Trail Location Update

  Chapel Hill Restaurant Group LEED's the way for local restaurants 

For nearly 25 years, Chapel Hill Restaurant Group has been serving fresh, local, and delicious food to the triangle. Over the years, the owners, Mickey Ewell, Kenny Carlson, Pete Dorrance and Greg Overbeck have seen a focus on sustainability naturally shift to the forefront of their shared business values. Greg Overbeck sees these business practices as an intrinsic part of how the group has developed and grown, "It's simple stuff really. You just try to lessen your environmental impact as much as possible."

Decorated with awards, the group includes Mez, 411 West Italian Café, 518 West Italian Café, Squid's Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar, Spanky's Restaurant each contributing in different ways to help shrink their carbon footprint. 518 West serves locally-sourced food whenever possible and uses a computerized HVAC system to avoid wasted energy. 411 West has reduced their solid waste by 70% since beginning their composting program. All of the oyster shells from Squid's get sent out to the coast to rebuild oyster beds. Each restaurant uses compostable and recycled to-go containers reducing the amount of trash in our landfills, and of course, they are partnered with Piedmont Biofuels to help bring clean-burning fuel to your tanks. Tasty food that keeps us running: We love it!

Mez is the first LEED Certified restaurant in North Carolina. That's right. The first.The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council focusing on design and construction and here are just some of the ways that Mez Contemporary Mexican has met the mark:

• Preferred parking for alternative fuel vehicles
• LED lighting wherever possible
• Low-flow toilets and automatic sinks help keep water usage to a minimum
• Carpets and fabrics are 100% recycled materials
• Stains, paints, sealants, and adhesives have minimal amounts of harmful chemicals
• The artificial wetland outside naturally cleanses the rainwater runoff before entering our water supply

It's no surprise that Chapel Hill Restaurant Group was named "2007 Sustainable Business of the Year" by The Foundation for a Sustainable Community. Pair that with a wide variety of tasty, affordable food and friendly service and you've got fans for life. We are so pleased with what Chapel Hill Restaurant Group is doing for the community and the environment. We are looking forward to their newest project in the works!

 FROM TABLE TO TANK.....