The sound of sustainability resonates so beautifully when it echoes within the four walls of the boardroom. Who doesn’t want to save the planet, reduce waste, lessen environmental impact, and serve locally sourced dishes that make guests want to open their wallets in appreciation for the stewardship?

But for most front-line food and beverage operators, the grinding reality of going green equates to a formidable avalanche of challenges—buried under rising product costs, ever-diminishing resources, and the unacknowledged complexity of operating in remote locations and at altitude. 

Sure, every ski area restaurant operator wants to implement greener practices, but going from intention to implementation is a significant undertaking. It’s not simply about swapping out plastic straws or composting coffee grounds—it’s about restructuring the entire F&B framework and cultural mindset. The effort may go so far as to require re-strategizing and reshaping how the resort operates from top to bottom. That kind of change is messy, complicated, and political. It requires a balancing act between guest expectations, operational realities, and the very real but often overlooked limits of what’s physically achievable.

Don’t let that discourage you, though. Change doesn’t need to happen all at once—you can chip away at organizational overhaul. No matter how you approach it, it needs to happen. Going green is not just an opportunity to do the right thing, it is becoming an obligation and a standard guest expectation.

The Guest Expectation Gap

Resort guests are more eco-aware than ever, which is both an opportunity and a challenge. The ubiquitous expectation is to grasp a compostable coffee cup, read farm-to-table menu narratives, and listen to staff wax poetic about zero-waste initiatives. These things can influence consumer decision-making and spending behaviors—according to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, 73 percent of travelers are more likely to choose a destination that prioritizes environmental practices.

Meeting those expectations, however, is a whole different ball game when you’re operating in remote areas and/or at altitude. For many resorts, the nearest “local farm” might be hundreds of miles away. Not all resorts across the country have access to the big suppliers, and their specialty suppliers often have a limited inventory in this regard. And, when vendors can readily provide eco-friendly products, they can be cost prohibitive: not yet at a price point that can easily be buried in the menu engineering.

Baby steps. Sometimes the campaign for sustainability needs to be a thousand-mile journey comprised of baby steps.

Take an organization like Boyne Resorts, for example. It has been aggressively working to incorporate plant-based menu options and reduce its reliance on single-use plastics across its portfolio. These aren’t huge, flashy changes—they’re small, achievable steps that show a genuine effort to balance guest expectations with the logistical realities of running a high-volume operation in a remote setting. 

“Our guests appreciate the effort more when they understand the challenges we face in sourcing locally and reducing waste. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being honest,” says Boyne Resorts president and CEO Stephen Kircher. 

Inform guests. Messaging matters, as Kircher suggests, in helping guests understand and value existing sustainability efforts and long-term goals. For example, Boyne Resorts properties dedicate good real estate on their websites to highlight and explain the company-wide ForeverProject, a multi-pronged initiative to reduce waste and energy use, advocate for climate solutions, and more. 

It is not only important for a resort’s teams to design sustainability activations, but also for a resort’s guests to know and appreciate their efforts. The latter can add to the guest experience.

“We’ve found that guests love hearing the stories behind our ingredients—where they come from and how we reduce waste in our kitchens. It makes their dining experience more meaningful,” says Nicolas Sangros, F&B director at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo.

The High Cost of Being Low Impact

Let’s talk about the green elephant in the room: money. Sustainability efforts aren’t cheap. Organic ingredients cost considerably more than non-organic. Composting programs require significant investment in resort and civil infrastructure. And energy-efficient equipment is often more expensive up front.

Time expense. But it’s not just the financial cost—there’s also the expense of a non-renewable resource: time. Training seasonal staff on sustainable practices is a legitimate hurdle. Sourcing new products and suppliers is a labor-intensive undertaking. Tracking and reducing food waste requires effort and more training. All of these things take time, and in the fast-paced world of resort F&B, time is a luxury most chefs don’t have. 

Alterra Mountain Company has taken a pragmatic approach to this challenge. Instead of trying to overhaul everything overnight, the company has focused on specific areas where it can make the biggest impact. For example, it has introduced sustainable wine lists and zero-waste cocktails at select resorts, turning green practices into premium offerings that guests are willing to pay extra for.

