Greener by Default: How Small Shifts Make a Big Impact

What if the most responsible dining choice was also the simplest and most delicious?

That’s the idea behind Greener by Default — establishing a dining culture in which choosing the best dish for your health and the planet doesn’t mean opting out of what you love. Instead, the “greener” choice is simply the default — the effortless, delicious default.

This philosophy has been a part of The Good Eating Company's DNA since 2022. From the very beginning, we believed in Greener by Default’s mission — so much so that we became their very first foodservice partner. Today, our collaboration continues to shape how we think about sustainability in foodservice and the workplace dining experience. 

What Is Greener by Default?

Best captured by the words of Greener by Default Co-Founder & CEO Katie Cantrell, “Greener by Default is a non-profit that empowers institutions with evidence-based consulting and hands-on guidance to serve inclusive, sustainable and delicious plant-forward menus.”  

Their mission: help institutions serve crave-worthy, plant-forward menus that make the green choice the easy choice. 

So, why does it need to be “by default”? Because most of us stick with what’s right in front of us. If meat is the default, we’ll often pick it, even if we’re curious about trying something else. By flipping that script — making plant-forward dishes the starting point — diners enjoy flavorful, balanced meals without feeling like they’ve been pushed into a corner. Meat options are still available, but plant-forward options are normalized for everyone. 

We recognized the brilliance of this early. While others were still talking about “meatless Mondays,” we leaned into a model where health and sustainable culinary practices are opt-out, not opt-in.

From San Francisco to Nationwide Impact

Our partnership began at LinkedIn’s San Francisco office in 2022, where Chef Alicia led the first Greener by Default pilot program. With their guidance, our combined teams cut the amount of meat served per person in half, without reducing diner satisfaction. In just three months, the program saved as much carbon as driving around the circumference of the Earth. 

Through that success, we were inspired to expand further over the years: 

• 2023: We took the program to Saint Mary’s College and began working with Greener by Default as consultants to design culinary and marketing training tools — resources that helped us embed plant-forward practices more deeply into our operations.
• 2024: We partnered again, this time through the NYC Mayor’s Office Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge. Alongside Sodexo and NYC Health + Hospitals, we supported a transition that shifted more than 800,000 meals per year from meat-based to plant-based, cutting the system’s food-related carbon footprint by more than a third and saving $0.59 per meal.
• Today: We continue to integrate Greener by Default’s sustainable culinary practices into our kitchens while collaborating on speaking engagements, like SF Climate Week, and case study opportunities that share our learnings with the broader industry.

 

Training That Sticks (and Scales)

Changing a menu is one thing. Changing a culinary culture? That’s where lasting impact happens. 

Working together with Greener by Default, we co-created a culinary guidebook in 2023 — a playbook blending classic culinary techniques with plant-forward innovation. In 2024, we turned that guide into 12 training modules and daily huddle cards that now live in our kitchens. 

The result is a hands-on learning system that helps chefs:

• Build nutritionally balanced, flavorful plates.
• Rethink pantry staples like butter, dairy and eggs.
• Explore the deep, global history of plant-based ingredients.
• Share ideas, swap techniques and spark creativity daily. 

 

Our chefs are no longer simply checking the “vegan” box. They’re leading the charge with creativity and innovation as teams experiment with plant-forward dishes that rival — and in many cases outshine — their meat-based counterparts. 

“Chef training helps to unleash their passion and creativity to make mouthwatering plant-based dishes that will be the most exciting items on the menu for all diners, regardless of their dietary persuasion,” says Cantrell. 

Proof That “by Default” Delivers Results

Greener by Default is a great example of how small, intentional changes can create a big impact without negatively impacting dining experience. According to Cantrell, many decisions are subconsciously shaped by our surroundings; as humans, we tend to gravitate towards what’s easiest, most familiar, most abundant or most popular.  

She says, “By making the plant-based options the normal, easy choice, we get around “identity triggers” that often signal that plant-based dishes are just for vegetarians and vegans and make them appealing for all diners. Little things like changing the name from “Vegan Enchiladas” to “Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas” or putting the plant-based item first in the main buffet line instead of at a separate vegan station encourage all diners to try the delicious options that chefs have created.” 

At the same time, meat options are still available for all diners, so this not only preserves freedom of choice, but also ensures a variety of options to meet all palates and dietary needs. It’s about expanding what’s possible while keeping everyone happy. It's inclusivity. 

And it truly works. Just look at the numbers:

• LinkedIn San Francisco (2022): Meat was cut in half per diner and achieved the same target satisfaction levels along with major carbon savings.
• Oat milk by default: When we made oat milk the standard in coffee bars, the carbon footprint of milk dropped by half — with no dip in the number of lattes served.
• NYC Health + Hospitals (2024): Over 800,000 meals annually shifted to plant-forward, resulting in strong patient satisfaction, measurable cost savings and cutting emissions by one-third.

 

These proof points show how small, intentional shifts can lead to a ripple effect that results in huge positive change — environmentally, financially and socially.

Why It Matters for the Future of Dining

For today’s professionals — especially Gen-Z and Millennials — the dining experience is part of what makes the workplace feel collaborative. People want food that reflects their values and fuels their productivity, yet still feels new and exciting. 

By weaving sustainability in foodservice into our culture, we’ve created a model that keeps menus fresh and inspiring, and makes sustainability feel like a natural part of dining, not an add-on. 

At The Good Eating Company, we’re blending sustainability with flavor to create the future of workplace dining — and that’s why our journey with Greener by Default continues. We reach out to them for chef training support, to collaborate for speaking engagements and to partner on case studies that showcase what’s possible when sustainability and dining excellence go hand in hand. 

We knew our mission would take more than menu swaps — it required embedding innovation into our very identity. With Greener by Default as a partner, we’ve done exactly that. 

And we’re just getting started. 

Want to make simple changes with a big impact? We’ll help you get there. Let’s get in touch!