Green Story

Robert’s Maine Grill in Kittery opened in 2004 when the owner of Bob’s Clam Hut bought the Quarterdeck Restaurant on Route 1, its famed lighthouse shape a beacon to customers for over 30 years. Robert’s recreated the lighthouse but changed everything else, bringing an old standard restaurant into a new and progressive era of fresh, local and more sustainable eats. And their commitment to green goes beyond the food they serve and their ever-growing array of compostable alternatives; they’ve also recently installed a brand-new solar hot water system on the roof.

Robert’s mission is to prepare the best local ingredients with a traditional Maine flair and serve them with attention and care. Owner Michael Landgarten makes it a priority to purchase local whenever possible, balancing that with a demand for the highest quality ingredients; “local is often synonymous with quality, so they almost always go hand in hand,” says Landgarten. Indeed the long list of local farms, fisherman and businesses Robert’s supports is impressive. 90% of products are sourced locally, making this Robert’s strongest environmental success and significantly reducing the business’ footprint. 95% of deliveries come from Favorite Foods, a local supplier committed to sustainability in many of its practices, including the use of biofuel for delivery trucks and strong support of small, local restaurants, (Favorite Foods does not deliver to large chains and has built their business on supplying independently-owned restaurants)...