Front-line input. In speaking with several resort operators, many are asking, “Where do you even start to take on a sizable, complex, and daunting undertaking like this?” The resorts that are making good things happen often say it all starts on the front line. Simply engaging staff and asking them what small steps can be taken generates a healthy list of ideas and innovations, and they become actively involved in the process.

Waste Not, Want Not

Food waste is one of the biggest sustainability challenges for resorts. According to the United Nations Food Waste Index Report, roughly 1.16 billion tons of food was wasted in 2022, which equals about one-fifth of food available to consumers. Nearly 27 percent of that was from the food service sector.

The buffet problem. For ski areas, buffets are an outsized contributor to overall food waste due to trays of uneaten food being thrown out at the end of the day and guests overstocking their plates only to throw out much of what they served. That’s a tough pill to swallow for operators who care about sustainability and see their efforts inadvertently sabotaged by the guests themselves.

British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb has taken steps to address this by eliminating traditional buffets in favor of made-to-order stations. As resorts add new lodges, revamp cafeterias, and develop new restaurant concepts, there is a trend toward eliminating buffets and “feeding lines” and leaning into more boutique or quick-service restaurant-styled kiosks that diversify menu offerings but are streamlined and contained outlets.

Whistler Blackcomb has also partnered with local food banks to donate excess prepared food, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. “We used to throw out trays of uneaten food every night. Now, we’re smarter about our prep and portion sizes, and we’ve cut our food waste by more than 30 percent,” says Ed Rodgers, F&B director at Whistler Blackcomb.

Portion control. Massanutten Resort, Va., also reduces waste by focusing on controlling portion sizes. The resort has sourced vessels that promote consistency and easy-to-portion practices, and it is testing the idea of removing costly and high-maintenance condiment stations. Rather than a buffet of condiments and piles of produce, the team is engineering its menus. For example, Massanutten’s chefs work hard to come up with signature offerings, such as a creatively but intelligently crafted sandwich or salad that does not need a condiment station to complete the meal.

The Human Factor

Let’s not forget the challenge related to the human element of sustainability. It’s easy to focus on compost bins and energy-efficient appliances, but at the end of the day, it’s the people in the kitchen who make it all happen.

Leadership buy-in. One of the biggest challenges resorts face is the yearly turnover of a significant portion of their staff. Training new staff in sustainability practices every season is a definite uphill battle. But building a culture of sustainability starts with leadership. If your head chefs and F&B managers aren’t on board, it’s unlikely the rest of the team will be.

Alterra Mountain Company has introduced sustainability training programs that focus on reducing waste in kitchens and bars, from composting initiatives to water-saving techniques. These programs are designed to be simple and repeatable, making it easier for seasonal staff to get up to speed quickly.

“It’s about creating a mindset shift—making sustainability second nature in the kitchen, not an afterthought,” says chef Michael Voltaggio at Alterra-owned Mammoth Mountain, Calif.

The Future of Mountain Dining

Looking ahead, the future of sustainable F&B at ski resorts will require innovation, collaboration, and creativity. More so than for any metropolitan restaurant on the corner of Main and Broadway in Anywhere City, America.

Some resorts are already experimenting with on-site hydroponic farms that provide fresh produce and/or herbs year-round. Others are using AI-powered inventory systems to minimize waste and optimize ordering practices. And then there are the zero-waste menu efforts—a creative way to reduce waste by using every part of an ingredient, from fruit peels and ugly fruits and vegetables to whole carcass cooking.

At Snowbird, Utah, the bar team has embraced the zero-waste cocktail trend, creating syrups and garnishes from leftover ingredients that would otherwise be tossed. It’s a great example of starting small and engaging the staff to drive the sustainability campaign, which also shows that going green doesn’t need to be limited to back-of-house operations and doesn’t require monumental moves.

The Case for Pragmatic Sustainability

Sustainability in ski resort F&B is a challenge. It’s messy, complicated, and full of trade-offs. But it’s also an opportunity to create something truly special—a dining experience that’s as memorable as the mountain experience itself.

It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress. Resorts that are transparent, pragmatic, and innovative in their sustainability efforts will not only meet guest expectations, but exceed them—creating a lasting impact on both the environment and the bottom line.