As restauranteurs settle into the new normal of disposable menus and utensils along with social distancing practices, one SA chef is doing his best to urge them to keep the environment in mind.
Chef Mike Nguyen of Noodle Tree — and recent CNN fame — is helping dining establishments switch to digital menus via QR codes to help cut operational costs, reduce contact and reduce waste.
“At the end of the day, if we don’t get the spread [of COVID-19] under control, we’re going to be like this forever,” Nguyen told the Current. “Even if I don’t open up my dining room for a while, other restaurants are probably having to print menus daily, just to be thrown away.”
Nguyen laments that the foodservice industry has been through the wringer, with no end to the hardship in sight. As a result, he’s been offering to set up the digital menus free of charge.
“We’ve all been through a lot. We need to come together and help each other,” he said. “We all have the common goal to get back to some sense of normalcy, so I’ve been offering to set the system up for other San Antonio businesses.”
Restaurants who have taken him up on the offer include Sangria on the Burg, Alamo Biscuit Company and Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant. More are expressing interest every day, he added.
“Am I making a huge impact? I don’t know,” Nguyen said. “But I’m doing what I can not to contribute to a global environmental problem.”
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This article appears in May 6-19, 2020.
