Sustainable Restaurant Association ratings to be highlighted in Harden's guide
Harden's, which currently reviews restaurants for food, service and atmosphere, will now list all restaurants that have completed the SRA Sustainability Rating Survey in the guide from the publishers and on their online reviews.
Giles Coren already includes an SRA rating in all of his reviews in The Times magazine on a Saturday but this is the first time a UK restaurant guide will also list the SRA rating in its reviews.
Match values
Mark Linehan, managing director of the SRA, said the announcement was an acknowledgement of the importance of sustainability for diners choosing a restaurant.
"As increasing numbers of consumers look to restaurants to match the values they practise at home, working with the foremost restaurant guide is the obvious next step for us. Making an informed dining choice just became so much easier," he said.
The not-for-profit membership organisation currently provides more than 600 restaurants with advice on sustainability and has rated more than 250 restaurants awarding them one, two or three stars. Diners will now be able to see this rating in the online Harden's guide and can also click through to read the full SRA report on the venue.
Wahaca
To get a rating restaurants must provide answers and evidence to 65 questions on 14 areas including food provenance, waste management, use of water and energy and engagement with people who have a relationship with the restaurant on sustainability. As well as the businesses already boasting an SRA rating, a further 250 are currently going through this process.
Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons and Carluccio's already have an SRA rating as does the Mexican chain Wahaca.
Thomasina Miers, co-owner of Wahaca, which is also listed in Harden's, welcomed the announcement. "This is fantastic news for both restaurants and diners. It is another major step towards making sustainability completely mainstream and I congratulate Harden's for being the first guide to take the initiative," she said.
