900 Degrees cranks up the heat on sustainability

Priscilla Lane-Rondeau is looking forward to opening a new restaurant while building on the sustainability practices that have become a hallmark of her brand.

Lane-Rondeau, owner of 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, said she hopes to finalize paperwork soon to open a new restaurant in Portsmouth by the end of the year to join her locations in Manchester and Epping. The new location in Portsmouth will likely be located along Lafayette Road, away from the crowded restaurant scene in downtown Portsmouth. Equally important, the new Portsmouth location will have enough space to add composting to her green legacy.

“I am very excited about being in Portsmouth because it will allow me to do some things we haven’t been able to do yet,” Lane-Rondeau said.“Composting is something we can make happen in Portsmouth. Our goal is to contract with someone locally to help us make it part of our operations from the outset. Once we are able to do it there, we will be ready to possibly do it in Manchester and Epping.”

Lane-Rondeau chose to go as green and be as sustainable as possible when she opened the first 900 Degrees in Manchester in 2007. She had no doubts this was the right avenue to take despite the fail rate for new restaurants. Lane-Rondeau said that customers in New Hampshire have been overwhelmingly appreciative of her approach.

“Our customers want this and they tell me so every day. They are not only happy that we are so involved in our communities, but they want the freshly sourced ingredients that we use for all our meals,” she said.

The approach has paid off, with expansion to a second location in Epping in 2013. “The less waste you have, the better you do. Add in the local and green components and you have a program that works,” she said.

NH Business Review’s Sustainable Entrepreneurship series is run in partnership with the Green Alliance. To learn more about the alliance, visit greenalliance.biz.