Here's What You Need To Know About Bon Appétit's New Restaurant

Food waste, gas emissions, and deforestation are heavy concepts to swallow. Still, for most American citizens, they hold paramount importance when we take the time to consider our impact on the planet. With climate change abounding throughout the world, research is providing evidence that we as humans are in large part responsible for the globe's increased temperature (via EPA). While there are things we can all do on an individual level, one forward-thinking company is taking matters into its own hands.

Bon Appétit Management Company, based out of Palo Alto, California, offers restaurant management and food services to more than 1,000 cafes in 33 states across the country, focusing its business on locations like museums, corporations, and specialized settings. The company has also made its dedication to sustainability practices a priority. 

Bon Appétit has been attempting to reduce the company's carbon footprint since 2007 by sourcing red meat from Humane certified organizations (via The Washington Post), creating a user-friendly dashboard for restaurants to monitor their sustainability practices, and pledging to reduce 38% of emissions per calorie of food by 2030, reads a company press release. In its latest project, Bon Appétit is partnering with a sustainable life science campus in San Francisco.

The Anecdote debuted in mid-June of this year on the edge of the San Francisco Bay at Kilroy Oyster Point, a life sciences campus serving as an incubator for "amenities that support wellness, sustainability, and productivity." The waterfront eatery and cocktail bar is situated among offices, parks, trails, a hotel, and other features, and it offers both to-go orders and full-service dining, per Nation's Restaurant News.

According to Bon Appétit's announcement about the project, The Anecdote is meant to serve not only Oyster Point employees, but also those using on-campus walking trails, ferry stops, and more. The restaurant serves California-leaning dishes like chia seed pudding, a kale bowl with Meyer lemon dressing and avocado, and Cajun salmon tacos, while the on-site bar pours "coastally inspired" cocktails and California wines.

The Anecdote is one of many amenity-type restaurants offered by Bon Appétit in the Kilroy Oyster Point area. Others include Foundry & Lux with an indoor games facility and heated outdoor lounge, as well as The Lighthouse, featuring a menu of sustainable offerings based almost exclusively on seasonal fruits and vegetables — very on trend given the recent rise in plant-based food innovations taking over menus.