How We Keep Things Green at Topsoil Restaurant and Farm
Sustainable Restaurants: How We Keep Things Green at Topsoil Restaurant & Farm
What Makes a Restaurant Sustainable?
Sustainability is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, but at Topsoil Restaurant & Farm, it's just how we do things. We don't have some big, flashy sustainability campaign—we just believe that if you take care of the land, the people, and the community around you, good things happen.
So what does that look like for us?
For starters, we compost all of our food waste right at our farm, because throwing perfectly good nutrients into a landfill just doesn't make sense. We recycle plastic, metal, paper and glass, because, well, that's the least we can do. We farm using a no-till approach to keep the soil healthy and thriving. And we make sure our team gets a 4-5 day workweek, because sustainability isn't just about the planet—it's about people, too.
Oh, and we invite people to the farm to volunteer, because there's nothing like getting your hands in the dirt, having real conversations, and walking away with a little more appreciation for where your food comes from.
If you're looking for sustainable restaurants that actually put these ideas into practice, come visit us at Topsoil Restaurant & Farm in Travelers Rest, SC. Here's what we do —without the fluff.
Regenerative Farming at Topsoil Farm
Healthy Soil, Healthy Food: Why We Don't Till Our Farm
If you've ever gardened, you might've heard that tilling—digging up and turning over the soil—helps prepare it for planting. But here's the thing: it actually does more harm than good.
Tilling breaks up all the natural systems that help plants grow—microbes, fungi, and worms that are quietly doing their job underground. It also causes erosion, depletes nutrients, and releases carbon into the air. So instead of tilling, we:
Layer on compost and mulch to keep the soil rich and full of life.
Let the microbes and fungi do their thing, helping plants grow naturally.
Use cover crops to protect and nourish the land between plantings.
The result? Stronger plants, better-tasting food, and soil that keeps getting healthier year after year.
All Food Scraps Are Composted at the Farm
Closing the Loop: Composting 100% of Our Food Waste
Food waste is a huge issue in the restaurant industry. So much good food ends up in the trash, and when it rots in a landfill, it releases methane, a major greenhouse gas.
That's why everything we don't use—vegetable peels, plate scraps, coffee grounds, cardboard—gets composted right at our farm. Instead of trash, it becomes rich, nutrient-dense soil that goes back into growing more food.
It's a simple cycle:
→ We cook with fresh, local ingredients
→ Leftovers and scraps go into our compost or feed our chickens
→ That compost feeds our soil
→ That soil grows the next season's produce
It's farm-to-table, full-circle.
Recycling: Because It's Just the Right Thing to Do
We know we're not going to save the planet just by recycling, but we also know it's irresponsible not to. So, we do our part by:
Minimizing single-use plastics wherever possible.
Recycling all glass, aluminum, plastic, paper and metal.
Working with local recycling programs to make sure waste is handled properly.
It's not complicated. It just takes a little effort—and that effort adds up.
Kitchen Team at Topsoil Restaurant
Sustaining Our People: The 4-5 Day Workweek
Restaurants are notorious for brutal hours and burnout. We've worked in places where you're expected to grind through long shifts, six or seven days a week, and it's not sustainable—for the business or the people.
That's why we've built a schedule that actually lets our team have a life outside of work. A 4-5 day workweek means our chefs, servers, and kitchen crew get the rest they need so they can actually enjoy what they do. And guess what?
Happy, rested staff = better food & service.
Less burnout = a stronger, more consistent team.
More balance = more creativity in the kitchen.
It's a win-win—for our team and for every guest who walks through our doors.
Volunteer Every Tuesday and Saturday
Building Community at the Farm
One of the best things we do at Topsoil has nothing to do with the food on your plate. It's about the people who help make it happen.
We invite volunteers to come work with us on the farm—pulling weeds, planting, harvesting—getting their hands dirty and learning how food really grows.
And you know what happens?
Great conversations unfold while pulling weeds.
People connect in a way that doesn't happen over a cup of coffee or a Zoom call.
Friendships are formed, and perspectives shift.
It's not just about growing food. It's about growing relationships, too.
Plant Based Supper Club at Topsoil Restaurant in Travelers Rest SC
What You Can Do to Support Sustainable Restaurants
You don't have to own a farm or overhaul your whole life to make a difference. Small choices add up. Here's how you can be part of the change:
Choose restaurants that compost, recycle, and source locally. (Like us!)
Eat with the seasons. Not only does it taste better, but it reduces the carbon footprint of your food.
Reduce food waste at home. Freeze leftovers, compost scraps, and get creative with what's in your fridge.
Support local farmers. Hit the farmers' market or sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box.
Even one small shift can help move the needle toward a more sustainable food system.
Learn Where Your Food Comes From
Come See It for Yourself
At Topsoil, we're not trying to be the most sustainable restaurant ever—we're just trying to do things the right way.
And if you care about fresh food, healthy farms, and a restaurant industry that treats people well, we'd love for you to be part of it.
Come join us for brunch, dinner, or our five-course chef's tasting and see firsthand what sustainability tastes like. Or, better yet—come volunteer with us at the farm and experience it from the ground up.
We're in Travelers Rest, SC, and we'd love to share a meal, a conversation, and maybe even a little dirt under your nails.
Let's build something better—together.
Travelers Rest, SC
Near Greenville SC