The Little Beet Table And SPE Certified Welcome National Nutrition Month

At The Little Beet, the fast-casual restaurant in midtown Manhattan where chef Franklin Becker's health-conscious, unpretentious food happens to be gluten-free, the menu has just gained another important distinction.

The restaurant is one of a small (but growing) number of establishments where the entire menu is SPE-certified, a prestigious certification that recognizes a restaurant for its commitment to sustainability and nutrition. SPE gives out up to three stars for restaurants whose practices are aligned with customer wellness and environmental consciousness — The Little Beet has three.

In honor of March being the official National Nutrition Month, chef Becker hosted SPE at The Little Beet Table, the full-service sister restaurant of The Little Beet, so that SPE could announce a plan to expand its sustainability certification guidelines to incorporate more restaurants.

The new initiative, which focuses on a restaurant's operational practices, will evaluate restaurants, beginning with a questionnaire, for their sourcing and sustainability efforts, nutritional balance of the menu, and the training practices and transparency of the business. Restaurants that exhibit an interest in making their businesses more sustainable and balanced will receive guidance on how to maximize those efforts.