About Our Sustainability-Related Practices:

Our sustainability practices have been in place from the start. They reflect the personal values of the owners and are the foundation of our business. Our ideals inform our decisions, and while financial success is necessary, we balance profit with ethics, and operate from a holistic viewpoint.

Acre has spent over a decade creating strong relationships with vendors who are deeply committed to sustainability and ethical farming practices. We’ve spent years vetting these producers and we stand by their products, production methods, and quality of goods. We are always on the lookout for new products that fit our stringent criteria of quality, sustainability, and affordability. 

On average, we utilize 75%-85% organic product, much of it local. Given the constraints of budget, we make educated and sound decisions to utilize local products that have integrity but are not “certified” organic. We are blessed to live in California’s “bread basket” and our quality of raw ingredients is on par with local fine dining establishments. 

Built into our program from its inception, is a respect for the environment and a commitment to composting, recycling, and an aim for ‘zero waste.’ We use real plates, trays, flatware and cups in our dining rooms. Only fully compostable items are used in service and we utilize a full composting/recycling program throughout our kitchens and dining rooms. Many of the water conservation protocols in commercial kitchens are related to equipment purchases and maintenance. Installation of Low Flow Pre-Rinse Spray Valves, and running only full racks of dishes through the dish machine, are all factors that lead to lower water consumption.

Our employees are extensively trained on composting and recycling. We are fully committed to using environmentally preferable cleaning products in our operations while still being hyper-compliant in our health inspections. 

Our chef’s take extensive notes to ensure quantities of each meal are accurate enough to be plentiful, but without waste. On the occasion, we do have “leftovers,” raw ingredients are incorporated as appropriate into the next day’s offerings. We are also proponents and supporters of Food Runners. Any leftover perishable and prepared foods are picked up by Food Runners and delivered directly to neighborhood food programs in San Francisco.

Our commitment to sustainability is demonstrated in our decision to purchase most of our fruits, vegetables and meats from within 300 miles. The Acre Real School Lunch™ program has been designed to not utilize any individual packaged, disposable eating wares. The dining rooms only contain compost containers, as there is no need for recycling or landfill containers. We buy packaged items in the largest units possible to avoid excess packaging. We consolidate deliveries to avoid excess gas consumption.