sustainability minded

Houston kicks off green hospitality program ahead of World Cup matches

Hotels, motels, and restaurants are eligible for one of three awards.

Photo by Carla Gomez

As the World Cup approaches, Houston’s hospitality businesses will be looking for ways to stand out and draw the attention of the thousands of soccer fans who’ll be attending one of the seven matches at Houston Stadium (aka, NRG Stadium). Towards that end, Houston’s World Cup Host Committee has announced a new initiative to promote hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses that are committed to sustainability.

Called “New Year, New Hou,” the program will reward hospitality businesses that engage in environmentally-friendly business practices with one of three awards:

Yellow Leaf (small businesses only) (3-6 points): Organizations completed actions that build awareness of sustainability and demonstrate immediate impact.
Blue Leaf (7+ points): Businesses scaled up and expanded sustainability actions for greater impact.
Green Leaf (7+ points and certification): Larger organizations showcased concerted efforts and earned a sustainability certification from those listed in the toolkit (e.g. Dine Green, Green Key).

To qualify, businesses complete an online survey that asks about practices related to waste management, energy use, and managing natural resources. They include: giving customers the ability to easily opt-out of plastic silverware for to-go orders, recycling, using LED light bulbs, composting, installing EV chargers and bike racks, planting trees, and sourcing ingredients from local farms. The application is open from January 12 until February 28 and is open to all restaurants, hotels, and motels within the Houston-Galveston Area Council boundaries.

“This is about making sustainable practices accessible and impactful for our local hospitality community,” Elizabeth Carlson, sustainability committee chair of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee, said in a statement. “The FIFA World Cup is a once-a-generation opportunity, and through ‘New Year, New Hou,’ we want to help Houston businesses not only prepare for an influx of global visitors, but also strengthen their operations in ways that will benefit them and the community long after the final match is played.”

Shawn Gawle Camaraderie World Cup sustainability Chef Shawn Gawle has earned a Blue Leaf at Camaraderie.Photo by Carla Gomez

Camaraderie, an casual fine dining restaurant in the Heights, has already received a Blue Leaf.

“For neighborhood restaurants like ours, sustainability isn’t a trend. It’s part of being a good community partner,” chef-owner Shawn Gawle said. “Programs like the Hospitality Sustainability Toolkit make it easier for small, locally owned restaurants to take meaningful steps that reduce waste, save resources and meet the expectations of visitors coming to Houston from around the world.”

Businesses that qualify will be included in a tourism guide that’s available for World Cup visitors.

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8 miles high

Houston chef's menu takes off on United's premium business class offering

Courtesy of United

Justin Yu, far left, is one of 11 participating chefs.

United Airlines has shared more details about its new partnership with Chef’s Table, the acclaimed Netflix documentary series, including the menus created by the 11 participating chefs for travelers flying its premium Polaris business class seating.

For flights departing from Houston, United and Chef’s Table recruited Justin Yu, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Theodore Rex, a fine dining restaurant in downtown that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In addition, Yu and his business partner Bobby Heugel own Houston hospitality group Thorough Fare, which operates bars and restaurants including Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable, Donna’s, and a new, still-unnamed restaurant in Montrose that’s slated to open later this year.

Beginning August 1, people departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be able to dine on Yu’s three-course menu that consists of:

Appetizer: Deviled eggs with white soy, aged cheddar, and chives
Salad: Chicory salad with spiced bacon, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and oregano mustard vinaigrette
Entrée: Braised Texas short rib with ragout of mushrooms, red miso, and black eyed peas

“I wanted that slightly Texan touch,” Yu told CultureMap in March. “To me, the Houston part of it is the most important. There’s such a level of diversity. Introducing light touches of that to the meal was something I considered.”

Other participating chefs include Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles), whose menu includes an appetizer of burrata with braised leeks, shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes; Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston in Chicago), who has created a braised leeks appetizer, an arugula salad, and halibut with sauce matelote; Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat in London), whose menu includes an appetizer of grilled beef filet, lobster salad with grilled peach, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.

Chefs representing United’s destinations in Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, and Tokyo are also participating. The menus will be available through September 2026. They’ll be updated with new seasonal items beginning in October. Customers may opt for the Chef's Table meals beginning five days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

"At its core, this collaboration with Chef's Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what inflight dining can be," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, in a statement. "Because our leading global network reaches into the world's greatest food cities, we're able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve."

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