Leading North American Airport Concessionaire Prioritizes Recycling, Water Conservation, and Eliminating Polystyrene Foam to Meet Rigorous Green Restaurant Association Standards
ATLANTA (January 20, 2026) – Leading North American airport restaurateur and retailer Paradies Lagardère announced today that over 98.5% of the company’s 213 airport dining locations have earned the Certified Green Restaurant® status from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national nonprofit that has been helping restaurants become more environmentally sustainable since 1990.
Over the past year, Paradies Lagardère partnered with the Green Restaurant Association to strengthen its environmental impact across all certified locations. The company’s restaurant locations implemented over 5,000 environmental steps, earning more than 21,450 GreenPoints™ and meeting the GRA’s rigorous environmental standards. Based on national restaurant averages, these 210 locations can save up to an estimated 7.6 million kWh of energy (equivalent to about 1,130 cars removed from the road) and 6.6 million gallons of water (equivalent to about 605 average backyard swimming pools), as well as divert 5.8 million lbs. of waste from the landfill. The effort ensures travelers can reduce their environmental footprint by choosing to Dine Green while flying.
The GRA certification evaluates restaurants on energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, and other key criteria, and Paradies Lagardère’s Level 1 certifications reflect documented progress across those standards. In total, 210 dining locations met the Level 1 Certified Green Restaurant® requirements by completing a broad slate of improvements across energy, water, waste, reusables & disposables, chemicals & pollution, and food, and the company is working closely with a remaining brand partner to implement the necessary upgrades—moving confidently toward extending certification across its entire portfolio.
“This milestone reflects the passion and teamwork of so many people across our company,” says Valerie Davis, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Paradies Lagardère, who led the certification effort. “We’re incredibly proud to see our airport restaurants become Certified Green Restaurants®. It’s a big step forward in our journey to make airport dining more sustainable and to show that even in fast-paced travel environments, meaningful environmental action is possible.”
“I applaud Paradies Lagardère on the certification of their locations,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the GRA. “The environmental practices of Paradies Lagardère and their 210 locations are a significant step forward for the restaurant industry and environmental change. They set an example for other locations to follow in their footsteps and show that it’s possible for any location to change their environmental footprint today.”
The GRA’s standards reflect over 35 years of research in the field of restaurants and the environment. Restaurants earn GreenPoints™ across eight categories—Energy, Water, Waste, Reusables & Disposables, Chemicals & Pollution, Food, Building & Furnishing, and Education & Transparency—and must reach a minimum threshold to achieve certification. The standards provide a transparent measure of environmental accomplishments and a pathway to continued progress.
“We hope to set a powerful example for how large-scale foodservice operations can adopt environmentally responsible practices that make a measurable difference,” says Leigh Allan, Paradies Lagardère’s Senior Vice President of Operations – Dining Division.
The company will continue working with the GRA to pursue higher certification levels in the coming years as part of its broader sustainability strategy focused on responsible sourcing, waste reduction and carbon impact.
Learn more about each restaurant’s environmental accomplishments here: https://www.dinegreen.com/paradieslagardere
About Paradies Lagardère
Paradies Lagardère is a travel retailer and restaurateur that handles $1.6 billion in annual sales from more than 700 stores, restaurants and bars in more than 90 airports across North America. Specializing in three airport concessions areas – Travel Essentials, Specialty Retail and Dining with expertise in international, national, and local brands – Paradies Lagardère’s commitment to exceptional customer service, superior design and award-winning retail and restaurant operations has earned the company numerous accolades, including Best Overall Retailer for the 28th consecutive year, Restaurateur with the Highest Regard for Customer Service and Best Local-Inspired Restaurant Concept (Medium/Small Airports) by Airport Experience News in 2025. For more information, visit www.paradieslagardere.com.
About the Green Restaurant Association
The Green Restaurant Association is a national nonprofit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants® mark in the country. Since 1990, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant® movement and has been the leading voice within the industry, encouraging restaurants to listen to consumer demand and green their operations using transparent, science-based certification standards. With their turnkey certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable in a profitable manner. The GRA has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Learn more at www.dinegreen.com.