Q&A: BRISTOL’S OLD MARKET ASSEMBLY – THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE

The Old Market Assembly in Bristol a great place to meet friends, eat, drink and be entertained. They’ve worked hard to create an environment where culture, food, drink, music and events connect people from all walks of life. And that’s not all – they also have Triple Bottom Line policy. Marketing Manager Anna Blightman tells us more…

 

Old Market Assembly has a ‘triple bottom line’ policy – what is this and why is it important?
Our triple bottom line policy focuses on People, Planet & Profit. No one of these things can be regarded as above or beyond the other and every business decision is made with each of these in mind. This is important to us as it keeps the focus of our philosophy current, and we are always checking in with these elements when anything new is introduced.

How do you make this work in practice?
We carefully select the suppliers we work with and have a well written sourcing policy available to all the members of our team (and the public) on our website. As much as we can we use suppliers and producers from the SW region, and where we have to source from outside the UK (coffee, tea, sugar etc.) we ensure these products adhere to fair-trade or Rainforest Alliance certification.

What challenges have you had to overcome to be true to this policy?  
We have had to make hard decisions when it comes to suppliers and producers, and what we are choosing is certainly not always the easiest route around. However, it is totally worth it when we can 100% put our hands on our hearts and say we are working towards a more sustainable, more local and fairer world.

Although you do serve meat dishes you have a wide selection of very tasty vegan options too – why have you chosen to embrace plant-based eating?
We are proud of our seasonal and sustainable flexitarian menu. We have seen a huge growth in plant-based dishes and have responded to this by creating menus that have a plant-based focus. Creating more vegan options has meant we are able to take the focus away from meat, creating healthy, nutritious dishes using the wealth of British produce we in Bristol and very lucky to have.

What advice would you give other restaurateurs if they are considering adopting a triple bottom line policy and/or adding vegan options to the menu?
Choose dishes that will work for your venue, choose an approach which sits comfortably with your values and ethos. We find that by having the triple bottom line we have a reference point we always come back to. Make small steps, small steps become big steps fairly quickly. Get out there and taste vegan dishes! It’s the best inspiration.

Where can we find out more?
All information on Old Market Assembly is available on our website and across our socials. To get in touch or book a table contact hello@oldmarketassembly.co.uk 

 

OLD MARKET ASSEMBLY AND COVID-19: Health & Safety Policy

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