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

2. 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. 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! 1 st step – recycle fryer grease for local Bio-Diesel production and resale 2 nd 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 3 rd 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 4 th step – tracking - a must! The effective way to measure your impact Result = First Dumpster Free Restaurant in GA

4. 4 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 Fifth Group

5. 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. 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…