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| UnCommon Sense Case Studies - MacKenzie River Pizz |
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MACKENZIE RIVER PIZZA COMPANY
Family Restaurant Franchise, Bozeman, MT
mackenzieriverpizza.com
Reasons for Applying
As the general manager of the North 19th Street MacKenzie River Pizza
restaurant in Bozeman, Allison Collins joined the UnCommon Sense
program because she recognized that restaurants are “large
consumers and we wanted to be responsible about how we were
consuming.” But not everybody in the corporation was on
board, and Allison had the task of selling sustainable practices at
both the headquarters and the other chain restaurants. In the first
year she met some resistance, but at graduation she gladly reported
that managers now call her for advice.
Benefits Received
She credits the cultural change of the corporation to the working group
she started after attending the first module of UnCommon Sense. While
MacKenzie River had a mission statement that supported environmental
and social responsibility, the working group made the culture more
accurately match that mission with specific procedures. The biggest
success came from putting together a recycling program that diverted a
lot of paper and plastic from the Bozeman waste stream, something the
employees enthusiastically embraced. They also got creative in how to
reuse and pass on materials they once threw away – they use
six-pack beer carriers for take-out drinks and napkins, save plastic
buckets for art teachers, resell old kitchen equipment and donate food
to local food banks. Collins is proud to know that “we put
systems into place that will be there to stay.” The working
group gives frequent presentations at company meetings on new
sustainable practices, and the group’s importance to the
company was evident when an administrative assistant was assigned to
support their efforts. A couple of measurable differences came after
implementing UnCommon Sense strategies. First, Collins’ North
19th Street restaurant reduced the cost of spending on paper goods by
40.1% from 2005 to 2007 through more responsible purchasing, even while
sales increased. The reduction is noteworthy because the restaurant is
a largely a “to-go” facility, using more paper
products than the other restaurants in the franchise. Second, after
completing an energy audit, Collins was better able to improve her
restaurant’s electric and water efficiencies. Electricity
usage from 2006 to 2007 decreased 1.4%, while total sales and per-unit
energy costs both increased. Low-flow sprayer heads were installed in
the dishwashing sinks, and outside sprinklers run in the evening to
minimize waste and evaporation. The end result of her efforts: A
Montana EcoStar award two years in a row.
Bottom Line Results
• Reduced spending on to go packaging by 40.1%, while sales
increased
• Decreased electricity usage 1.4% in oneyear period, while
total sales and perunit energy cost increased.
• Received excellent public relations exposure for earning two
EcoStar awards.
CLICK
HERE TO SEE THEIR FINAL REPORT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
CLICK
HERE TO SEE THEIR WRITTEN FINAL REPORT
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