At Caddy's on the Beach, customers get to enjoy music, food, and drinks with a view.
What they might not realize is their habits, like using plastic straws, could be harming that beautiful ocean they come here for.
Servers there won't give you a straw if you don't ask. They'll actually try to discourage you from using one.
That's because they know the straws they give out might end up in the ocean.
“The switch for us was about two years ago, when we had that article with the sea turtles and the effects of the straws,” said Ken Hautmann, general manager at Caddy’s at the Beach.
He's talking about a video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck in its nostril that went viral. A customer posted it on Caddy's Facebook page and management decided they wanted to help not hurt.
“It became a huge deal for us,” Hautmann said.
So, they switched plastic for paper straws but customers complained.
“Our guests weren't very happy with them,” Hautmann said.
So, they went with biodegradable ones and now give out way fewer than they used to.
They also switched from styrofoam to paper plates and started recycling. Sixty percent of what they used to throw away now goes in the recycling bin.
In Florida, unlike other states, Caddy's doesn't have to do this by law, but they hope other restaurants do it anyway.
“It's actually been surprisingly easy,” Hautmann said.
And they're even saving on their trash bill, but they're not done.
“There's always more we can do,” Hautmann said.
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