About Dishcraft Robotics
Dishcraft Robotics is a robotics company focused on solving the labor and sustainability challenges facing foodservice operators. Its core offering, Dishcraft Daily, is a reliable, eco-friendly daily dishware delivery service that provides high-quality, sanitized, reusable dine-in and takeout dishware and containers to Bay-Area restaurants and foodservice operators, including corporate, hotel, and healthcare dining operations. Founded in 2015, Dishcraft has raised $46 million in venture funding from leading investors including Grit Ventures, Baseline Ventures, First Round Capital, Fuel Capital, and Lemnos. For more information, visit www.dishcraft.com.
About UPSTREAM
UPSTREAM is an environmental non-profit organization sparking innovative solutions to plastic pollution by helping people, businesses and communities shift from single-use to reuse. To learn more, visit www.upstreamsolutions.org.
Media Contacts
Amy Hawman
Senior Director, Marketing, Dishcraft
+1 (650) 678-5023
amy.hawman@dishcraft.com
Vanessa Tiongson
Marketing and Communications Director, UPSTREAM
+1 (917) 478-9128
vanessa@upstreamsolutions.org
