Red Lobster location awarded LEED Silver certification

Orlando, Fla. Darden Restaurants, owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden banners among others, said Monday that its Red Lobster restaurant in Centerview, San Antonio, is one of the company’s first to receive sustainability recognition.

The restaurant was awarded Silver certification for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for New Construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 7,029-sq.-ft. restaurant, which opened in March, features a number of sustainable design elements, including recycled building materials, increased use of natural light, and energy-efficient equipment and fixtures, including low-flow water nozzles in the kitchen and low-flow faucets in the restrooms, new LED parking lot light bulbs and low-wattage energy-efficient light bulbs, and heat recovery tanks that allow the capture of heat generated from the freezer/cooler compressors to aid in supplemental heating of hot water.

The effort is part of Darden Restaurant's Sustainable Restaurant Design initiative, which aims to reduce energy and water use in 1,800 restaurants by 15% by the year 2015.

Red Lobster, part of Darden Restaurants has nearly 700 locations across North America. Darden restaurant brands also include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.