Orkin Insect Zoo (!) Sign at Smithsonian Museum

I’ve been noticing a growing trend of restaurant dining inconsistencies. For example, the Station House Cafe makes a point to talk about how much it supports the local economy, uses the freshest organic ingredients, and is environmentally friendly:

“We subscribe to sustainable agricultural practices and use premium ingredients, including local fish and meats and organic vegetables from our own garden.

Our beef, pork and lamb are from Niman Ranch and raised on chemical-free pastures, without hormones or antibiotics. Our chicken is fresh, free-range “Rocky” birds raised in neighboring Petaluma, also without hormones or antibiotics…”

So, when I was sitting at my table at the restaurant waiting for my meal, I noticed the condiments: salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard, etc. They were all from a generic restaurant supplier. Why wasn’t the salt “sea salt”? Why wasn’t ketchup made from local organic tomatoes? Why was the packaging in plastic bottles? Given their concern for sustainability, why weren’t the napkins and to-go containers made with recycled paper or the plastic to-go utensils made from compostable/recycled usual plastic?

When your business takes the effort to stress certain values, you’re saying how important this value is to you and educating others why they should care about it. People who don’t know care about the values (they just want your product or service) might be open to learning something new. People who care about these values will be curious to see if you’re self-consistent: Are you walking your talk? If not, your message will be diminished. Make sure that your business values are carried through consistently.