Becoming sustainable
We went SUC-free (Single-Use Cup-free) in 2019
One of the many sustainability initiatives going on in this amazing little town of Wanaka is a drive to eliminate single-use cups from our landfill. It’s called SUC-free (Single-Use Cup-free) Wanaka and one of our owners is on the steering group. Big Fig was one of the first to take a deep breath and stop offering single-use cups in 2019. We encourage customers to BYO cups, drink-in or shell out $3 for a fully-refundable Again Again loan cup. Has it been detrimental to our business? Absolutely not. 99% of takeaway customers have been fully supportive since day one. Our staff are as proud of it as we owners are – and we’ve gained a whole heap of storage space. What’s not to love about all that? Find out more about the SUC-free Wanaka project here.
Discouraging food waste
In most eateries the only alternative plate size is a ‘kids meal’. At Big Fig we offer three plate sizes to ensure people are getting the quantity of food they need and food is not wasted. Dishes and salads leftover at the end of the night go to feed our staff and 100% of everything else goes to feed local pigs.
Plastic-free – it’s a journey
We use no plastic in our food or drink offering and don’t use plastic straws or bags. We offer $1 discount to people who bring their own containers for takeaways and our takeaway containers are made from biodegradable sugar cane. We also offer almost completely waste-free catering in returnable dishes. We are working with our suppliers to reduce plastic in our ingredients. We make all our own stocks, sauces, spices mixes, mostly ‘cos they’re better, but it also means less packaging.
Water is free for all
We have free sparkling and still water for customers and for anyone who cares to come in for a refill. We don’t sell bottled water.
Encouraging plant-based eating
Plant-based eating is known to be more sustainable for the planet. We offer more plant-based dishes than meat dishes. On Mondays we have a $2 discount on all vegetarian and vegan plates to encourage more people to discover the joys of plant-based dishes.
Local(ish) and seasonal
While some of our specialist ingredients come from afar (Lebanese tahini, spices and pomegranate molasses) our dishes are based around seasonal supplies of local fruit and vegetables. We sell beer and wine and kombucha from local breweries and wineries – and sell the local kombucha on tap to reduce packaging.