Over a year ago we started to assess the various brands of bottled water that we offered in our restaurants; brands like Evian, Voss, and San Pellegrino to name a few. Multiple studies and articles had been circulated within our company outlining the disadvantages of these products, leading to discussions on converting to other environmentally friendly options.

Three main factors came into play:

Fuel and Transportation Costs associated with shipping water to San Diego from foreign sources, such as France and Italy is wasteful. Whether it is the pollutants added to the air or the scarcity of global fuel in general, shipping bottled water from across the world just did not make sense when we have locally-sourced mountain spring water within 50 miles of our restaurants.

Recycling Waste - we attempt to recycle 100% of our glass bottles at all locations, but there are always items that slip through the cracks. Our new program reuses every bottle that is served through an efficient deposit/redemption program that ensures recycling.

Locally-sourced, California mountain spring water from Palomar Mountains we found to be of premium quality and something our guests would enjoy.

Sure we are losing the branding and perceived quality built by these water conglomerates like Evian and Fuji that may drive sales in our restaurants. The toughest part of the program is telling a loyal guest that we no longer offer their water of choice, though in extreme cases will admit to have bent this rule. However, the refreshing thing we have found is that the majority of our guests "get" what we are trying to do. Our team of severs and bartenders that are ultimately the key points of guest contact, have supported the initiative and do a great job explaining how it benefits the environment.

The program has been a positive one for our company. We have also added another wrinkle into our offering - each restaurant features a local charity on the back panel where a portion of the proceeds are donated. Just another way to leverage this initiative within the community and keep it local.