Bon Appetit Management Company is known for food services that emphasize eating locally. On September 30, the company will put on its fourth annual Eat Local Challenge. On that day, every chef in the 400 restaurants and cafes Bon Appetit operates around the country will prepare a 100 percent local meal.

Financially, the company's emphasis on local cuisine has worked out well: Its use of locally grown, in-season foods has helped Bon Appetit keep costs down. The company's low-carbon diet, using food that's produced locally, doesn't add the cost of shipping to the bottom line. It's that factor that wins over college campuses and other Bon Appetit clients, as much as the issue of sustainability.

While the Eat Local Challenge will be the largest such event Bon Appetit has put on, the event isn't a one-time occurrence. Its chefs are expected to adhere to the company's Farm to Fork program: A minimum of 20 percent of the food that hits plates in any Bon Appetit facility must come from within 150 miles of the kitchen. Most of Bon Appetit's restaurants and cafes consistently exceed that goal.

Image — Bon Appetit